WSIB Claims… and You!

daniel on Sep 17th 2008

The Workplace Safely and Insurance Board is a good idea. I mean, it makes sense, right? You need someone to arbitrate claims and stick up for the injured worker.

Unfortunately it may look good on paper, but fails in the real world, where employees can launch specious and even outright malicious claims against you.

We’ve been victim of this before, here. Someone working at home wrenches their back, claims it happened at work — it makes sense to do this, as WSIB payments are usually higher than EI payments — and gets a decision in his favour. He then recovers at home while the company’s premiums rise because it is now a much more dangerous place in the WSIB’s mind. If it can be said to have one.

After all this is over, you are required by law to hire that person back or be fined. But this is of course bad for everyone involved. The employee gets their job back but is probably disliked by management and will probably be given every shit job in the place. He’ll be stuck emptying garbage and cleaning out behind the silo. The employer on the other hand gets back a person who intentionally defrauded them and the government of (probably) a large sum of money. He might do it again, so you have to be extra-careful around him.

I wonder if there’s a better way to do the WSIB than it is right now?

Filed in main | 4 responses so far

4 Responses to “WSIB Claims… and You!”

  1. # Warrenon 17 Sep 2008 at 9:56 pm

    Spoken by A True Knob! Who has no Idea what an Injured worker goe’s through! Stop short staffing and requiring workers to take on the work of two men. Then you might see less injuries!

  2. # *danielon 17 Sep 2008 at 10:18 pm

    I require my people to do their best at a job that they get paid well to do. I’m talking from experience, and you’re talking out your ass. The WSIB is a mechanism just begging to be taken advantage of, and of course it is.

    And it’s “fewer” injuries.

  3. # Injured and abusedon 09 Dec 2008 at 1:57 am

    You have got to be kidding, WSIB stick up for injured workers that is the biggest lie I’ve heard. Their policy is set for them to pay a little as possible. The whole system is full of incompetent over-paid bafoon’s. They have zero concern for the injured employee. Any way would be better than the current system. As for daniel, I agree that the system does get abused, however because of the abuse by the few. WSIB sets policy to punish the worker’s that have legitimate claims, instead of spending huge amounts of cash on video production why not use that money to punish the abusers. Have such huge fines and criminal punishment that you would be crazy to abuse it.

  4. # W Cookon 07 Aug 2009 at 11:43 am

    Today I received a letter from WSIB stating that my wife is currently receiving a monthly wage loss payment and must fill out an enclosed form for the benefits to continue.

    Sounds very straightforward doesn’t it? Problem is my wife was receiving benefits, but passed away in February 2008. The letter was addressed to the “Estate of…..”. A call to WSIB to explain what is going one has:

    1) placed the blame on a computer
    2) Given me the name number of an employee who can help me, a call to them has so far not been returned

    Call be angry and disgusted, I’m not letting this one go.