During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are here to help when someone sustains a work-related injury or disease. Having a work-related injury or disease can be stressful at the best of times, but during this period of uncertainty caused by COVID-19, we want to make sure workers understand the support you can continue to access from us and what to do if you think you have a work-related case of COVID-19.

Helping you

Workers with an existing claim

We are continuing to pay wage-loss and pension benefits as scheduled.

You can submit health care expense reimbursements to us through our online services portal.

If your workplace temporarily or permanently closes while you are on modified duties or a graduated return to work, you will receive wage-loss benefits from WorkSafeBC for the duration of your scheduled graduated return-to-work plan and/or the period of time that you are unable to work due to your injury. Please refer to our COVID-19 claims FAQs below for more detailed information.

You will continue to receive important information about your claim, including benefit and treatment plan updates. If you have any questions, please contact the claims officer who is handling your claim, or our Claims Call Centre if you don't have an officer's contact info, for assistance.

View & submit claim information
A variety of online tools are available to view and submit information about a claim.

Workers looking to file a new claim

Workers can continue to report a workplace injury or disease during this time, and can do so online or by phone. We will continue to register, adjudicate, and make payments on new time-lost claims. Please ensure that you also report your injury or disease to your employer and tell your treating physician that you will be making a claim to WorkSafeBC.

If you’ve had a work-related exposure to COVID-19, please refer to our COVID-19 claims FAQs below for information on when you should report an illness to WorkSafeBC.

If you are a worker who is submitting a claim for a COVID-19 infection contracted through a work-related exposure, you can submit a claim as you would with any other workplace injury or disease. See How workers report a workplace injury or disease. In order to consider whether your illness is work related, we may need to gather additional information through our COVID-19 Initial Screening Questionnaire. 

If you have an adverse reaction to a work-related COVID-19 vaccination, please see COVID-19 vaccination and the workplace for information to help you determine if a claim should be submitted.

Reaching us

Workers who have filed a claim can use our online services to manage their claim. If you still have questions after viewing your claim online, please call your claims officer. Your officer will return your call as soon as possible.

Workers can also contact our Claims Call Centre if they don't have a claims officer's contact info or need assistance with receiving their payments through direct deposit.

Submitting and managing reviews

If you disagree with a decision made by WorkSafeBC on a claim, assessment, or health and safety enforcement matter, you can request a review of the decision from the Review Division. We are continuing to receive requests for review and are completing as many decisions as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about Submitting and managing reviews during the COVID-19 outbreak.

At any time, the Workers’ Advisers Office (604.335.5931 or toll free at 1.800.663.4261) is available to provide assistance to workers who disagree with COVID-19 related claim decisions made by WorkSafeBC, and COVID-19 related prohibited action matters.

Guiding principles for adjudication

We are actively monitoring and adjusting to the COVID-19 pandemic to determine how we can best support workers, employers, and providers around the province, as well as our staff.

To ensure we do this, we are following these guiding principles from our Executive Leadership Team:

• Our staff will continue to support the rehabilitation of injured workers toward safe, successful, and durable return to work at the earliest opportunity, and pursue available alternate treatment options.
• Our staff will adjudicate claims within existing law and policy and make decisions based on the best evidence available.
• To the greatest extent possible, workers will not be penalized for situations beyond their control.
• To the greatest extent possible, individual employers will not have to bear costs for situations beyond their control.
• We will continue to adjust our operations as the COVID-19 situation unfolds.

COVID-19 claims FAQs

The following FAQs will help you determine what should be reported.

When could COVID-19 be work related?

When a worker contracts COVID-19 as a direct result of their employment, they are entitled to compensation if the following conditions are met:

1. There is evidence that the worker has contracted COVID-19. This is typically either:
   • a medical diagnosis,
   • a positive COVID-19 test, or
   • other evidence that supports the worker has contracted COVID-19.
2. The nature of the worker’s employment created a risk of contracting the disease significantly greater than the ordinary exposure risk of the public at large. This may be the case where the nature of the worker’s job places the worker:
   1. at a higher risk of coming into contact with individuals who may be COVID-19 positive, or
   2. at regular, close interactions with the public in a manner that places the worker at risk of exposure to COVID-19 droplets (including aerosols), particularly in indoor spaces.

Claims submitted for COVID-19 contracted through a work-related exposure are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis. WorkSafeBC will look at details such as whether the worker has a diagnosis of COVID-19, their symptoms, and their employment activities. A presumption in favour of an accepted claim may apply if there is evidence to establish that a worker has COVID-19 and the risk in the workplace was significantly greater than the ordinary exposure risk.

When do I report a case of COVID-19 to WorkSafeBC?

If you contracted COVID-19 and believe you contracted it at work, you are encouraged to report the claim to determine if you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.

As shown in the above examples, if you are at significantly greater risk than the general public of contracting the virus while at work, and you lose time from work after contracting the virus, please report the claim to WorkSafeBC.

If you are not at greater risk than the general public of contracting the virus, you do not need to report it, however you are still welcome to do so and we will obtain and assess the evidence to determine if your claim meets the criteria.

Would catching seasonal influenza be work-related?

Seasonal influenza is not the subject of a public health order and generally affects the community at large. The disease can be spread where people meet including but not limited to: workplaces, homes, schools, places of worship, social events, and sporting events. As this disease is common in the public at large, in general, the seasonal influenza would be viewed as a public health issue, not a disease due to the nature of any particular employment and therefore, not compensable. Claims submitted for seasonal influenza contracted through a work-related exposure are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis.

What happens if I was performing modified duties or a graduated return-to-work and my employer temporarily or permanently closes due to COVID-19?

You will be paid during the closure. You won’t sustain any loss of benefits due to work disruptions. If your employer does not pay you during the closure, WorkSafeBC will provide you wage-loss benefits for the duration of your scheduled graduated return-to-work plan and/or the period of time that you are unable to work due to your injury.

Does WorkSafeBC cover people for a quarantine or self-isolation period?

No. WorkSafeBC does not provide coverage for people who are symptom free even when quarantined, self-isolating or sent home on a precautionary basis.

I am receiving wage-loss benefits from WorkSafeBC and have been laid off by my employer. Will I continue to receive benefits?

Yes. Your entitlement to wage-loss benefits continues as long as you remain unable to work owing to your injury. Wage-loss benefits end when you no longer have a disability or the disability is deemed permanent, in which case you would be assessed for permanent disability benefits.

I have received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB), Canada Recovery Caregiver Benefit (CRCB) and/or the B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers. Will they be factored into my average earnings or deducted from my wage-loss benefits?

No. The CERB, CRB, CRSB, CRCB, and B.C. Emergency Benefit for Workers are benefits, not earnings. These financial benefits are not being provided as payment for labour or services provided, and are not considered employment earnings for WorkSafeBC purposes.

If, during the COVID-19 pandemic, your employment has been significantly disrupted by a closure or your usual earnings have been reduced, WorkSafeBC will consider excluding those time periods when calculating short-term and long-term average earnings on future claims.

I’m currently looking for work. How do I submit information related to my job search when I’m unable to meet with employers in person or leave my home?

Please keep written records of your job-search activities. Our vocational rehabilitation staff remain available to support you and take information by phone, or you can forward your records to your vocational rehabilitation consultant when possible, by fax, mail, or email (if you have provided us with consent).

I am physically able to return to work but am concerned about risk of exposure to COVID-19 at my workplace. Can I stay on wage-loss benefits?

No. While it’s natural to be concerned about the risks of exposure, a generalized concern is not a sufficient reason not to return to work. We encourage you to speak to your employer to find out what measures have been put in place to reduce the risk of transmission. All employers are required to have safety plans in place to protect their workers.

If you are in a high-risk category owing to age or an underlying health condition, it may be possible for your employer to accommodate your concerns. If you still have health and safety concerns that you feel are not being adequately addressed by your employer, we suggest you call our Prevention Information Line, toll-free, at 1.888.621.7233.

Can I communicate with my WorkSafeBC officer using email?

You will be given the option to use email during the claims process to share information such as completed forms and return-to-work plans, and asked for your written consent.

When providing that consent, you can indicate if you are also consenting to WorkSafeBC emailing personal information to your authorized representative, employer(s) or their authorized representative, and service provider (e.g., physiotherapist, training program).

This consent, and all communications via email, will be recorded and captured.

If you would like to use email to communicate with WorkSafeBC, but haven’t been given the option yet, please call your WorkSafeBC officer to discuss.

I received the COVID-19 vaccine at my workplace and had an adverse reaction to it. Should I report it to WorkSafeBC?

Please see COVID-19 vaccination and the workplace to help you determine if a claim should be reported to us.

COVID-19 health care and treatment FAQs

How can I access doctors and health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The provincial health officer has advised health care professionals to minimize direct physical contact where possible and to provide care to patients via telephone and video technology where appropriate.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, WorkSafeBC will consider medical reports involving telephone and video services when making decisions on an injured worker’s claim benefits.

Most clinics now offer care from your doctor and clinic care providers by telephone or video, which you can access through your smartphone, tablet, or computer. This allows you to get care while maintaining physical distancing or in self-isolation or quarantine. After your video or phone assessment, if you need to be seen in person, the provider may make arrangements to do so safely.

To sign up for a video or telephone appointment, please contact your local health care provider and explore if they can provide clinical services remotely by telephone or video. If you need to come into an office to be seen, check the provider’s website or call them for instructions.

I’m in a treatment program and can’t attend because either I have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or am self-isolating due to potential exposure. What should I do?

If you are an injured worker participating in a treatment program, please be assured that the health care providers we partner with are taking appropriate precautions under the direction of the public health officials.

Do not attend if you are ill with a cold, flu, or fever; or have recently travelled outside of the country.

If you are not comfortable attending or travelling to treatment because of concerns about your ability to maintain appropriate physical distancing, please discuss your concerns with your health care provider, and claims officer or our Claims Call Centre if you don't have your officer's contact info.

My surgery, which is necessary to my return to work, was postponed owing to COVID-19. Will my benefits continue?

Yes. When a surgery that is expected to assist in your return to work is postponed owing to the pandemic, your benefits will continue. In certain circumstances, if you are able to return to work in some measure in a different role, WorkSafeBC may support you in finding suitable employment opportunities.