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Impairment assessment

Impairment Assessment Guidelines Third Edition

July 1 2025: The new Impairment Assessment Guidelines Third Edition have been unanimously supported by the Stakeholder Representative Consultation Group after an extensive expert-led review. The 2022 Scheme Sustainability changes brought increased Parliamentary oversight which meant that like any Regulation, they were subject to a period of disallowance, which has now closed.

All stakeholders can now be confident that as of 1 October 2025, the Impairment Assessment Guidelines Third Edition will come into force, subject to transition provisions of which some detail is provided within Chapter 1. They have been developed to facilitate a fair, objective and consistent approach to whole person impairment assessments and key changes include a new assessment tool for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

Implementation of the Impairment Assessment Guidelines Third Edition - external site- external site- external site- external site- external siteis set for 1 October 2025.

ReturnToWorkSA will lead the implementation, engaging with a range of external stakeholders throughout to ensure the Impairment Assessment Guidelines Third Edition is understood and ready to apply from the implementation date.

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What is an impairment assessment?

An impairment assessment is undertaken if a worker has a permanent impairment resulting from a work injury. When the work injury has stabilised, the worker's case manager will discuss referral to an accredited impairment assessor.

What is an impairment assessor?

Impairment assessors are medical practitioners that are accredited under the Accreditation Scheme established by the Minister for Industrial Relations. Their role is to assess injured workers and prepare assessment reports in accordance with the relevant edition of the Impairment Assessment Guidelines to determine:

  • whether the injury has stabilised
  • whether the worker's injury has resulted in an impairment
  • whether the impairment is permanent
  • the degree of whole person impairment resulting from the work injury.

The Guidelines that apply, generally are:

Note: The previously published Second Edition of the Guidelines- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site, which was effective for claims with a date of injury on or after 23 August 2021, was revoked effective 1 August 2022. The Second Edition Guidelines only apply to injury date on or after 24 August 2021 where a worker had already selected their assessor prior to 1 August 2022 or they are partway through their assessment. Read more about significant reforms to the Return to Work Act 2014- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site that passed South Australian Parliament on 6 July 2022.

Further information about impairment assessments is detailed in section 22 of the Return to Work Act 2014- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site.

An electronic copy of the Impairment assessment report template for physical, noise induced hearing loss and psychiatric assessment, which is mandatory to use, is available on our Impairment assessor news and resources page- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site- external site.

Impairment Assessor Accreditation Scheme Review

May 21 2025:  In 2023, the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector approved ReturnToWorkSA to undertake a comprehensive review of the Impairment Assessor Accreditation Scheme (IAAS) with the aim of establishing a clearer and more accountable IAAS that enhances the whole person impairment (WPI) process for both the Permanent Impairment Assessor and injured worker.

Through an extensive consultation process, there was strong consensus on the need for reform. Several key themes emerged, including:

  • A continuing accreditation model – Ensuring assessors meet ongoing training and upskilling requirements to maintain their accreditation.
  • Enhanced assessor capability – Developing a supportive learning and development framework to strengthen assessor expertise.
  • A call for peer support – Providing assessors with professional support for assessments and the WPI process.

A revised IAAS has now been approved by the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, and will be effective from the 1 July 2025.

ReturnToWorkSA appreciates the time and effort from stakeholders who provided a submission and contributed to the review.

Accredited assessors list

A sortable list of accredited assessors is available for download. You can filter by body system and choose how the list is ordered.
Please read the instructions carefully before creating and downloading the list.

This list is regularly updated as details change and assessors complete their accreditation requirements. Assessors should email or contact Injury Assessment Services on 08 8238 5960, if their details or circumstances change or if they wish to provide additional information, such as other languages spoken or country visit locations, so that this list can be updated.

Accreditation process

Impairment Assessors for the Return to Work scheme are accredited in accordance with the Impairment Assessor Accreditation Scheme established by the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector.

Eligible applicants approved by the Minister are invited to complete the South Australian Impairment Assessor Training modules relevant to their application. These modules provide education on applying the Impairment Assessment Guidelines.

Once the applicant has successfully completed the training and competency based assessment they are added to the list of accredited assessors.

Applicants (aside from Psychiatrists) are strongly encouraged to complete training in the American Medical Association Guide to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 5th Edition (or 4th Edition for Visual System), to support their learning.

If you have any questions regarding current assessors or applying to become an assessor, please email or contact Impairment Assessment Services on 08 8238 5960.

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