An employer representative contacted the Commission because she was finding it difficult to get a clear explanation from the WSIB for a premium rate increase that had been applied retroactively to her account.

The representative spoke with five different staff members in Employer Services and received conflicting explanations on two issues: why the premiums had increased and why the increase was applied to a period that had already been paid. She asked to speak with a manager but an Account Specialist called her back instead. The last Account Specialist the representative spoke with suggested that she could outline her concerns in an appeal in order to receive an explanation.

The representative filed an Intent to Object form, though she did not think that filing an appeal was an appropriate requirement, given that she had yet to receive a formal decision on the matter. And so, she approached the Commission for assistance.

Following an inquiry by the Commission, an assistant director in Employer Services agreed to review the account. He determined that the account was among a group of 1,300 employers who had experienced a technical error that caused their rates to be calculated incorrectly. And though the higher rate was correct, the WSIB agreed to apply the lower rate up to the point when the representative was first informed of the new rate.

The representative was notified of this and the account was credited accordingly.