Document name
Interest on Benefits Accruing from Successful Appeals
Document number
PRO 03/2023

Effective date: May 1, 2023

Application: Applies to all successful claim appeal decisions on or after the effective date that exceed the respective timelines for review.

Policy subject: Reconsiderations and appeals

Purpose:

To provide administrative guidelines for issuing interest on successful claim appeals.

BACKGROUND

Policy section content
Section detail

POL 03/2023, Interest on Benefits Accruing from Successful Claim Appeals, establishes guidelines for issuing interest on successful claim appeal decisions.

PROCEDURE

Policy section content
Section detail
  1.  When is interest on a successful claim appeal decision payable?
    1. If a successful appeal decision for a worker or their dependant is delayed beyond the timeframes noted in POL 03/2023, Appeals/Board Appeal Tribunal will approve interest on the benefits resulting from the appeal decision. 
  2. When is interest on a successful claim appeal decision not payable?
    1. Interest will not be payable when:
      1. An employer continues to pay a worker’s salary (i.e., employer is the payee).
      2. There are delays caused by the worker, their representative, or the Office of the Workers’ Advocate.
      3. There are no earnings loss benefits payable as a result of a successful appeal. 
  3. Which departments are involved in providing interest payments to customers?
    1. In order to complete the Interest from Successful Appeals (ISA) process within the WCB’s claims management system and issue interest payments to customers, approval will be completed by each department as follows:
      1. Appeals/Board Services.
      2. Operations.
      3. Financial Services.

Appeals/Board Services

  1. Appeals or Board Services staff will initiate the ISA process and are responsible for documenting the following information:
    1. The calendar date on which the appeal is received (i.e., the date being used to assess interest eligibility). 
    2. To whom interest is payable (i.e., worker, worker’s estate, dependent spouse, or other dependants).
    3. The start date on which interest begins to be payable.
    4. Any periods of time/date range (e.g., December 1st to December 22nd) that interest is not payable due to delays on the part of the worker, their representative, or the Office of the Workers’ Advocate (OWA). 
      1. Appeals or Board Services staff will ensure supporting rationale is provided and communicated when a period of time is not payable. 
  2. Where there is missing or insufficient information on an appeal request, Appeals or Board Services staff may use the date an appeal is registered for determining interest eligibility. When interest is assessed using the appeal registered date, Appeals or Board Services staff will ensure that supporting rationale is provided and communicated. 
  3. Once Appeals or Board Services staff have completed their portion of the ISA process, a task will be automatically sent to Operations staff to complete the next step.

Operations

  1. Operations staff will review the appeal decision and complete their portion of the ISA process to determine if payment is required as a result of an appeal decision. 
    1. Where interest is payable, a task will automatically be sent to Operations staff to calculate payment and document the following information:
      1. The end date to which interest is payable (i.e., the date that WCB issues the earnings loss benefits). 
      2. The periods of time/date range that interest is not payable as directed by Appeals/Board Services.  
      3. The amount of earnings loss benefits payable.
    2. Where interest is not payable, Operations staff will close the task and the ISA process will end. 
  2. When interest is calculated, Operations staff will complete their portion of the ISA process and a task will automatically be sent to Financial Services to complete the task process and issue the interest payment. 

Financial Services

  1. To complete the ISA process, Finance staff will calculate and document the following information: 
    1. The rate of interest on the date the WCB issues the interest payment.
    2. The number of days the WCB will pay interest.
    3. The periods of time/date range that interest is not payable. 
    4. The amount of interest payable.
  2. Once completed, Finance staff will issue the interest payment to the assigned payee and provide written details of the interest calculation, including the information above.

Other

  1. Are costs associated with interest payments charged to the employer?
    1.  Claims costs resulting from interest payments are considered an administrative expense and are not charged to the employer. Administrative expenses form part of the WCB’s overall claim expenses. 
       

       

Policy references

Policy reference content

Section heading

Legislative Authority

Section detail

Section heading

Document History

Section detail
  1. PRO 14/2016, Interest on Benefits Accruing from Successful Appeals (effective August 1, 2016 to April 30, 2023).
  2. POL 05/2003, Interest on Benefits Accruing from Successful Appeals (effective June 1, 2003 to July 31, 2016).
  3. POL 02/1994, Interest on Benefits Accruing from Successful Appeals (effective January 1, 1994 to May 31, 2003).

Section heading

Complements

Call to action
Two people signing documents
Two people signing documents

Looking for the full policy manual?

Click here to download the WCB’s current Policy and Procedure Manual.

Call to action button
Download full manual