Regina, Sask., June 30, 2022 – To support employers with COVID-19 claims during the pandemic, the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) initiated temporary cost relief measures to cover employers’ COVID-19 claim costs. While the WCB continues to accept workplace COVID-19 injury claims under the communicable disease policy, the temporary cost relief to cover claim costs is no longer available for employers.
The WCB provided more than $8.5 million in cost relief to employers with accepted COVID-19 injury claims through the occupational disease reserve for claims that occurred from 2020 to May 31, 2022.
“Over the last two and a half years, the WCB supported employers and workers through the COVID-19 pandemic in several ways, including covering all claim costs for accepted COVID-19 workplace injury claim costs,” says the WCB’s chair Gord Dobrowolsky. “While we have concluded the temporary cost relief measures for COVID-19 claims, employers and workers can still submit eligible COVID-19 workplace injury claims to the WCB.”
A worker may be entitled to WCB benefits if there is a confirmed link between the worker’s exposure and their employment, and they contract COVID-19. Based on WCB policy Injuries – Communicable Disease (POL 02/2010), the following conditions must be met:
- There is 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; and
- The nature of employment creates a greater risk of exposure for the worker than to the general population.
“We recognize that employers and workers confronted tough economic hurdles due to COVID-19. That is why the WCB implemented initiatives to support our customers,” says the WCB’s CEO Phillip Germain. “Thank you to the workers, employers and labour associations for rising to the challenge of these past few years, demonstrating compassion, innovation and hard work, placing health and safety at the forefront.”
Frequently asked questions for employers on COVID-19 workplace injury claims are available at wcbsask.com.