Category: Stress & Mental Health
Welcome back to our series on understanding workers’ compensation claims in Ontario. Today, we’re looking at psychological conditions. (You can find a list of the previously-covered topics in this series at the end of this post.) What Psychological Conditions Can I Make a WSIB Claim For ? One general category of claims is psychological conditions […]
Throughout COVID-19, people have become increasingly aware of the heroes in our midst: front-line healthcare workers, grocery store clerks, truck drivers and other essential workers we take for granted in our everyday lives. Nurses and other healthcare staff have been in the spotlight as they bravely enter hospitals and care homes every day to care […]
Everyone knows the old expression, “Stick and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” This expression was meant to discourage children from engaging themselves against teasing or name-calling. The rhyme has endured as a timeless, common-sense wisdom. However, as the world evolved, that old advice (“just ignore it”) is becoming less […]
In our last post we reiewed the WSIB’s new chronic mental stress policy. In today’s post, we will focus on traumatic mental stress in the workplace and the policies WSIB has in place to cover these types of injuries. Under WSIB Policy 15-03-02: Traumatic Mental Stress, you may have a valid claim for traumatic mental […]
Anyone who has experienced mental stress as a result of the condition of their workplace knows that this can be every bit as painful and debilitating as a physical injury. Historically, however, the WSIB hasn’t always recognized or allowed claims for mental stress. As a result of this, for years, advocates called for an end […]
Isn’t it ironic? A recent report from the Toronto Star revealed that many WSIB employees are so overburdened in their jobs that they suffer from anxiety, insomnia, and stress severe enough to require time off work. When the Ontario Compensation Employees Union (OCEU), which represents staff at the WSIB, ran a survey in January 2018, […]
Did you hear the story of Samuel Archibald? He’s a Canadian author who made headlines when he went public after his disability claim for depression was denied because the insurer said photos he’d posted on Instagram and other social media sites showed he looked active, in shape and happy. Unfortunately, as Mr. Archibald discovered when […]
In a recent case called Cvetkovski v. Canada (Attorney General), a 50-year-old man who had applied unsuccessfully for Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits. He had a long history of psychological disorders which made it difficult to relate to others, and left him with low energy or motivation to do his job. To try to cope […]
You emerged with no broken bones, cuts or scratches. You were thankful and relieved that you survived a car accident without any injuries. But a few days or weeks later, you started to notice you were definitely not okay. Invisible or delayed injuries after car accidents are extremely common and yet there isn’t a lot […]
That’s the question that a group of legal clinics and other workers’ rights advocates has put to the Ontario Ombudsman. In a submission dated November 7th, the group draws attention to Ontario workers suffering from chronic occupational stress disabilities. Their letter emphasizes that the WSIB “continues to apply legislative provisions and policy that have been […]