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WorkSafeBC's Teleclaim to improve service for injured workers
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Victoria, B.C., October 2, 2006 — Vancouver Island residents who are injured at work can now file their claims for time loss more quickly and easily, WorkSafeBC announced today.
On Monday, October 2, WorkSafeBC introduced Teleclaim, a new service centre that injured workers can call to report injuries and receive personal assistance to help them with their recovery and return to work.
Until now, to report injuries, B.C. workers completed an application for compensation and submitted it to WorkSafeBC — a practice used in most provincial workers' compensation systems in Canada.
Jim McCaskill, WorkSafeBC's regional director on Vancouver Island, said Teleclaim will reduce the requirement for paperwork while responding to the top priorities of B.C.'s injured workers.
“Teleclaim is the product of extensive feedback from workers,” he said. “Through surveys, we learned what injured workers want most from WorkSafeBC is service that's personal and compassionate, an acknowledgement of their fears, and support to help them return to work.”
Teleclaim is designed to meet those needs, McCaskill said. Now, instead of completing a form, injured workers can access a range of personalized services from WorkSafeBC. When they call Teleclaim, they will receive assistance from one of WorkSafeBC's client service representatives, who will submit an injury report on their behalf, explain the claims' process, answer their questions, and help them access other services to assist with their rehabilitation and return to work.
For WorkSafeBC, Teleclaim will help streamline injury reporting, disability management services, and the processing of wage loss payments for injured workers.
“While our first priority is to prevent injuries from happening in the first place, when they do occur, our goal is to provide services that are helpful, timely, compassionate, and professional,” McCaskill said.
Teleclaim is being launched on Vancouver Island today, and in the rest of B.C. by the spring of 2007. Vancouver Island residents who have been injured at work and have missed work as a result of their injury can contact Teleclaim at 1 888 WORKERS (1 888 967-5377), or #5377 for Telus Mobility, Rogers, and Bell Mobility customers. The centre is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors that serves nearly two million workers and 184,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born from the historic compromise between B.C.'s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. The organization is committed to safe and healthy workplaces and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits.
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For more information please contact: |
Gladys Johnsen
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