[Source: Parliament of Fiji/ Facebook]

The government is set to save $900,000 annually after the end of the contract of a third-party firm that managed employment and school accident claims.

Accident Compensation Commission’s interim Chair Maritino Nemani confirmed this while making submissions before the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs on their 2019-2022 Annual Reports.

Veritas Private Limited used to serve as the commission’s claim agent.

Nemani says the ACCF and the Ministry of Employment previously shared responsibilities for investigating and processing workplace and school accident claims.

“There was a bit of overlap and duplication in the work that we are doing, while the Ministry was the enforcing arm. So, what we’ve done now, from the 1st of June, we have reverted that, because the Veritas contract has come to a natural end, and we have absorbed that back, so the Ministry now takes care of that full enforcement investigation, and also the role that ACCF possessing Veritas is to do.”

Nemani who is also the permanent secretary for employment says the Ministry has enhanced its procedures by implementing strict Standard Operating Procedures for investigating and settling claims.

He adds that his Ministry now oversees 100 percent of the enforcement and investigation work to ensure that the process is efficient.