Experience rating programs

Our premium rate-setting model has replaced our experience rating programs (NEER and CAD-7) and all programs concluded in fall 2020. 

As outlined in policy 13-02-02 (NEER) and policy 13-02-06 (CAD-7), the deadline to make any request for a NEER/CAD-7 adjustment is December 31, 2021. Any adjustment requested by an employer or identified by the WSIB after this date will not result in a change to the NEER or CAD-7 assessment.  

Any adjustment request made before the deadline that impacts experience rating will be adjusted even if the decision is made after December 31, 2021.  This includes decisions for claims or revenue issues.  The adjustment will only be made to the 2019 and/or 2020 NEER or CAD-7 assessments subject to the exceptions outlined in the respective ER policies.

You can call to ask questions about your pending adjustment, but we require an adjustment request in writing. Please email experiencerating@wsib.on.ca and include your WSIB account number and any pertinent information (i.e. claim number(s)).

Here is a list of your final statements, rebates/surcharges and adjustments:

Experience rating program

Final statement issued

Final rebate

Final Surcharge

MAP

December 2018

2019 premium year

2019 premium year

NEER

November  2020

January 2021

December 31, 2020

CAD-7

September2020

November 2020

October 31,2020

As part of our financial relief package to help reduce the financial burden on businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, payment of 2020 CAD-7 and NEER surcharges is not required to begin until January 2021. All businesses that chose to participate in the financial relief package will have until June 30, 2021 to repay deferred amounts, interest-free. Deferred amount payments can be made in installments between January and June 30, 2021.

Our programs

2020 NEER assessments

Businesses will not have the opportunity to recoup the cost of any potential surcharge for the 2020 NEER assessment as the NEER program has ended without the full four years of maturity. Claims from accident years 2017, 2018 and 2019 will be inactivated as long as no costs have been paid out on a claim after March 31, 2020 (2020 Q1 NEER statement).

The inactivation of these claims may reduce a business’ NEER costs, which could potentially lead to NEER surcharge or rebate adjustments. The WSIB will manually adjust business’ NEER statements for each applicable year and claim that meets the criteria. This will not apply to the 2016 injury year, as the full four-year review for this year was completed in 2020. Any adjustments are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2021.

For more information, please contact experiencerating@wsib.on.ca or call 1-800-663-6639 or 416-344-1016 to speak with an Experience Rating Advisor.

Experience rating program FAQs

How are my premium rates set under the new model?

Your 2020 premium rates were set using your paid claims experience for injuries or illnesses from 2013 to 2018. If you were a part of an experience rating program, your 2016, 2017 and 2018 experience rating assessments were considered for your 2020 premium rates.

Experience rating assessment issued in 2019 and 2020 were not included in your 2020 rates calculation.

Also important to note:

  • If a business is eligible for NEER in 2018, then your first NEER statement, a system generated statement issued quarterly to all NEER businesses that includes claims information for monitoring purposes, was issued in 2019, and was not included in your 2020 premium rate calculation.
  • Our new premium rate-setting model came into effect on January 1, 2020, and businesses will receive their final NEER and CAD- 7 statements in the fall of 2020.  NEER statement will include any adjustments based on the first assessment of their 2019 claims, second assessment of their 2018 claims, third assessment of their 2017 claims and fourth assessment of their 2016 claims. CAD7 statement will include any adjustment based on the first assessment of 2019 and second assessment of 2018. These would be the final assessments for each of these accident years.
  • 2020 is the final review year for businesses in the NEER and CAD -7 programs. All businesses that transitioning out of MAP into NEER or CAD7 will not be included in the assessment. 
     

I’ve already received an adjusted premium rate under one of the MAP, NEER or CAD-7 experience rating programs, why are these years being considered again under the new model?

Any rate adjustment under the existing experience rating programs is applicable only to years preceding implementation of the new model. We use claims experience from these years to set future premium rates. This means that the experience for these years is not being double-counted. We simply use it as a guide to future rate-setting. This rate-setting approach is the same approach used under the current system for setting rate group rates.

Will I continue to receive rebates/surcharges under the new model?

No, since we are moving to a prospective rate setting approach, there will be no rebates or surcharges under our new model. The rates you pay under the new model will better reflect your individual claims experience, making experience rating programs unnecessary.

Are my past rebates going to be used to calculate my rate?

Yes, we considered your 2016 to 2018 premium rate adjustments under the NEER, CAD-7 and MAP programs and your claims experience from 2013 to 2018, to determine 2020 premium rate. The 2019 and 2020 experience rating assessments will have no impact on your future rate.

What claims will be used to calculate my rate under the new model?

All allowed claims will be considered when calculating your rate under the new model, including claims with “zero costs.” It is important to note that certain claims will be excluded at the employer level. For example, specific long-latency occupational disease claims will be excluded. As well, certain high cost claims will be capped based on an employer’s per claim cost limit. These concepts exist as well in the current experience rating programs.

Why does the new model factor in both allowed lost time and no-lost time claims, when setting rates?

Both lost-time and no lost-time claims lead to benefit payments under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. As a result, we use both types of claims for the determination of an employer’s predictability and actual claims cost.

Note: The impact of a single claim will vary by business depending on the class a business belongs to, their individual risk and other parameters as defined by the new model.

Can I get detailed breakdown of how my claims affect my rate?

Only claims costs paid are included in the calculation of your rate. Concepts such as reserve factors and loading factors will not be used under our new rate-setting model. You can request an extended statement that will provide you with details on how your individual premium rate was calculated, the adjustments made based on your claims experience and a breakdown of your claims costs.

To request an extended statement:

What happens if I have an experience rating surcharge issued in 2020? When will it be due? 

If your experience rating assessment (CAD7 or NEER) results in a surcharge, the debit will still be applied to your account. Under WSIB’s financial relief package, you can defer the payment of your surcharge amount until 2021. 

All businesses that chose to participate in the financial relief package will have until June 30, 2021 to repay deferred amounts, interest-free. Deferred amount payments can be made by June 30, 2021.

We recognize that some businesses may require longer repayment terms due to the ongoing pandemic. If you require additional support once the repayment period has started, please contact us and we will be happy to work with you.

2020 NEER assessments

Why was March 31, 2020 selected as the cutoff date for claims inactivity?

Using March 31, 2020 as the cutoff date ensures that businesses receive potential rebates and surcharges that best reflect the approximate adjustments they likely would have received in future years had the NEER program continued.

Treating claims for injury years 2017, 2018 and 2019 on the September 2020 statement as inactive if no benefits were paid after March 31, 2020, provides a balance between the amount of expected refunds and financial prudence to ensure against overpayment of refunds. 
 

Why are claims with only health care costs paid after March 31 still considered active?

Under the NEER plan a claim is considered active once non-health care benefits have been paid after January 1 of the review year. If non-heath care benefits have been paid prior to March 31, and the claim in question continues to receive health care benefits after March 31, the claim remains active.