ONTARIO—The chair of the Manitoulin-North Shore Injured Workers Group (MNSIWG) welcomes news that advocates, citing systemic disregard for professional medical assessments of injured workers, are calling on the provincial watchdog to investigate the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
“That is really good news,” stated Colin Pick of the MNSIWG. “Again, this kind of thing has been going on for at least 20 years.”
“So many of the concerns raised about WSIB falls upon deaf ears as they are presented to the provincial legislature,” said Mr. Pick. “Just getting the information in front of the legislature is a problem all the time. This is because the politicians have allowed the WSIB to do their own thing because the government says they have their own policies and procedures to follow. It is very rare that anyone can bring their grievances forward to politicians and have it actually listened to and considered.”
Advocates have asked Ontario’s ombudsman to launch an investigation into the WSIB. A 200-page submission was made last Friday to the provincial ombudsman by health professionals, workers, lawyers and labour groups for what they say is the WSIB ignoring the medical advice provided by doctors treating injured workers in favour of so-called “paper doctors” who have not met patients directly.
The resulting clawbacks in medical benefits are having a “devastating effect,” the submission says, leaving workers with severe physical and mental problems stranded in poverty.
“That’s why the complaint is being filed today,” Chris Buckley, president of the Ontario Federation of Labour was quoted as saying in the January 29, 2016 edition of the Toronto Star. “Injured workers and their advocates have been sounding the alarm for well over 20 years about Workers Compensation that ignores the advice of treating physicians and kicks desperate injured workers off their benefits.”
“It’s a regular occurrence that you send medical evidence that is never acknowledged,” psychologist Dr. Giorgio Ilacqua, who has worked in the field since 1985-including a stint as a consultant for WSIB, told the Star.
The Star has previously reported on allegations that WSIB fired a doctor for refusing to reverse her medical assessment of an injured patient. More than 20 medical professionals contributed to Friday’s submission to the provincial Ombudsman, drawing on 41 case studies involving injured patients.
The submission to the province’s Ombudsman argues that reduced coverage through employee-funded workplace insurance means workers often have little choice but to rely on publicly-funded health care and social assistance programs.
The report submitted to Ontario’s Ombudsman alleges the following problems with WSIB’s current practice: disregard for the medical options of doctors treating injured workers; examples of the board forcing workers back to work against the advice of their physicians or psychologist; overemphasis on injured workers pre-existing conditions for the purpose of rejecting, limiting, or prematurely cutting off workers claims; approval for medical services taking months; insufficient physiological or physiotherapy sessions for injured workers approved for benefits.
“This is certainly good news,” said Mr. Pick, “but unfortunately it will probably take years for any changes to take place.”
