The Government is set to save $900,000 each year after ending its contract with Veritas Finance Private Ltd. Veritas, a third-party company, previously managed employment and school accident claims and collaborated with the Ministry of Employment on handling these cases.
Maritino Nemani, the executive chair of the Accident Compensation Commission of Fiji (ACCF) and permanent secretary for Employment, made these remarks during a presentation to the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs concerning the ACCF’s annual reports for 2019-2022.
Mr. Nemani indicated that Veritas acted as the commission’s claims agent and that the responsibilities for investigating and processing claims for workplace and school accidents were previously shared between the ACCF and the Employment Ministry.
“There was a bit of overlap and duplication of work that we also did while the ministry was the enforcing arm,” Mr. Nemani explained. He added that as of June 1, the contract with Veritas had come to its natural conclusion.
He confirmed that the responsibilities previously managed by Veritas have now been handed over to the ministry. “The ministry now takes care of full enforcement investigations as well as the responsibilities that ACCF processed. And we save $900,000 a year,” Mr. Nemani stated.
He also mentioned that the ministry has introduced stricter standard operating procedures for managing claims, which are anticipated to enhance efficiency and streamline the process.