The Costs of Violence in the Classroom: An Educational Assistant’s Fight for WSIB Support
First Responders are not the only workers who face dangerous circumstances in their jobs that can lead to mental stress injuries. For over a decade, this now 62-year-old worker served as an Educational Assistant (EA), providing support to students with special needs. However, her career came to an end in 2018, following a series of […]
Could Have, Would Have, Should Have: A Hard Lesson in Accommodation
Imagine for a moment that you are a paramedic, and you have PTSD due to your exposure to several traumatic calls during your career. You’re permanently restricted from returning to the career you loved. You returned to modified work as a physiotherapy assistant for approximately 1 year, in a position that wasn’t permanent, and not […]
Correcting the WSIB: One Correctional Officer’s Fight for Recognition of her Work-Related PTSD
In 2014, a Correctional Officer was diagnosed with Complex PTSD after being exposed to numerous traumatic events while working at a youth correctional facility. Two years later, she was permanently restricted from working in a correctional setting. Her employer offered her a new role as a Ferry Deck Hand their Health Reassignment Program, but it […]
Non-Economic Loss Awards
Let’s talk about Non-Economic Loss Awards! Commonly referred to as the “NEL”, a Non-Economic Loss Award is paid to an injured worker when their injury or illness results in a permanent impairment. This can be for a physical injury, or a mental stress injury. The NEL award represents the impact a permanent injury has on […]
MMR Doesn’t Mean “Medical Money Refused”
Have you ever been told that once you reach Maximum Medical Recovery (MMR), the WSIB will no longer fund your treatment? I can’t tell you how many times we hear this from injured workers who contact our office for assistance, and it’s simply not true. MMR means your medical condition is stable, and unlikely to […]
A Rose By Any Other Name: The Need for Critical Assessment of “Suitable Modified Work”
Recently, there has been a strong push for an “early and safe return to work” for individuals recovering from occupational stress injuries. However, it’s essential that the drive to achieve return to work outcomes does not come at the cost of mental wellness. To achieve a safe and sustainable return to work, we must rely […]
Considerations for Expansion of Presumptive Entitlement: Civilian Police Employees and Trauma
Many civilian employees of Police Services may be regularly exposed to traumatic content, whether directly or indirectly, due to their occupations. However, they are excluded from coverage under the Presumptive Policy. If they sustain psychological injuries due to their workplace exposures, their claims will only be considered for entitlement under the WSIB’s Traumatic Mental Stress […]
Abuse is Not “Part of the Job”
A civilian employee of a Police Service was working as an Administrative Assistant in the Financial Crimes Unit. Day after day, for a period spanning 18 months, she was verbally abused by irate citizens who had been victims of fraud. One day, it became too much, and she was no longer able to work. Diagnosed […]
Adverse Decision to an Adverse Reaction: Workplace Injury from a COVID-19 Vaccine
During the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, our First Responders continued working on the front line each day, facing probable exposure to what was a novel and dangerous virus. It wasn’t that long ago, yet some of us quickly forget how scary it was for those who did not have the option to work remotely from the […]
Traditional Limitations around Time, Place and Activity Criteria Don’t Apply to Cases of Sexual Assault or Harassment
In May 2017, a female police officer was sexually assaulted by a higher-ranking male officer while attending a retirement party. In a decision dated March 31, 2021, the WSIB Appeals Resolution Officer denied entitlement for her mental stress injury, because she found that the incident did not arise out of an in the course of […]