WSIB - Ontario Nurses' Association

• If your WSIB claim is denied, the majority of full-time employees canapply for sickness and accident benefits under your collective agreement.Some collective agreements provide for an advance from STD benefitsduring the time WSIB is making a decision on whether to allow or denyyour case. If you request an advance, you may be required to sign an agreementto reimburse your employer once the WSIB decision is issued.• Even if WSIB accepts your condition as work-related and pays you benefits,where applicable, apply for Long Term Disability (LTD) benefitswithin the insurance carrier’s time limits. We advise this as in many casesa future dispute arises with WSIB and a worker’s WSIB benefits are discontinued.If the worker applied for LTD benefits within the insurance carrier’stime limits, the worker may then still be eligible for LTD benefits.Depending on the insurance carrier and the terms of your collective agreement,a member may also be entitled to an additional minimum $50 payoutfrom your LTD plan (e.g. HOODIP), while on WSIB benefits. If you areinjured or ill, immediately talk to your Bargaining Unit ONA representativeabout this benefit, because there are time limits to apply.13. See your treating health professional immediately and ask her/him tocomplete and send the appropriate first report form to WSIB (Form 8 –Health Professional’s Report).In early 2004, WSIB policy was amended whereby registered nurses (ExtendedClass) (RN [EC]) and physiotherapists may now treat an injuredworker and submit an accident report to WSIB on the newly revised Form 8.Doctors and chiropractors will also use this newly revised Form 8 to report anaccident.This is a key development for our members, but it is important injured membersnot use this policy as a means to forego visits to their family doctor. Itis still WSIB practice to always place more weight on the medical evidencereceived by a physician specialist, a family doctor and their own WSIB physicians.If an RN (EC) does the initial assessment and documentation and there is adiscrepancy, we believe WSIB will ask their own medical consultant to reviewthe file. Where the WSIB physician’s findings differ from the RN (EC),WSIB will likely deny the claim. Therefore we strongly recommend youdo everything in your power to be treated by a physician.In remote areas where a member does not have a family doctor and cannotaccess a hospital emergency room or clinic, our members should at least ac-5