Dealing with WorkSafeBC (“WSBC”) can be a frustrating experience as expectations are often not clearly communicated. Additionally, if they are communicated, it is often when a member of Board staff feels they are close to being broken or already have been.
As such, our office wanted to share a few tips that will hopefully make your WSBC claim a smoother experience.
Tip #1: See a doctor early and often.
It is not uncommon for injured workers to put off seeing a doctor whether because they do not have a family doctor, because they think it will get better, or because they are not seeing results. However, it is important to see a doctor as WSBC bases their decisions on the medical evidence and a lack of medical evidence or a large gap in medical evidence is an easy way for the Board to deny your claim or to make a decision that your injury has fully healed.
Tip #2: Keep Calm When Dealing with Board Staff
It is very easy to get frustrated with WSBC when you are not seeing results; however, it is important to do your best to keep your cool. If a WSBC staff member feels that you are aggressive and/or threatening, they can refer your claim to the Corporate Security department. Once referred to Corporate Security, all communication is routed through Corporate Security staff which can cause further delays and communication issues.
Tip #3: Claim Log your Calls
When you call a member of WSBC staff such as a Case Manager or Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant and leave a voicemail, it is up to that individual to document your message. Unfortunately, in our experience it is common for these messages to not be documented. We recommend that if you leave a message for a WSBC staff member, you make sure to call through to the WSBC main switchboard and ask a Customer Care Agent to make a note that you are trying to get in touch with someone as these messages are generally much more consistently documented.
Tip #4: Participate in Vocational Rehabilitation
Vocational Rehabilitation benefits are based on participation and whether you are participating or not is solely determined by the Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant. Vocational Rehabilitation Consultants have a great deal of discretion, so it is important to communicate with them regularly so that you keep receiving payments. Plus, if you refuse to participate, the Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant is allowed to make a Vocational Rehabilitation Plan on your behalf without giving you any say.
Tip #5: Know When You Need a Professional
There are times when, no matter what you do, WSBC will procrastinate on making decisions and in those situations, it can be helpful to have a representative on your side. Alternatively, sometimes WSBC makes a lot of decisions and things can get missed. If you are concerned about the decisions being made on your claim, or the lack thereof, our office may be able to assist.
If you would like to schedule a consultation appointment with one of our lawyers, please call us at (604) 591-8187. You can also send a private and confidential message using our contact form or an email to info@gosalandcompany.com.
