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Policy decisions finalized at the February, 2006 WorkSafeBC Board of Directors meetings
The following resolution was finalized by WorkSafeBC's Board of Directors in February 2006. For information about the function and mandate of the Board of Directors, please see Governing Structure.
Interest on Survivor Benefits
On February 21, 2006 the Board of Directors approved amendments to policy item #50.00, Interest, of Volumes I & II of the Rehabilitation Services & Claims Manual, to provide interest payments to the dependants of deceased workers in respect of retroactive payments under section 17 of the Workers Compensation Act that are the result of a blatant Board error.
The revised policy takes effect March 1, 2006 and applies to all decisions, including appellate decisions made on or after March 1, 2006.
For further information on this issue, please contact Kristin Helgason at (604) 276-5160. You may also examine the complete resolution and policy amendments.
Retroactivity Limits on Employer Registration Effective Dates
The Board of Directors has approved amendments to WorkSafeBC’s policy pertaining to retroactivity limits on effective dates of employer registrations, as provided in Item AP1-38-1 (Registration of Employers) of the Assessment Manual.
The effective date of an employer’s registration is the date from which the employer will be assessed by WorkSafeBC. This is generally the date the employer first employed workers. Under the current policy, if the firm was employing workers, so that the registration with WorkSafeBC would have been required in a previous year, the effective date could only be set as far back as January 1st of the preceding year. Under the new policy, the effective date of the employer’s registration could be set as far back as January 1st of three years prior to the current year.
However, the policy still provides that if there is evidence that the employer deliberately avoided registration by such means as misrepresentation, false statements or ignoring registration requests, a prior date may be used.
The amended policy comes into effect on January 1, 2007 and applies to all decisions made on or after that date.
To ease the transition to the amended retroactivity limit, except where there is evidence that the employer deliberately avoided registration by such means as misrepresentation, false statements or ignoring registration requests, no registration will be backdated to a date earlier than January 1, 2005 under the amended policy.
For further information on this issue, please contact Deborah Viccars at 604 276-5160.
You may also examine the complete resolution and policy amendments.