Occupational therapy in workers' compensation and workplace rehabilitation: WorkCover Queensland and Comcare

Written by Callum Trevorrow. Last checked 28 October 2026 against official sources.

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In Queensland, WorkCover’s fee for an initial consultation with an Ahpra-registered OT is A$137, and A$108 for each subsequent one (from 1 July 2026, excluding GST, paid to the provider), with the first 5 consultations pre-approved for a new injury. Return to work services are different: only organisations on WorkCover’s return to work provider panel can deliver them, at A$231 an hour for most services.

That split decides what kind of employer you’d work for, so it’s the first thing to understand about this sector. I’m a physio. I’ve been a senior physio responsible for other clinicians, and the inaugural director of a satellite hospital.

Two kinds of OT work in workers’ compensation

WorkCover Queensland: OT fees from 1 July 2026

The first 5 consultations, including the initial one, are pre-approved for injuries not previously treated by an allied health provider. After that, you need a Provider Management Plan.

OTs with OTA mental health endorsement can also deliver focused psychological services under WorkCover’s separate mental health table of costs. See mental health OT.

These are fees, not pay. They’re what WorkCover pays the provider. Your pay depends on whether you’re employed or contracted and what your contract says; see contractor or employee.

The return to work panel

Most return to work services cost A$231 an hour, pro rata, from 1 July 2026, with travel at A$206 an hour. WorkCover refers to panel providers by location and service. Eligible professions on the panel include Ahpra-registered OTs, physios and psychologists, rehabilitation counsellors (with ASORC membership), ESSA exercise physiologists and social workers. Psychological functional capacity evaluations are limited to psychologists, rehabilitation counsellors and OTs.

WorkCover’s panel page doesn’t explain how to join; its accredited program document says providers are appointed through an open tender. For you as a clinician, that means the employer is the panel member, not you.

Comcare approval

Workplace rehabilitation providers need Comcare approval to deliver rehabilitation programs under the Comcare, Seacare and Military Compensation schemes. This is separate from WorkCover Queensland.

• Approval criteria cover qualifications, probity and finances. A new application costs A$2,000 (non-refundable, 2026–27).
• Clinicians must be “relevantly qualified”. That list includes registered OTs and physiotherapists, as well as psychologists, medical practitioners, nurses, rehabilitation counsellors, ESSA-accredited exercise physiologists and AASW social workers.
• From July 2026, Comcare’s conditions require an approved provider to have a senior manager with at least 5 years’ experience as a relevantly qualified person.

Physios

Physios are on WorkCover’s return to work panel list and Comcare’s relevantly qualified list, as above. We haven’t researched WorkCover Queensland’s physiotherapy fee table, so check the current table of costs on WorkCover Queensland’s site before you rely on any figure. Physios register through the Australian Physiotherapy Council and the Physiotherapy Board; see Express FLYR, FLYR and APEP.

Your next step

Check which OT Board route your qualification is on, because every WorkCover and Comcare role starts with Ahpra registration. If you’re a physio, check which Physiotherapy Council route applies to you. The pathway check below asks those questions in a few minutes and shows which route applies, so you know what to sort out before you apply to a rehabilitation provider.