I am writing to inform you of a proposed operational change to IRO’s Independent Legal Assistance and Review Scheme (ILARS) grant program.
IRO recently reviewed its current approach to payment of service fess to Medical Report Providers (MRPs) for Approved Lawyers (AL) requesting medical evidence using MRP’s proprietary platforms.
IRO is proposing, subject to feedback, to cease paying service fees for any services requested after 31 October 2024. Law firms may continue to use MRPs but, from this date, will need to pay this fee as part of their professional costs.
Why is this happening?
Following this internal review IRO identified the following issues:
- The service fee is not considered a disbursement IRO would necessarily pay under the current ILARS Funding Guidelines.
- While historically IRO has paid this fee, including as a supportive extension measure during the COVID 19 pandemic, this was an operational decision. ILARS professional fees are already intended to compensate ALs for work done, including sourcing medical evidence.
- The current settings were not driving competition in the market and creating an increasing administrative burden for IRO to monitor compliance.
- With increasing demand for ILARS, IRO has determined it is more appropriate for individual AL and respective law firms to make business decisions around how they access medical evidence.
Commencing in 2025, IRO will undertake a full review of the ILARS Funding Guidelines including disbursement and professional fees.
Please provide any feedback by 17 September 2024 to feedback@iro.nsw.gov.au
Yours sincerely,
Jeffrey Gabriel
Independent Review Officer