Louis' Blog

As a tribute to Louis van Assen’s lifelong contribution to Workers’ Compensation, we have elected to keep his blogs up on our site for all to read. Please read with renewed appreciation these insights derived from his ongoing commitment to a field in which he believed.


May 2013

Louis, all of us at WCA Workers Compensation Assistance will miss you. I’m sure many, many more people outside our company will join us in saluting the enormous contribution you made to workers’ compe …

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When someone is injured on duty in an “accident” as contemplated in section 1 of the COIDA, this accident could result in various conditions and thus different forms of compensation.  The expression “ …

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How often do you read or hear reports or press releases so delusional that it sounds as if it cannot be true? A popular one is to state that they will solve their problems through the upgrading/replac …

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February 2012

I have studied the Department of Labour’s press release dated 3/2/2012 regarding their intention to decentralize the administration of the COID office with scepticism and amusement at the same time.   …

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January 2012

This is the time of the year that you must prepare for the submission of your annual Return of Earnings to the Compensation Commissioner’s office and the subsequent payment of your annual assessments. …

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I have over the past months presented you with a brief summary of the more important aspects of workers’ compensation in South Africa.  There were several Acts in this regard since the end of the 19th …

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We have now reached the final column dealing with the more important issues in the COID Act.  The sections in this chapter are not something that you will deal with regularly; they are mainly procedur …

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This chapter provides for the legal remedies that are available to all the parties involved in workers’ compensation. Before I supply you with a brief summary of the more important aspects of these re …

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Although no part of the COIDA can be said to be unimportant, this chapter is regarded by experts as particularly important when it comes to the administration of the Act.   The reason for this is main …

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Medical costs in terms of Chapter VIII of the COIDA were recently labelled by the CC as the biggest medical scheme in South Africa. Whether this statement is technically correct as it is not registere …

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