The Personal Injury Commission continues to experience an increase in filings across both the Workers Compensation and Motor Accidents Divisions.

Filings remain well above the average filings seen each year since the Commission was established in 2021, with the trend expected to continue for some time to come.

The Commission continues to deliver timely decisions and achieve strong finalisations, thanks to a focus on operational efficiency and excellence in decision-making.

While finalisations remain high, the record numbers of filings means that our clearance rates have decreased and the number of matters on hand is increasing.

Urgent and time sensitive filings continue to be registered quickly. If you have an urgent matter, please contact the Commission via help@pi.nsw.gov.au.

Workers compensation

Form 2 (including Form 2D) applications to resolve a dispute account for 70% of all workers compensation applications to the Commission.

By the end of April, the Commission had received over 7,700 Form 2 applications for the current financial year, which is more than the full financial year in 2024–25. The Commission anticipates it will receive over 9,400 Form 2 applications by the end of 2025–26, which would be a 27% increase on the previous year*. The size of that increase is shown in the chart below.

The Commission has responded well with increased finalisations. More than 8,400 finalisations are anticipated by the end of the financial year, which would represent an 18% increase on the previous year*.

However, finalisations have not managed to keep pace with the record numbers of filings and a clearance rate of 89% is anticipated for the year. This has meant that matters on hand have increased, with over 3,000 Form 2 applications in progress at the end of April – a 53% increase since the start of the financial year.

While the Commission has seen a slight decrease in lodgements in recent months, as shown in the chart below, the overall trend still indicates that lodgements are increasing. Lodgements in April 2026 were 8% higher than April 2025.

Average lifecycles for Form 2 applications, which represent the time taken to finalise matters, usually see significant variation month to month, as shown in the chart below, but have generally reduced over the past three years. However, the Commission is now experiencing some impact to these due to the increase in filings. Average lifecycles may increase further over the coming months.

Motor Accidents

Motor accident medical disputes account for approximately 70% of all motor accident disputes filed with the Commission.

By the end of April, the Commission had received over 4,400 motor accident medical disputes for this financial year and is on track to receive over 5,400 by the end of June*, as shown in the chart below. This would represent a 17% increase compared with the previous year.

There was a slight decrease in the number of medical disputes finalised in 2024–25, and the Commission is likely to see a further decrease this year. This also means that the clearance rate for motor accidents medical disputes will decrease, with a clearance rate of 89% forecast for the year*.

The increase in filings has seen the volume of work on hand increase. At the end of April 2026, the Commission had over 2,700 motor accident medical disputes in progress, which is an increase of 26% compared to the same time last year.

The Commission sees normal seasonal variation in the number of medical disputes lodged each month, however there is a clear trend of increased lodgements, as shown in the chart below. While there was a decrease in lodgements in April 2026 compared to previous months, this still represented an increase of 12% compared with April last year.

The Commission has made significant progress in reducing the average lifecycle of motor accidents medical disputes in recent years. While lodgements have increased, lifecycles have not yet seen any significant increase. The Commission will continue to monitor lifecycles closely as some increase in lifecycles should be expected over the coming months as a result of the increased filings.

Wait times

The Commission has undertaken considerable work in reducing wait times over the past few years. While the Commission remains in a relatively strong position and continues to respond proactively to the increase in lodgements, stakeholders should expect to experience some increase in lifecycles and time to dispute resolution events, including timeframes to register new applications, and the time to member preliminary conferences and medical assessments.

Urgent and time sensitive filings continue to be registered quickly. If you have an urgent matter, please contact the Commission via help@pi.nsw.gov.au.

How the Commission is responding

The Commission continues to implement a range of initiatives to respond to the increased workload, including targeted recruitment, harmonising processes and procedures, and enhancing case management functions as part of a continuous improvement approach.

The Commission will soon commence recruitment of new sessional members, and targeted recruitment of medical assessors, particularly in high demand specialties like psychiatry. There is also a continued focus on dual and triple appointments across the three divisions to ensure flexibility in work allocations.

From March, the Commission commenced pre-assessment check-ins for claimants two weeks ahead of their motor accidents medical assessments, which is in addition to the SMS reminders they already receive. This acknowledges that the cancellation and rescheduling of medical assessments can contribute to matter delays and provides an opportunity to remind injured people of their appointment and ensure they are prepared.

As part of the Commission’s focus on reviewing and enhancing its registry processes, it has diverted resources into the highest-need areas and will continue to allocate work flexibly to meet demand.

The Commission continues to closely monitor and analyse its performance data to inform the ongoing response and remains committed to engaging closely with tribunal users on this data and how the targeted actions are meeting the increased demand.

Practitioners can also assist by ensuring that all applications filed are fully compliant with the relevant legislation, rules and procedural directions. This includes the timely submission of evidence ahead of any scheduled event and ensuring that their clients understand the importance of attending their medical assessment.

*Actual data is correct as at 8 May 2026 and is subject to change. Forecasts are estimated based on historical data and recent trends, and end of year results may differ.