Voluntary Relocation Outside Canada
PRO 07/2007

Effective date: June 1, 2007

Application: All customers residing outside Canada.

Policy subject: Benefits - General

Purpose:

To establish guidelines for managing claims where customers voluntarily relocate their residence outside Canada.

BACKGROUND

  1. POL 07/2007, Voluntary Relocation Outside Canada has been approved regarding the management of claims where customers of the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) voluntarily relocate outside Canada.
  2. The following provides WCB staff with guidelines to implement POL 07/2007.

PROCEDURE

  1. The Case Manager is responsible for the initial communication to customers after acceptance of the claim in accordance with Point 1 of POL 07/2007.
  2. In accordance with Point 2 of POL 07/2007, where a customer resides outside Canada while in receipt of Long-Term Earnings Replacement, the Case Manager must complete a re-evaluation of the estimation of earning capacity on an annual basis and convert the estimated wage in the country of residence to Canadian funds. (This will not result in greater entitlement than the customer would have received had he/she continued to reside in Canada.) This annual review will be conducted on the anniversary date of the claim.
  3. The Case Manager will provide a form letter informing the customer that he/she is required to provide copies of tax returns both for Canada and the current country of residence (where that jurisdiction requires a return to be filed) in order to verify the customer’s earnings. In accordance with Point 3 of POL 07/2007, the form letter will also inform customers that where they do not file a tax return, they are still required to inform the WCB of this in writing and include confirmation of earnings.
  4. Where a customer moves while under active treatment, or is already residing outside Canada and suffers a recurrence requiring treatment:
    1. The Case Management Team will meet to define the medical treatment that would have been followed in Saskatchewan;
    2. The customer is to be informed of this plan, and where it is interrupted or extended by the customer’s choice to relocate, their benefits may be terminated or suspended;
    3. The Case Management Team will monitor the situation to determine whether the customer should return to Saskatchewan (or another jurisdiction providing more convenient, but equivalent, service) for medical treatment or diagnostic examination. Where treatment or an examination is required, it will be at the expense of the WCB.

Policy references

Act Sec #

36, 58(1), 58(2), 101, 103(2)

Amended

01 January 2014. References updated in accordance with The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013

Supersedes

PRO 22/95 Voluntary Relocation Outside Canada

Complements

POL 07/2007 Voluntary Relocation Outside Canada

Two people signing documents
Two people signing documents

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