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Policy decision finalized at the March 2012 WorkSafeBC Board of Directors meeting
The following Resolutions were finalized by WorkSafeBC's Board of Directors in March 2012. For information about the function and mandate of the Board of Directors, please see Governing Structure.
- Permanent Disability Awards for Tinnitus
- Minor Policy Clarifications to the Assessment Manual
- Bill 16, Family Law Act
Permanent Disability Awards for Tinnitus
At the March 29, 2012 Board of Directors meeting, the Board of Directors approved amendments to policy item #31.00, Hearing Loss, of the Rehabilitation Services and Claims Manual, Volume II, to provide that permanent disability awards for tinnitus are available where tinnitus is a compensable consequence of noise-induced hearing loss, in the range of 0% to 5% of total disability when assessed under the loss of function method.
These changes come into effect on June 1, 2012, and apply to all decisions made on or after that date.
For further information on this issue, please contact Renee Ritchot at 604 233-5331.
You may also examine the complete resolution (PDF 215kb).
You may also review a table summarizing the consultation results (PDF 273kb).
Minor Policy Clarifications to the Assessment Manual
On March 29, 2012, the Board of Directors approved changes to Items AP1-2-1, Exemptions from Coverage; AP1-2-2, Requesting a Variance from a General Exemption; and AP1-38-1, Registration of Employers,in the Assessment Manual. These changes were made to clarify policy direction and ensure consistency with current practice.
In particular, changes to:
- Item AP1-2-1 clarify that in determining the exemption from WorkSafeBC insurance coverage for homeowners and residents who hire a person for a specific job that takes less than 24 hours, it is the total person-hours for the job that is relevant;
- Item AP1-2-2 clarify that individuals or firms may request voluntary coverage; and
- Item AP1-38-1 revise the definition of a division by replacing the term “limited company” with the more inclusive term “firm” and remove the requirement for firms to maintain payroll records physically separate, since most firms maintain these records electronically.
These amendments come into effect on June 1, 2012, and apply to all decisions made on or after that date.
You may examine the complete resolution and amendments (PDF 98kb).
Bill 16, Family Law Act
At the March 29, 2012 Board of Directors meeting, a new policy on the definition of spouse and other consequential amendments to WorkSafeBC policy were approved.
These changes were required to reflect the Bill 16 amendments to the Workers Compensation Act that came into effect on March 1, 2012.
The policies apply to the death of a worker that occurs on or after March 1, 2012.
For further information on this issue, please contact Deepani Weerapura at 604 276-5165.
You may also examine the complete resolution (PDF 92kb).