Workplace injuries in Ontario are co-ordinated through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). WSIB promotes workplace health and safety, and provides a workers compensation system for the employers and workers of Ontario. Please feel free to visit their site at www.wsib.ca, where information about prevention, forms, health issues, return to work programs and additional health and safety links can be found.
A worker who is injured at work because of his/her job should get health care aid immediately and also tell your employer about the accident as soon as possible. If the injury is serious, your employer is required to provide / arrange transportation to emergency medical services. Due to a workplace injury, you can claim benefit if you have received health care, lost time or wages beyond the day of the accident or continue to work on partial hours. If you have not been to see a health professional, but required to do different work because of the injury for more than seven days, then you can also make a claim.
New claims — After informing your employer that an injury has occurred, you will be required to fill out a Form 6; this can be accessed from your employer or through the WSIB website. This form is different from the incident report form that your employer will have you complete. From the time of the reported workplace injury you have 6 months to claim benefits. From this point, you are able to access physiotherapy directly with or without a physician referral. If you do see your physician first, they may give you a referral for physiotherapy, massage therapy or both; it is important that you keep this referral in a safe place. Your physician and physiotherapist will also be required to complete some WSIB-related paperwork. Once this process has occurred, you will be sent information in the mail, giving you a WSIB claim number and the name of a contact person at WSIB who will be handling your claim (adjudicator). At this point the claim may be either approved or still being reviewed.
Our administration staff can assist you at any point in this process to guide you in the next step, as well as determining the status of your claim for rehabilitation. It is absolutely necessary to complete your required paperwork at each step of the process to ensure timely processing of your claim with WSIB and determination if you are eligible for physiotherapy or massage therapy. Once your claim is approved, we can schedule you for an assessment. This assessment can be up to an hour long. This allows the physiotherapist or massage therapist to determine the nature of your injuries and provide options for care. Your therapist is then required to submit a Form 8 to WSIB for approval of your treatment plan. While the process may seem quite lengthy, you are welcome to consult the clinic as soon as an injury has occurred, after you have sought medical attention and reported this to your employer. We are happy to assist you during the process to make it simple and progress as quickly as possible. Our physiotherapists and massage therapists are also available to consult should you have additional questions. We will do our best in getting you back on your feet and guiding your return to work progress.
Old claims – In order to have an old WSIB claim reviewed in the hopes of seeking physiotherapy or massage therapy once again, it is necessary to inform you adjudicator at WSIB that your status has changed. For example, your ‘old’ back pain that occurred at work years ago and you had a claim for has returned. You will likely be asked to see a doctor (either your family physician or at a walk-in clinic) for referral to physiotherapy or massage therapy. Once this has occurred, you can simply contact the clinic and our administration staff can walk you through the rest of the process and secure you the next available assessment spot.
Additional services – At Fairway Physiotherapy, we can also provide consultation with an ergonomist to assist with return to work planning and in modifying your existing workstation if needed. We are also able to provide Functional Abilities Evaluations (FAEs) to determine your physical capabilities for return to work, even after a lengthy time away from your job. These services can be arranged through WSIB.