wcb incident management
Understanding W.C.B. regulations is one of our areas of expertise, allowing our team to offer you clear guidance in any claim situation. We can also help protect your company from worker dishonesty and deal with compensation misuse.
We understand that W.C.B. claims and incident management are not always a clear cut matter. There is often a great deal of a grey area, especially when a business owner lacks familiarity with the regulations and laws.
To ensure complete compliance, W.C.B. audits employer's records of worker earnings and reviews business operations. We help companies understand the best practices and requirements around workers' compensation to safeguard from a failure to comply.
Poorly performing employers will pay higher premiums with W.C.B., resulting in a drain of resources for your company, which is avoidable.
What is the W.C.B. Appeals Commission?
The W.C.B. Appeals Commission resolves fraudulent claim cases by the employer or a poorly managed claim by a worker.
Either the worker or the employer can end up on the defence at the appeals commission. If a worker claims an injury, that injury is compensable by nature. It doesn’t have to be proven that it happened at work. The legislation is written to defend the worker, so modified duties become critical to managing W.C.B. costs.
What can I do if I suspect my employee's W.C.B. Claim is bogus?
If you suspect a claim is bogus, your company can appeal the claim. You will generally still have to pay the costs associated with the claim until it’s closed.
When a claim is closed, W.C.B. will adjust their accounts and recover those funds if it turns out the claim was bogus and the worker will be on the hook for that money.
Our team has experienced this before, successfully winning two appeals commissions. We had a client who had a worker with a pre-existing shoulder injury from years of snowboarding accidents. The worker dislocated their shoulder on-site one day, and the company was responsible for W.C.B. costs.
The case was taken to the appeals commission because the worker didn't follow the doctor's instructions, didn't perform modified duties, failed to attend doctor's appointments, and went hunting. In the end, W.C.B. deactivated the coverage, but it had to go all the way to the appeals commission to make that happen.
The best prevention for bogus claims is for a company to manage the claim properly right from the get-go. We can help with that, contact us now to learn more.
How Can I use modified duties to Manage W.C.B. Cost?
Lost time is expensive. A worker that sprains their ankle doesn’t necessarily have to stay home to heal. They can return to work and continue drawing a salary from their employer by performing modified duties.
This worker would not have to be walking around on the site, but maybe in the office helping out with project planning. If the worker does not come to the job site to perform the duties, the company cannot pay them. It’s illegal and is considered insurance fraud.
If a worker is injured and must remain at home to heal, W.C.B. has to pay them, and that money goes against the claim, the claim cost, or is added to the claim cost.
Learn more about using modified duties to manage your W.C.B. costs by speaking to our team today.
What are the best practices for managing a W.C.B. Claim?
If appropriately managed, a company can absorb multiple incidents and injuries without too much difficulty.
Suppose a company mismanages a claim causing a worker to be off for months on end or never return to their original job because of lingering issues. This is significantly more expensive for your company to cope with.
The first step a company should take is to become a member of the “Occupational Injury Service.” The O.I.S. clinics are a network of W.C.B. approved clinics that fast-track worker treatment.
We recommend you contact us for a free consultation to discuss your needs and identify a solution that works for you.