Injury Reporting
Managing a Claim
Injury Reporting
Employers have a legislated duty to report worker injuries within five days of being made aware of the injury. The WCB makes it easy to
report an injury.
Prompt reporting allows for quick response to the injured worker's medical needs. This in turn results in lower compensation costs overall,
which can positively affect your experience rating and save you money.
Late reporting or non-reporting can result in
fines or prosecution. Late
reporting can also delay payment of benefits to the injured worker, often causing hardship and hindering their recovery.
- No-Time-Loss Claims
All injuries that require medical attention must be reported to the WCB, even those that do not result in time away
from work. These no-time-loss injuries account for approximately 60% of all WCB claims.
Most of these injured workers recover and return to work relatively easily. The WCB will
pay for travel and medical expenses the injured worker may incur as a result of the injury.
- Time-Loss Claims
Injuries that do result in time away from work are referred to as time-loss claims. The
WCB will pay the injured worker's medical and applicable travel expenses, and provide
wage-loss benefits. Of total time-loss claims, 80-85% are short-term with the worker
returning to work within four weeks. The remaining 15-20% are long-term claims, usually
of a more serious nature or those in which recovery does not progress as expected. These
are assigned to case management teams.
Managing a Claim
The goal of claims management is to return the injured worker to a productive working
life. This requires the active participation of the worker, the employer and the health
care community, working with the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) in a cooperative
relationship.
Effective claims management begins with prompt medical treatment, if required, and
early and accurate reporting of the injury. As soon as the WCB receives a report of the
injury from either the worker, the employer or the caregiver, a Claims Entitlement
Specialist begins gathering information on the claim. The specialist assesses the
circumstances surrounding the injury, and makes a decision, based on legislation and
policy, to either accept or deny the claim. This early decision process is important
for prompt payment of any wage loss, and for fair, timely and cost-effective return to
wellness.
- Case Management Teams
Case management teams are located in the Regina and Saskatoon offices of the WCB.
Cases are assigned by geographical area to provide more individualized services to
injured workers and employers. Each team consists of a team leader, several case
managers, case management support, vocational rehabilitation specialists and payment
specialists. Medical personnel are also available to provide specialized support.
Case management teams coordinate a variety of services available to help those workers
who do not recover as expected. These services include:
- Return-to-work programs in the workplace to integrate the worker back into
the workforce.
- Helping primary health care providers access specialized medical treatment as soon as possible.
- Coordinating vocational services to injured workers.
The team approach to claims management has been developed to ensure that long-term
claims are handled efficiently, appropriate medical treatment is provided when most
effective, and workers are returned to work as early as possible. View a
chart of the
WCB's claims management process.
When a Worker is Injured