Menu
How do I file a Workers Compensation claim?

How do I file a Workers Compensation claim?

There are different ways an employer can file a Workers Compensation Claim (WCB). It is usually the same for any company regardless of the province you work in.

WCB claims management can be quite complicated for a company. Often because of a lack of information of what to do when faced with a WCB claim.

If a worker reports an injury to you, here are 3 things you want to keep in mind.

Who can file an application for compensation?

There are three ways to file an application in Canada regardless of the province you’re in.

workers compensation claim form

An application can be filed by:

  • the employer,
  • the injured worker,
  • or a medical practitioner.

Any one of these folks can submit a report to WCB and trigger the start of a WCB claim.

This is done by completing a form and sending it to WCB or an online document. In some cases, a report could be made over the phone with a WCB representative.

Once WCB receives just one of these reports, a claim will be established, and a claim number will be assigned.

How long does it take for WCB to make a decision?

It can take to months for WCB to make a decision on a workers comp claim. This is because for WCB to decide on the acceptance or denial of a claim, it often depends on many factors.

There are three key documents that WCB needs to make a decision on a WCB claim. These documents are used to confirm that a workplace injury did or did NOT occur.

They are the:

  • Employer’s report
  • Injured worker’s report of injury
  • Medical reporting

When WCB takes weeks or months to make a decision on a claim, it can be from them needing to answer:

  • When did the workplace injury take place?
  • How long after the injury happened did the worker report a WCB claim to their company?
  • What does the medical reporting say?
  • How the injury happened. This is also called a “mechanism of injury.”
  • The WCB policies as it relates to your injured worker’s situation.
  • How quickly WCB can get the information. Are they waiting for people or doctors to send in reports?

The is a small list of the most common reasons for delays in decision making.

Recently, we are starting to see delays in WCB making decisions because they are understaffed because of high turnover. This is causing delays in gathering information, as well as making timely and appropriate decisions.

Read also: Should I Hire a Workers Compensation Attorney in Canada?

How can a company get a fair decision on a WCB claim?

To get a fair decision on a WCB claim, I’ve often said: “The better the evidence…the better the decision you’ll get from WCB”.

It’s important that you have as much information available to you when it comes to a WCB claim.

Some things I would focus on:

  • You want to know how the alleged injury happened.
  • Was the worker at work?
  • What appeared to cause the incident?
  • When / if the worker sought medical attention
  • Are there any reasons the worker could not return to work?
  • Do the symptoms the worker reported make sense for what they say happened at work?
  • Can you find another job within the company to help return the injured worker back to work faster?

Having these questions answered will help you when talking to WCB about either managing or appealing the claim. It can also help in getting the right decision quickly.

How can you be better prepared for a WCB claim?

There are many ways you can prepare for a WCB claim. The most important is to be prepared for them before they happen. This is done by getting the knowledge through Workers Comp Simplified’s WCB training programs.

My clients often wondered what’s the best way to respond when a WCB claim happens. What could they say to an injured worker to help them make the right decisions? How could they make sense of the WCB system and what should they say to WCB when a worker reports an injury? How do they file a workers compensation claim?

With our WCB training program we will teach you everything a health and safety manager would need to know to guide their team and take control of a WCB claim as soon as it happens.

Our in-house training is designed to make managing a WCB claim really simple by focusing on collecting key information and sharing it with WCB to get a fair decision right away.

If you want to find out more about how these training programs can help you, click the link below and get in touch with a Workers Comp Simplified WCB expert.

Related Posts