In our 2022 Annual Report, we reported on the steps the WSIB was taking to address delays in entitlement decisions for some claims from federal government employees.

Under an agreement with the federal government, the WSIB administers compensation claims for federal employees covered under the Government Employees Compensation Act. Before the WSIB can adjudicate a claim, the agreement requires the WSIB to confirm the claimant’s employment status with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). In practice, this means that ESDC must countersign the Employer’s Report of Injury/Disease (the WSIB’s Form 7) before the WSIB will adjudicate the claim.

The WSIB acknowledged that this issue had been a longstanding problem. Following our inquiries, the WSIB met with senior ESDC staff to share data regarding the delays and to discuss possible remedies. ESDC committed to educating federal government employers on the importance of prompt reporting and made improvements to its own claim registration process.

WSIB staff also developed relationships with their ESDC counterparts, which can now be leveraged to resolve any claim specific delays.

The WSIB had considered the possibility of renegotiating its agreement with the federal government, but it ultimately decided not to proceed with that plan because it is currently focusing on modernizing its own operating model. Additionally, it was satisfied that the steps it had taken so far had been effective in mitigating the delays.

The Commission also saw a significant decrease in complaints about this issue in 2023.