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Extension
of Interim Policy Changes Concerning The Assessment of
Permanent Psychological Disability
2000/04/28-02
THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION BOARD OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
RESOLUTION OF THE PANEL OF ADMINISTRATORS
Re: Extension of Interim Policy Changes Concerning
The Assessment of
Permanent Psychological Disability
WHEREAS:
Pursuant to Section 82 of the Workers Compensation Act, RSBC 1996, Chapter 492 and amendments thereto ("Act"), the Panel of Administrators (the "Panel") must approve and superintend the policies and direction of the Workers’ Compensation Board ("Board"), including policies respecting compensation, assessment, rehabilitation and occupational safety and health; and must review and approve the operating policies of the Board;
AND WHEREAS:
Where permanent partial disability results from a compensable injury, the impairment of earning capacity must be estimated from the nature and degree of the injury;
AND WHEREAS:
Section 23(2) authorizes the Board to compile a rating schedule of percentages of impairment of earning capacity for specified injuries or mutilations which may be used as a guide in determining the compensation payable in permanent disability cases;
AND WHEREAS:
By resolution of the Panel of Administrators (98/04/23-06) dated April 23, 1998 and entitled, "RE: Interim Policy Changes Concerning The Assessment Of Permanent Psychological Disability", the Panel adopted an interim policy based on the 4th edition of the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment ("AMA Guides") as well as a process to review the application of the policy to individual cases and to consider what the final policy on assessing permanent psychological disabilities should be;
AND WHEREAS:
Additional time is required to review the application of the policy and to consider what the final policy should be;
THE PANEL OF ADMINISTRATORS RESOLVES THAT:
1. Resolution 98/04/23-06, "RE: Interim Policy Changes Concerning The Assessment Of Permanent Psychological Disability", is extended as follows:
(a) The table for psychological disability, adopted as part of the Permanent Disability Evaluation Schedule ("Schedule"), Appendix 4 of the Rehabilitation Services and Claims Manual, continues to be in effect until June 30, 2001;
(b) The Psychological Disability Committee ("Committee") appointed by the Vice-President, Compensation Services from senior representatives of the Disability Awards, Vocational Rehabilitation, Medical and Psychological Departments, is authorized until June 30, 2001, to make decisions on the percentage of disability to be awarded to workers for a permanent psychological disability under section 23(1) of the Act;
(c) The Committee will continue to collect and analyze data regarding psychological disability claims and, after obtaining such other information and advice that it considers appropriate, make recommendations concerning the items in the Schedule dealing with psychological disabilities, including
(i) the appropriateness of the categories of psychological disability recognized under the interim policy and whether those categories should be revised,
(ii) the guidelines to be used in applying the categories of psychological disability,
(iii) the appropriateness of the percentages or ranges of percentages of disability assigned to the categories of psychological disability under the interim policy and whether those percentages or ranges should be revised,
(iv) changes in the amount of compensation costs resulting from the interim policy and the likely costs resulting from any of the Committee’s recommendations, and
(v) such other incidental matters that the Committee considers appropriate.
(d) The Committee will provide an interim report to the Policy Development Consultative Committee and the Panel in the last quarter of 2000, and make its final recommendations to the Panel by June 30, 2001 after appropriate consultation with stakeholders has been undertaken by the Policy and Regulation Development Bureau.
2. This resolution constitutes a policy decision of the Panel.
3. The effective date of this policy is May 17, 2000.
DATED at Richmond, British Columbia, June 13, 2000.
By the Workers' Compensation Board
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