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Policy decisions finalized at the October 2007 WorkSafeBC Board of Directors meetings
The following resolutions were finalized by WorkSafeBC's Board of Directors in October 2007. For information about the function and mandate of the Board of Directors, please see Governing Structure.
Chapter 3 of the Rehabilitation Services & Claims Manual,
Volume II
The Board of Directors has approved changes to policy in Chapter 3 of the Rehabilitation Services & Claims Manual, Volume II. These policies provide direction on the determination of whether a worker’s personal injury or death arises out of and in the course of employment. WorkSafeBC consulted extensively on draft policies, and the Board of Directors considered all the responses received from stakeholders before reaching a decision.
The result is the replacement of policy items #12.00 through #24.00 inclusively, with Items C3-12.00 through C3-23.30 and policy item #34.55. The new policies are consistent in content, formatting, and style, and remove misleading and outdated examples. They provide clearer direction on how to determine if a claim for personal injury or death will be accepted, and emphasize the importance of new Item C3-14.00, Arising Out of and In the Course of the Employment, in making this decision.
The changes were originally scheduled to come into effect January 1, 2009 to allow sufficient time for the Claims Management Solutions (“CMS”) Systems to be developed, implemented, and tested before the policy changes took effect. You may examine the complete resolution (PDF 982kb).
Due to revisions to the CMS Systems implementation timeline, the Board of Directors revised the effective date for the Chapter 3 policy changes to
January 1, 2010. You may also examine the complete resolution on these revised effective dates here (PDF 131kb).
For further information on this issue, please contact Christina Stephen at 604-276-5160.
Policy Amendments Regarding Compensation of Principals
The Board of Directors has approved policy changes concerning the compensation of principals of corporations and other similar entities. The approved policies set out that principals will be compensated based on their actual average earnings, as most other workers are. In addition, a description of the term "principal" has been added to policy for increased clarity.
The changes are effective January 1, 2008. You may examine the complete resolution (PDF 181kb). For further information on this issue, please contact Cameron Angus at 604 276-5160.
Policy Amendments Regarding Reconsideration of Classification Decisions
The Board of Directors has approved changes to two policies in the Assessment Manual to clarify the types of changes in a firm's classification that do not constitute a reconsideration under section 96(4) of the Workers Compensation Act ("Act"). As a result, the 75-day time limit on reconsidering a decision set out in the Act does not apply to the specified types of classification decisions.
The changes are effective November 1, 2007. You may examine the complete resolution (PDF 132kb). For further information on this issue, please contact Cameron Angus at 604 276-5160.