Although Ontario has a robust accident benefits insurance regime unparalleled anywhere in Canada, it requires understanding of how it works if you are planning on making a claim for your loss under the system.
And unless you know your rights and file a formal report about your involvement in an accident, you risk forfeiting your benefits because the insurance companies will not pay any unreported accident. Even if you do not have any insurance policy, you can still benefit, under the system’s “no-fault” accident benefits.
For the purpose of this article, let’s discuss some of the benefits:
1. Medical Rehabilitation Benefits:
These benefits cover treatments such as physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage therapy, assistive devices, gym memberships and all other medical, rehabilitative treatment found to be reasonably necessary for post accident care. It also covers tools like a wheelchair, modified vehicles, and many others.
These benefits come in two cases, the catastrophic and non-catastrophic. The Catastrophic Cases, entitle you to a sum of $1,000,000 for a lifetime period while the Non-catastrophic Cases allow $100,000 spread over a period of 10 years.
To benefit under this facility, you need a medical professional to complete the treatment plan to justify your needing it.
2. Income Replacement Benefits:
The income replacement benefits aimed at replacing your income source; that is if involved in an accident and unable to work as a result. When this happens, the benefits cover 80% of your pre-accident earnings. The last earning is the average of last year’s pre-accident income. On the order hand, they may settle for 26 of your 52 weeks before the accident.
The benefits offer a maximum of $400 per week under the Ontario accident policy.
3. Caregiver Benefits:
The caregiver benefits aim at providing caregiving to persons under the care of the victim before the incident. Such persons may include a young child, sick person or elderly who need the victim to care for them, but who can no longer perform this task due to their present circumstances.
To benefit from this accident benefits provision, you need to show proof of being the primary caregiver to get a sum of $250 weekly with $50 extra for every additional person under your care.
4. Housekeeping and Home Maintenance Benefits
If you undertake certain tasks before your accident and after which you are unable to do the same due to sustained injury or disability, the benefits help to take care of the same task such as dish washing, mopping, etc.
Your insurance company requires you submit invoice or receipt for the chores to get the benefits, but the approved sum will not be more than $100 per week. Failing to provide the receipt means your insurer will not pay you regardless of your injury.
5. Attendant Care Benefits:
These benefits pay for people who provide attendant care services, such as bathing, bruising hair, grooming, etc., to the victims after they are injured. For you to claim this compensation, you need an occupational therapist to complete “form 1” that shows how many attendants care needed after their accident.
Conclusion
The Ontario accident system has a robust accident compensation policy, like the “no-fault” system which helps to assist accident victims to have something dependable to fall back on because of the limited nature of insurance coverage in accident cases. For you to benefit, all you need is to study and understand how the system works and follow due process to get your benefits paid.