CIN is a non-profit Advocate for Insurance and Health Care Reform. Postings are cut/paste from other sources. @Cinsurancenews #rally4accidentvictims #ABPetition #CPPbacklog
Showing posts with label Accident Benefits Schedule. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Accident Benefits Schedule. Show all posts
Monday, December 12, 2016
Court challenge to Ontario auto dispute resolution system ‘scheduled to proceed’
A constitutional challenge to Ontario’s auto accident benefits dispute resolution system is scheduled for a three-day hearing next February, but the retired judge who recommended that AB disputes go before a public sector administrative tribunal suggested Wednesday that it would have “seriously undermined” the proposals to reform the system if AB disputes could be brought to court.
Source/more:
http://www.canadianunderwriter.ca/insurance/court-challenge-ontario-auto-dispute-resolution-system-scheduled-proceed-hearing-feb-13-1004103046/
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Stop Reducing Ontario Accident Benefits - Petition
If you or a loved one is injured in a car accident you are entitled to certain benefits which you will rely on for your recovery. These Accident Benefits are paid by you and regulated by the Ontario Government.
In 2010 the Ontario Government permitted insurance companies to dramatically cut these benefits for all accident victims. Now there are more proposed reductions which will severely cut benefits for the most vulnerable victims of car crashes. This will hurt victims' chances to recover from accidents and load additional costs to our already overly burdened health care system.
Finance Minister Charles Sousa recently announced the following proposed changes to the standard benefit level:
-$1 million coverage for medical and rehabilitation benefits and $1 million for attendant care benefits for catastrophically impaired persons to be reduced to half and combined
-Non-catastrophic benefits to be reduced from $86,000 to $65,000
-Medical and rehabilitation benefits for non-catastrophically injured persons will be available for only 5 years instead of 10
-Non-earner benefits (available for students or recent graduates) limited to two years
These proposed changes are unethical, especially considering Ontarians overpaid $840 million in 2013 and $3-4 billion from 2001-2013.
And unless we speak up, changes to our Accident Benefits could continue to take hits. It takes a lot to recover from a serious injury and many will be impaired for the entirety of their lives.
Please sign this petition, pass along, and contact your local MPP.
Petition/ source: https://www.change.org/p/ontario-mpps-finance-minister-charles-sousa-stop-reducing-ontario-accident-benefits
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Stop Reducing Ontario Accident Benefits - PETITION
Be aware of the proposed Changes to Accident Benefits which impacts all of us (including our loved ones) when injured in a car crash.
If you or a loved one is injured in a car accident you are entitled to certain benefits which you will rely on for your recovery. These Accident Benefits are paid by you and regulated by the Ontario Government.
In 2010 the Ontario Government permitted insurance companies to dramatically cut these benefits for all accident victims. Now there are more proposed reductions which will severely cut benefits for the most vulnerable victims of car crashes. This will hurt victims' chances to recover from accidents and load additional costs to our already overly burdened health care system.
Finance Minister Charles Sousa recently announced the following proposed changes to the standard benefit level:
-$1 million coverage for medical and rehabilitation benefits and $1 million for attendant care benefits for catastrophically impaired persons to be reduced to half and combined
-Non-catastrophic benefits to be reduced from $86,000 to $65,000
-Medical and rehabilitation benefits for non-catastrophically injured persons will be available for only 5 years instead of 10
-Non-earner benefits (available for students or recent graduates) limited to two years
These proposed changes are unethical, especially considering Ontarians overpaid $840 million in 2013 and $3-4 billion from 2001-2013.
And unless we speak up, changes to our Accident Benefits could continue to take hits. It takes a lot to recover from a serious injury and many will be impaired for the entirety of their lives.
Please sign this petition, pass along, and contact your local MPP.
https://www.change.org/p/ontario-mpps-finance-minister-charles-sousa-stop-reducing-ontario-accident-benefits
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Government slashes benefits to seriously injured MVA victims and calls it “Promoting consumer protection”
It’s a sad day for Ontario consumers when our government puts the
interests of big business insurance companies ahead of the health and
well-being of Ontario’s injured auto accident victims. The slashes to
auto insurance coverage in the 2015 budget can only be seen as a step
closer to public auto insurance when with every cost saving solution the
IBC comes up with in order to curtail claims means the unsuspecting
tax-payer will pay more of the costs for victims through our publicly
funded programs.
View our latest media release: FAIR reaction to Budget April 28 2015
Ontario already has an auto insurance claims disaster: Ontario’s Auto Accident Victims in Crisis
We’ve been overpaying for years: Returns on Equity for Automobile Insurance Companies in Ontario
What are auto accident victims losing so Insurers can gain greater profit on the backs of the injured?
The definition of catastrophic is set to be severely restricted to make the definition consistent with the latest medical evidence. That will likely mean that combining physical and psychological impairments will no longer be permitted. This will see many severely accident victims without adequate coverage. Coverage available for catastrophically impaired victims will be cut in half. The limit of $1 million each ($2 million right now for both) for med/rehab and attendant care will be limited to $1 million total for both med/rehab AND attendant care combined. There will be optional coverage available at an added cost. The standard duration for med/rehab benefits will be reduced to 5 years instead of the previous 10-year maximum, except for children. Costs for care will then fall on Ontario’s taxpayers through OHIP and various public supports. Non-catastrophic coverage will be reduced. If the budget is passed, med/rehab and attendant care coverage will be $65,000, down from the current combined total of $86,000. Consumers will have an option to increase this coverage up to $1 million at an added cost. The six month waiting period for non-earner benefits will be eliminated the duration of non-earner benefits will be limited to two years after the accident. The government will be introducing amendments to the Insurance Act to adjust the deductible and the disappearing deductible amount to reflect inflation since 2003 and link it to future changes in inflation. The deductible or the amount you insurer is ‘allowed’ to keep when a claimant takes the insurer to court is presently $30,000 for cases in civil court that are worth less than $100,000. This is already a deterrent to victims’ ability to hold insurers accountable. There will be further changes to allow for the effect of the tort deductible to be taken into account when determining a party’s entitlement to costs. Call or write to your MPP and tell them you expect better at: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/member_addresses.do?locale=en
Source: http://www.fairassociation.ca/
View our latest media release: FAIR reaction to Budget April 28 2015
Ontario already has an auto insurance claims disaster: Ontario’s Auto Accident Victims in Crisis
We’ve been overpaying for years: Returns on Equity for Automobile Insurance Companies in Ontario
What are auto accident victims losing so Insurers can gain greater profit on the backs of the injured?
The definition of catastrophic is set to be severely restricted to make the definition consistent with the latest medical evidence. That will likely mean that combining physical and psychological impairments will no longer be permitted. This will see many severely accident victims without adequate coverage. Coverage available for catastrophically impaired victims will be cut in half. The limit of $1 million each ($2 million right now for both) for med/rehab and attendant care will be limited to $1 million total for both med/rehab AND attendant care combined. There will be optional coverage available at an added cost. The standard duration for med/rehab benefits will be reduced to 5 years instead of the previous 10-year maximum, except for children. Costs for care will then fall on Ontario’s taxpayers through OHIP and various public supports. Non-catastrophic coverage will be reduced. If the budget is passed, med/rehab and attendant care coverage will be $65,000, down from the current combined total of $86,000. Consumers will have an option to increase this coverage up to $1 million at an added cost. The six month waiting period for non-earner benefits will be eliminated the duration of non-earner benefits will be limited to two years after the accident. The government will be introducing amendments to the Insurance Act to adjust the deductible and the disappearing deductible amount to reflect inflation since 2003 and link it to future changes in inflation. The deductible or the amount you insurer is ‘allowed’ to keep when a claimant takes the insurer to court is presently $30,000 for cases in civil court that are worth less than $100,000. This is already a deterrent to victims’ ability to hold insurers accountable. There will be further changes to allow for the effect of the tort deductible to be taken into account when determining a party’s entitlement to costs. Call or write to your MPP and tell them you expect better at: http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/member_addresses.do?locale=en
Source: http://www.fairassociation.ca/
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Expediting a Catastrophic Application
When a person is seriously injured as a result of a
motor vehicle accident, costs for medical, rehabilitation, and
attendant care services are often substantial. In most cases in Ontario,
those who suffer a catastrophic impairment are able to access up to
$1,000,000 for medical and rehabilitation benefits and up to $1,000,000
for attendant care benefits through accident benefit claims with their
own automobile insurer. Having access to such benefit limits can afford
an injured person with many freedoms and much security during the
recovery process.
There are a number of ways that an injured person can be declared catastrophically impaired. Some people are able to immediately be declared catastrophic; immediate opportunity is afforded to those who suffer paraplegia or quadriplegia, amputation, or total loss of use of either an arm or a leg, total loss of vision in both eyes, or brain impairment resulting in a score of 9 or less on the Glasgow Coma Scale.
Although not an immediate opportunity, those who suffer brain impairment that results in a score of 2 (vegetative) or 3 (severe disability) on the Glasgow Outcome Scale may also be declared catastrophically impaired if the test is administered after at least six months have passed since the accident.
For those who suffer serious injuries but who don’t meet any of the above noted criteria, there can often be delays in pursuing a catastrophic declaration. As a result of such delays, and with only $50,000 and $36,000 being otherwise available for med/rehab and attendant care benefits, people often exhaust their non-catastrophic limits long before being declared catastrophically impaired.
After a two year waiting period, the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule confirms that an individual can apply for a catastrophic declaration if they have an impairment or combination of impairments that, in accordance with the AMA’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 4th edition (1993), results in 55% or more impairment of the whole person. A person can also make application in accordance with the Guides if, again after two years, they suffer an impairment that results in a class 4 (marked) or a class 5 (extreme) impairment due to mental or behavioural disorder.
The good news is that this two year waiting period can sometimes be bypassed! Although it is often overlooked, by healthcare professionals and insurers alike, the Schedule confirms that the two year waiting period need not be applied to an injured person who suffers an impairment that is “unlikely to cease to be catastrophic”. In such cases, an application can be pursued so long as a physician, or a neuropsychologist in limited cases, confirms in writing that the impairment is indeed unlikely to cease to be catastrophic.
Particularly for those that will exhaust their non-catastrophic benefit limits quickly, being declared as catastrophically impaired at the first opportunity is vitally important. The timing and justification of a catastrophic application requires thoughtful and careful consideration. Having the support of expert medical and rehabilitation professionals, as well as having access to a knowledgeable personal injury advocate, is highly recommended for those dealing with serious injuries.
Source: http://oatleyvigmond.com/expediting-catastrophic-application/#.VOTPSS5YwdU
There are a number of ways that an injured person can be declared catastrophically impaired. Some people are able to immediately be declared catastrophic; immediate opportunity is afforded to those who suffer paraplegia or quadriplegia, amputation, or total loss of use of either an arm or a leg, total loss of vision in both eyes, or brain impairment resulting in a score of 9 or less on the Glasgow Coma Scale.
Although not an immediate opportunity, those who suffer brain impairment that results in a score of 2 (vegetative) or 3 (severe disability) on the Glasgow Outcome Scale may also be declared catastrophically impaired if the test is administered after at least six months have passed since the accident.
For those who suffer serious injuries but who don’t meet any of the above noted criteria, there can often be delays in pursuing a catastrophic declaration. As a result of such delays, and with only $50,000 and $36,000 being otherwise available for med/rehab and attendant care benefits, people often exhaust their non-catastrophic limits long before being declared catastrophically impaired.
After a two year waiting period, the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule confirms that an individual can apply for a catastrophic declaration if they have an impairment or combination of impairments that, in accordance with the AMA’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 4th edition (1993), results in 55% or more impairment of the whole person. A person can also make application in accordance with the Guides if, again after two years, they suffer an impairment that results in a class 4 (marked) or a class 5 (extreme) impairment due to mental or behavioural disorder.
The good news is that this two year waiting period can sometimes be bypassed! Although it is often overlooked, by healthcare professionals and insurers alike, the Schedule confirms that the two year waiting period need not be applied to an injured person who suffers an impairment that is “unlikely to cease to be catastrophic”. In such cases, an application can be pursued so long as a physician, or a neuropsychologist in limited cases, confirms in writing that the impairment is indeed unlikely to cease to be catastrophic.
Particularly for those that will exhaust their non-catastrophic benefit limits quickly, being declared as catastrophically impaired at the first opportunity is vitally important. The timing and justification of a catastrophic application requires thoughtful and careful consideration. Having the support of expert medical and rehabilitation professionals, as well as having access to a knowledgeable personal injury advocate, is highly recommended for those dealing with serious injuries.
Source: http://oatleyvigmond.com/expediting-catastrophic-application/#.VOTPSS5YwdU
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)