The road toll makes headlines every year, but we don’t often hear the stories of those whose lives are changed forever through serious injury.
Serious injuries, such as brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations, burns and blindness, may require a lifetime of support to help people recover to the extent they can and maximise their independence in the community.
That’s where the Lifetime Support Authority (LSA) – an organisation that in 2024 celebrates a decade of making a difference – comes in.
Over the past 10 years the LSA has delivered positive long-term outcomes and quality of life for individuals who suffer life-changing injuries, as well as their families.
On 1 July 2014, the LSA commenced operations. In line with the National Injury Insurance Scheme, the Lifetime Support Scheme (LSS) was established through a life-changing piece of legislation that resulted in a fundamental shift in the way people seriously injured on SA roads are supported.
Through the LSS, the LSA funds necessary and reasonable treatment, care and support to LSS participants who sustain very serious injuries in a motor vehicle accident on South Australian roads, regardless of fault.
People who sustained serious injuries in a motor vehicle accident prior to 1 July 2014 did not qualify for compensation unless another party was responsible.
Prior to the introduction of the LSS, each year approximately 40 per cent of very seriously injured people in motor vehicle accidents were left without compensation because there was no-one else at fault.
Where compensation was available, funding may have been insufficient to cover the cost of lifetime treatment, care and support, and there were often significant payment delays while the claim progressed through the legal system.
From 1 July 2014, seriously injured people in motor vehicle accidents, experienced a very different and better supported future.
With the introduction of the LSS, the Lifetime Support Authority now provides support to seriously injured people and their families at a time of significant distress and adjustment in their lives.
The LSS is set up to enable people to enter the Scheme quickly and receive the treatment, care, and support they need for their lifetime. Thanks to this support, participants can focus on progressing their recovery and return to daily life.
Since the Scheme’s inception, the LSS has made a positive difference in the lives of 466 participants, by providing treatment, care, and support to 336 with a brain injury, 63 with a spinal cord injury, 63 with amputations and four with burns.
LSA Chief Executive Rick Howe said that the LSA “was established through a life-changing piece of legislation that resulted in a fundamental shift in the way people seriously injured on SA roads are supported”.
“The scheme’s person-centred approach enables participants to focus on their recovery, knowing that the LSA is familiar with their individual story, needs and goals and will provide the treatment, care and support they need for their lifetime,” Mr Howe said.
“As we acknowledge the Scheme’s 10-year anniversary, we reflect on our vision to make a positive difference in the lives of participants and recognise the achievements of LSS participants, who are at the centre of what we do.”
For more information about the LSA and LSS, visit the LSA website.
