Apply to become a NIISQ participant 

Are you eligible?

From July 1 2016, anyone who sustains a serious personal injury in a motor vehicle accident in Queensland may be eligible to receive necessary and reasonable lifetime treatment, care and support under the National Injury Insurance Scheme, Queensland (NIISQ). 

NIISQ is a no-fault scheme. This means we can provide treatment, care and support regardless of who was at fault in the accident, as long as you meet all eligibility criteria as outlined in the National Injury Insurance Scheme (Queensland) Act 2016 and Regulation 2016. 

A serious personal injury includes: 

Permanent spinal cord injuries

Permanent injury to the brachial plexus

Traumatic brain injuries

Severe burns

Multiple or high-level limb amputations

Permanent blindness caused by trauma

Eligibility criteria apply for all injuries and can be found here: 

National Injury Insurance Scheme (Queensland) Act 2016 

National Injury Insurance Scheme (Queensland) Regulation 2016 

To enable us to make a decision about your eligibility we need information about the motor accident and your injuries. This may include information from police, ambulance, hospitals, and insurance companies. 

If you have sustained a serious personal injury in a motor vehicle accident and have a question about NIISQ, please call the NIISQ Agency on 1300 607 566 or email us at enquiries@niis.qld.gov.au.

  1. Download the Application Form – Interim Participant 
  1. Fill out the application form 
  1. Have a qualified medical specialist complete the medical certificate aspect of the form 
  1. Attach any supportive documents if appropriate 
  1. Email the form to applications@niis.qld.gov.au  

or post to GPO Box 1391, Brisbane QLD 4001 

Applications for NIISQ often occur when you are in a Queensland Health facility, with support from a social worker. However, applications are accepted at any time post-injury and will each be individually reviewed for eligibility. 

If you have made a CTP claim against an insurer, the insurer may make an application on your behalf. 

The application form for insurers is below: 

If eligible, you are accepted as an interim NIISQ participant for two years. Prior to your two year anniversary with NIISQ, a review of your eligibility is repeated. Following this review, interim participants are informed whether they have been found eligible for Lifetime participation in the NIISQ. 

You have the right to request a review of our decision about your eligibility for NIISQ. Find out more about eligibility reviews. (link) 

What should your application include? 

Your application form should include: 

  1. Medical information 
  1. Depending on your injury type, an additional assessment may need to be completed and submitted with the application form. This is to give us extra information to check if you meet the criteria for those injury types.  

Traumatic brain injury or severe burns: 

  • Applications for these injury types require an assessment called a Functional Independence Measure (FIM, or WeeFIM for children). There is more information on this assessment on the Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre (AROC) website. This assessment must be completed by a credentialed FIM or WeeFIM assessor. If multiple assessments have occurred since injury all scores should be submitted. 
  1. An authority signed by you or someone on your behalf, providing your consent for us to contact people (like doctors, police and ambulance officers) who have information that might help us make a decision about your eligibility for the Scheme. 

What NIISQ pays for 

NIISQ funds necessary and reasonable treatment, care and support for eligible, serious personal injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident on or after 1 July 2016 in Queensland. 

Treatment, care and support services include: 

Medical and pharmaceutical treatment (e.g. doctor’s appointments, medication)

Respite care

Educational and vocational training

Ambulance transportation.

Dental treatment

Aids and appliances (e.g. wheelchairs) other than ordinary personal or household items

Home and transport modifications (e.g. ramps or bathroom rails)

Rehabilitation (e.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy)

Prostheses

Attendant care and support services (e.g personal care and domestic services)

Refer to the information sheets which include information about the specific areas of treatment, care and support we fund and how the NIISQ Agency determines what is necessary and reasonable to fund. 

Further information about the NIISQ Agency’s decision-making criteria for treatment, care and support services is available in: 

The injured person or someone acting on their behalf can request a review about treatment, care and support decisions. 

Our Review of decisions treatment, care and support information sheet provides more information about this: 

Last updated: November 2023