Frequently asked questions for workers on COVID-19

A: The WCB covers work-related COVID-19 claims if you contract COVID-19 and there is a confirmed link between your exposure and your employment. Proving a sole connection between COVID-19 and the workplace may become more challenging due to high levels of community transmission.

Based on WCB policy Injuries – Communicable Disease (POL 02/2010), the following conditions must be met:

• There is a confirmed exposure to the disease in the workplace.
• The time period that the illness is contracted is in close proximity to the confirmed workplace exposure.
• The nature of employment creates a greater risk of exposure for the worker than to the general population.

If you were required to seek medical care or were medically required to miss work due to contracting COVID-19 from a workplace exposure, which put you at greater risk than the general public, a claim should be submitted.

WCB injury claims submitted for work-related COVID-19 exposures are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis.

Evidence is required to confirm a link between your exposure and employment activities along with evidence of a COVID-19 diagnosis.

Each injury claim will be assessed on its own merits with consideration to relevant medical information, including a diagnosis, the nature of the occupation and the extent of exposure. The WCB gathers information from you, your employer and your health-care providers to confirm the injury and the source of exposure.

A: Yes, however as COVID-19 can be transmitted through contact in the community, workplace or home, non-workplace exposures would need to be assessed and ruled out.

A: If you have a claim accepted for work-related COVID-19, any treatment complications are also considered to be work-related.

A: No. A claim can only be accepted for those that contract COVID-19 because of their employment. Preventative measures put in place by employers are not covered by the Saskatchewan WCB.

A: If you suspect that you contracted COVID-19 through a sole link to employment, the WCB encourages you to seek a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and contact the WCB to initiate the injury claim process.

There are licensed private labs in the province that offer PCR tests or a rapid antigen test through a local community provider for those who need them for non-health purposes, such as travel or to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis for the WCB or insurance claim purposes.

The WCB does not want access to testing to become a barrier to your entitlement. There are community providers in the province that offer PCR tests and rapid antigen tests for those who need them for non-health purposes, such as travel, or to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis for the WCB or insurance claim purposes.

The WCB may reimburse private test expenses if a workplace exposure is under review or is proven to be linked to the workplace.

There are three things you need to do immediately if you believe you contracted COVID-19 at work:

1. Get medical attention, if needed, and obtain a PCR test or a rapid antigen test through a local community provider.
2. Let the employer know about your test result.
3. Report your COVID-19 case to the WCB by completing the Worker’s Initial Report of Injury (W1) form.
   • This form can be filled out online by creating an automatic basic online account or or completed and sent to the WCB by email or mail. You can also phone 1.800.787.9288.

Learn more about what to do if you’re injured at work and how to file a claim

A: The WCB does not want access to testing to become a barrier to your entitlement. There are community providers in the province that offer PCR tests and rapid antigen tests for those who need them for non-health purposes, such as travel, or to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis for the WCB or insurance claim purposes.

The WCB may reimburse private test expenses if a workplace exposure is under review or is proven to be linked to the workplace.

The WCB works with you, your employer and your health-care providers to confirm the diagnosis and if the infection was work-related.

A: Yes. The WCB covers work-related COVID-19 claims if a worker contracts COVID-19 and there is a confirmed link between your exposure and your employment. If you do not have a PCR or rapid antigen test, this does not mean your claim will be automatically denied. The WCB reviews the full circumstances of each claim, and while a PCR or rapid antigen test is preferred, the WCB will work with you to determine appropriate next steps.

The WCB does not want access to testing to become a barrier to your entitlement. There are community providers in the province that offer PCR tests and rapid antigen tests for those who need them for non-health purposes, such as travel, or to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis for the WCB or insurance claim purposes.

The WCB may reimburse private test expenses if a workplace exposure is under review or is proven to be linked to the workplace.

The WCB works with you, your employer and your health-care providers to confirm the diagnosis and if the infection is work-related.

A: Each claim is adjudicated under its own merits.  Based on the WCB’s Communicable Diseases Policy (POL 02/2010), the WCB may consider claims for individuals, who contract COVID-19 and that are employed in an industry where they are at more risk of exposure than the general public is (such as nursing), when there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the workplace and you develop symptoms in a timeline consistent with the exposure in the workplace.

A: If getting the COVID-19 vaccination was a requirement or condition of your employment, having an adverse reaction to the vaccination that requires you to seek medical attention or medically requires you to miss work may be considered a work-related injury.

Examples of situations when a vaccination might be considered a requirement or condition of your employment include:

• Your employer advises you that you can't work unless you have the vaccination.
• You're required to be vaccinated as directed through employer policy, the employer’s human resources guidelines, employment contracts or collective bargaining agreements.
• Your employer has communicated to staff that refusing a vaccine could result in changes to your hours of work, location of work or nature of job duties, and that you will be unable to access available extra shifts or duties.

Read the WCB procedure, Communicable Diseases - Adverse Reactions to Immunization (PRO 08/2021) for more information.

A: The WCB covers psychological diagnoses that are caused by traumatic work events. Per WCB policy Injuries – Psychological Injuries (POL 02/2017), “Any reasonable action taken by an employer relating to management is considered a normal part of employment and is not considered a traumatic event.” Following your employer’s health and safety requirements is a normal expectation of employment and would not qualify as a traumatic event.

A: Objection to vaccination/testing based on personal preference is not protected under The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, 2018. The WCB references the Code when establishing whether or not behaviour is discriminatory. The WCB is unable to accept a claim under these grounds.

A: Like any other claim, the Saskatchewan WCB will adjudicate based on the specific merits of your claim with consideration to relevant medical information. This includes a medical diagnosis, the nature of the occupation and the extent of exposure. The WCB must determine whether your exposure to the disease arose out of the course of your employment and was caused by an employment hazard (in this case, exposure to the virus). The WCB gathers information from you, your employer and your health-care providers to confirm the injury and the source of exposure.

If you suspect that you contracted COVID-19 through a sole link to employment, the WCB encourages you to seek a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or a rapid antigen test through a local community provider and contact the WCB to initiate the injury claim process.

The WCB does not want access to testing to become a barrier to your entitlement. There are community providers in the province that offer PCR tests and rapid antigen tests for those who need them for non-health purposes, such as travel, or to confirm a COVID-19 diagnosis for the WCB or insurance claim purposes.

The WCB may reimburse private test expenses if a workplace exposure is under review or is proven to be linked to the workplace.

If your claim meets these conditions, coverage will be extended for medical aid and any lost wages due to the condition.

If your COVID-19 claim is accepted as a work injury, you may be eligible to receive earnings loss benefits. Earnings loss benefits are based on what you were earning when you contracted COVID-19, up to a maximum insurable amount, and will continue until you are considered recovered and cleared to return to work by your care provider based on objective medical evidence.

A: The WCB provides no-fault insurance and claims are adjudicated on a case-by-case basis. The procedure is the same for adjudicating claims for vaccinated and unvaccinated workers. There would still be a need to confirm the diagnosis and take steps to determine whether the exposure occurred in the workplace.

A: Like any other claim, the Saskatchewan WCB will adjudicate based on the specific merits of a worker’s claim. The WCB must determine whether the worker’s exposure to the disease arose out of the course of the worker’s employment, and was caused by an employment hazard (in this case, exposure to the virus). A pre-existing condition does not automatically mean that a WCB claim would not be accepted.

A: Read the WCB’s policy and procedures Communicable Diseases (POL 02/2010 and PRO 02/2010), and procedure Communicable Diseases - Adverse Reactions to Immunization (PRO 08/2021) for more information.

A: Your benefits would continue for a period of up to four weeks. Under WCB’s policy Suspension of Benefits (POL 10/2021), the WCB is able to provide up to four weeks of benefits to workers who are unable to continue in their program “with good reason.”  A COVID-19 diagnosis would fall under “good reason” and continued benefits would be extended for up to four weeks.

A: It would be suspended. This would be considered “without good reason” unless the WCB received medical substantiation that the self-isolation is medically required.