INJURY SOLUTIONS
NEW YEAR, NEW CHANGES
Starting in 2017, the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board will be
more accurate in its recording of lost time
In this issue, we will be discussing some of the exciting new
changes that will be occurring with the Workers’ Compensation
Board (WCB) in Saskatchewan starting in 2017.
Currently, when an injured worker misses work to attend an ap-pointment,
and is only gone for a short time, the Saskatchewan
WCB counts that as a full day of lost time and is recorded on your
account. It doesn’t matter that the injured worker is only gone
for an hour and it doesn’t matter that you, as the employer, are
paying them for attending the appointment, be it with a doc-tor,
physiotherapist, chiropractor or any other approved medical
appointment.
As of 2017, the Saskatchewan WCB will not be recording that
as lost time for purposes of your company’s lost time days. This is
good news and long overdue. The WCB’s computer system will now
record lost time far more accurately and the employer will not be
unduly penalized for lost time. This should make a big impact on
any employer that has lost time injuries come the new year.
Another change coming in 2018, which is far less exciting but
important for all employers to be aware of, is how the share of in-jury
costs are to be calculated. This is good news for employers
who do not have any injuries, and less exciting for employers who
do have lost time injuries. The prevailing thought is that the sys-tem
of premiums and surcharge and credits will be calculated in a
way that will more accurately reflect the distribution of penalties
(surcharge rates up to 200 per cent) and credits (credit up to 30 per
cent). There has been non-determination on the exact structure
of this program to date, and the Saskatchewan WCB will be hold-ing
a series of “Town Hall Meetings” to share with employers their
perspective, and they are looking for input from employers on this
change in policy.
By Cliff Gerow, Injury Solutions
HALFPOINT/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
saskheavy.ca | Quarter 1 2017 | Think BIG 39
/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
/saskheavy.ca