What to expect at a Medical Assessment Tribunal
A psychological injury's permanent impairment can only be assessed by a Medical Assessment Tribunal, whose decision is final, with no doctor-assessment step or second opinion first.
For a permanent impairment assessment, Queensland's scheme treats a psychological injury differently from a physical one. s 179(2) of the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 requires a psychiatric or psychological injury's degree of permanent impairment to be assessed by a medical assessment tribunal, while another injury is assessed by a doctor. Where a worker has permanent impairment from multiple injuries in one event, s 179(5) requires the psychiatric or psychological injury's degree of permanent impairment to be assessed separately from any physical injuries.
No doctor step, and no second opinion
WorkCover Queensland's own guidance states this directly: "For psychological injuries, a worker's permanent impairment assessment can only be undertaken by a MAT and their decision will be final." By contrast, for a physical injury, a worker can be assessed first by a doctor and can then request a second doctor's opinion or a tribunal review before a tribunal decision becomes final. A psychological injury has neither of those earlier steps: it goes straight to a Medical Assessment Tribunal, and that tribunal's decision on the assessment itself is not reviewed further.
What this means for a worker preparing for one
Because there is no second opinion available for the psychological assessment itself, the tribunal appointment is the one chance to have the degree of permanent impairment assessed. This site does not describe what happens inside a tribunal appointment beyond what these sources confirm; a treating psychologist or a lawyer experienced with WorkCover Queensland claims can help you prepare for what the tribunal will be assessing.