Chiropractic is one of the allied health disciplines scheduled under the Workers Compensation (Health Services) Fees Order in Western Australia, alongside physiotherapy, osteopathy, occupational therapy and others. That means it can be funded as part of treatment on an accepted claim. It is not automatic, it works through your treating medical practitioner and your insurer, and most injured workers are never told it is an option at all.
I am Dr Alex Freeman (chiropractor) and I practise in Victoria Park, Perth. We see a steady stream of workers on claims, and the same thing comes up repeatedly: nobody told them conservative care of this kind could be part of their plan, so it never got asked for.
This article is a practical explainer, not a complaint about anybody. The scheme is not blocking you. It just has a process, and if you do not know the process exists, the path of least resistance is whatever was written into your plan first.
What is actually covered
The Workers Compensation (Health Services) Fees Order sets the fees payable for health services on an accepted claim in WA. It is reissued periodically, and the current order schedules eleven allied health disciplines. Chiropractic is one of them. The others include physiotherapy, osteopathy, occupational therapy, exercise programs, psychology and related services, acupuncture, speech pathology and mental health social work.
So the starting position is straightforward. Chiropractic is a recognised, fee-scheduled service within the scheme. The question in any individual case is not whether the discipline is covered. It is whether this treatment, for this injury, has been approved as part of your management.
How it works in practice
Treatment on a claim sits inside a managed process rather than being something you simply arrange yourself, and there are three parties who matter.
Your treating medical practitioner. Usually your GP. They complete your certificates of capacity and they are central to what your treatment and return to work plan looks like. If you want a particular type of care included, this is the conversation to have first.
Your insurer. They fund the treatment on an accepted claim, and some items require their approval in advance. Under the current fees order, prior insurer approval is required for things like extended travel time, gym fees attached to an exercise program, and worksite visits. Practitioners can provide a limited number of reports without approval, after which further reports need to be approved first.
Your employer. Involved in the return to work side rather than in choosing your treatment.
None of that is designed to exclude anything. It does mean that treatment tends to follow whatever was set up at the beginning, so raising it early is worth more than raising it late.
What to do if you want chiropractic included
Talk to your treating medical practitioner. Tell them what you want included and why. They are the person best placed to put it into your plan.
Ask your insurer directly what is approved. You are entitled to know what has been approved, what has not, and what needs approval before it starts. Get it in writing if you can.
Tell us it is a claim when you book. We need your claim number, your insurer, and your employer's details before we start, so the administration does not land on you afterwards.
Do not stop what you have been asked to do. Adding something to your plan is a conversation. Unilaterally departing from your plan can affect your claim, so work through the process rather than around it.
If something is refused, ask why in writing. There are review and dispute pathways within the scheme, and WorkCover WA can explain them. That is their job, and their advice service is free.
What we do for workers on a claim
The same thing we do for everyone else, with more documentation.
A first appointment is a consultation and examination rather than treatment. We record specific, measurable findings: myotomal strength, ranges of motion, neurological screening and functional testing. Those same measures get repeated at a formal progress examination rather than relying on how you describe your pain on the day.
That matters more on a claim than off one. A compensable case involves people who were not in the room making decisions about your treatment and your capacity, and the only thing that travels to them is what is written down. "He says he feels better" changes nothing. A documented improvement in grip strength or big toe extension over a defined period is evidence, and it works in both directions, because it also shows clearly and early if something is not responding and needs escalating.
We also write to your treating medical practitioner as a matter of course, using a written standard our practitioners follow for medical correspondence.
A note on timing
The one thing I would genuinely push on is early assessment.
Plans get set at the beginning and tend to run. If you want something included, the cheapest moment to ask is week one, not month four. This is also simply better clinically, because the longer a musculoskeletal injury runs unaddressed, the more secondary problems it accumulates: strength lost through guarding, altered movement patterns, and a nervous system that has had months of practice at being sensitive.
Common questions
Is chiropractic covered by workers compensation in WA?
Chiropractic is one of the allied health disciplines scheduled in the Workers Compensation (Health Services) Fees Order in Western Australia, so it can be funded on an accepted claim. Whether it is approved in your individual case depends on your treatment plan and your insurer, so confirm before starting.
Do I need a referral to see a chiropractor on a workers compensation claim?
Chiropractors are primary contact practitioners in Australia, but treatment on a claim is managed through your treating medical practitioner and funded by your insurer. Speak to both before booking, and confirm what has been approved, so the treatment is covered rather than billed to you.
Who decides what treatment I get on a claim?
Your treating medical practitioner is central to your treatment and return to work plan, and your insurer approves and funds treatment on an accepted claim. If you want a particular type of care included, raise it with your treating medical practitioner first.
What if my insurer will not approve the treatment I want?
Ask for the reason in writing. The WA workers compensation scheme has review and dispute pathways, and WorkCover WA provides free information to injured workers about how those work.
Can I see a chiropractor while I am also having physiotherapy?
Both disciplines are scheduled under the fees order, but concurrent treatment needs to be agreed as part of your plan rather than arranged independently. Discuss it with your treating medical practitioner and confirm approval with your insurer.
If you have been hurt at work
Bring your claim number, your insurer's details and any imaging or reports you already have. We will tell you honestly whether what you are dealing with is something conservative care is likely to help, and if it is not, we will say so and write to your doctor accordingly.
We are at 249B Albany Highway, Victoria Park, and we see workers from across East Victoria Park, Kensington, South Perth, Como, Lathlain, Carlisle, Burswood, Rivervale and Belmont.
Book online or call 0493 290 505. You may also want to read about what a chiropractor does, neck pain with arm symptoms, and chronic low back pain.
Source: Workers Compensation (Health Services) Fees Order, WorkCover WA. WorkCover WA advice line: 1300 794 744.
Freeman Chiropractic · Victoria Park
Injured at work in WA?
Book a consultation and examination with Dr Alex Freeman at 249B Albany Highway, Victoria Park. Bring your claim number and insurer details.
This article is general information about the Western Australian workers compensation scheme and is not legal advice or a guarantee of funding in any individual case. Coverage, approvals and fees are set by the scheme and your insurer, and the fees order is updated from time to time. For authoritative information, contact WorkCover WA or your insurer directly. Dr Alex Freeman is a registered chiropractor practising in Victoria Park, Western Australia.