If your workplace injury or illness happened before January 2, 1990, you may be eligible to receive WSIB benefits.
Pre-1990 permanent disability benefits
If you never fully recovered from a workplace injury or illness that happened before 1990, you may be eligible for a permanent disability benefit. The permanent disability benefit is sometimes referred to as a pension or permanent disability award.
Your permanent disability benefit amount depends on:
- how much you were earning before your workplace injury or illness,
- the date of your injury or illness diagnosis, and
- the level of your permanent disability.
How we calculate your benefit
To calculate your permanent disability benefit, we start with your wages before your workplace injury or illness and adjust them to today's dollar value.
- For injury or illnesses before April 1, 1985: Your permanent disability benefit is based on 75 per cent of your earnings for a period of time before the date of your injury or illness, adjusted to today’s dollar value.
- For injuries or illnesses between April 1, 1985 and January 2, 1990: Your permanent disability benefit is based on 90 per cent of your earnings for a period of time before the date of your injury or illness, adjusted to today’s dollar value.
Then we apply a percentage based on the degree of your permanent disability. Your rating reflects your level of impairment when you’ve reached a point where your injury or illness is not expected to improve. This point is called the maximum medical recovery date.
Receiving your benefit
We pay your permanent disability benefit in two ways:
- Lump sum: If your permanent disability benefit is less than 10 per cent in all your claims and your permanent impairment is not expected to get worse, you can ask for a one-time lump sum payment.
- Monthly payment: If your permanent disability benefit is more than 10 per cent in all your claims, we pay you monthly. Your benefit will be adjusted every year for inflation. We pay this benefit for life.
Pre-1990 permanent disability supplements
If you receive a pre-1990 permanent disability benefit you may also qualify for a supplement or other benefits if:
- You can't work and your permanent disability benefit is less than a 100 per cent permanent disability level.
- Even with your permanent disability benefit, and after earnings are adjusted to today’s dollar value, you still don’t earn as much as you did before your workplace injury or illness.
- You are not working, but are trying to find suitable work.
Return-to-work supplement
To qualify for a return-to-work supplement, you must meet the following conditions:
- You are participating and co-operating in a return-to-work training plan.
- Your return-to-work training plan, together with your permanent disability benefit, could increase your ability to earn about the same amount as your pre-injury wages (after they are adjusted to today's dollar value).
Permanent disability supplement
We pay you a permanent disability supplement if:
- You are working but are not earning the same amount as your pre-injury wages (adjusted to today’s dollar value) and do not meet the requirements for a permanent disability work transition supplement.
- A return-to-work training plan probably won’t benefit you to the extent you need to receive a return-to-work supplement.
Permanent disability supplement additional amount benefit
The permanent disability supplement additional amount benefit helps injured or ill people who are not earning the same as their pre-injury wages and who are eligible to receive a permanent disability supplement. The permanent disability supplement additional amount benefit started at $200 per month in 1995 and is adjusted annually. If you are receiving it at age 65, you will continue to receive it for life.
Pre-1990 arrears
Arrears are retroactive permanent disability benefits, paid as a lump sum. We pay arrears from the date of injury for any period when your full benefits were not paid.
Example: Sally had a workplace injury in 1987 and is not receiving a permanent disability benefit. Sally submits new medical evidence, and it’s decided that she should be receiving a 15 per cent permanent disability benefit. Sally is eligible to receive arrears from the date her permanent disability started to the date of the decision.
Recurrences
If your work-related condition gets worse and you need more medical treatment and/or are unable to work, we call this a recurrence.
If you think you have a recurrence, we’ll review your benefit and may need to:
- gather new information on your claim
- speak to your co-worker(s) and employer
- determine if your job tasks have changed
- get details on your medical treatment for the injury
If your recurrence is allowed, you may be eligible for:
- health care treatment (e.g., physiotherapy, chiropractic treatments, acupuncture)
- temporary wage-loss benefits
- a permanent disability assessment or reassessment