This latest piece highlights the ongoing and negative changes in benefits for Ontario’s injured citizens: 

Dramatic changes to health-care services for injured workers, including a 40 per cent funding drop in rehabilitative treatment and a 30 per cent drop in drug benefit spending, is having a “devastating” impact on some of the province’s most vulnerable citizens, according to a letter obtained by the Star…

WSIB has responded to criticisms of its health services, including a formal complaint to Ontario’s ombudsman by injured worker advocates, by saying that it has “confidence in the integrity of Ontario’s health-care professionals” and that it “acts quickly to ensure workers receive timely, specialized medical care.”

But critics say specialty clinics’ treatment programs often push injured workers back on the job before they are ready and set unrealistic recovery dates. Workers’ benefits are frequently cut off according to those recovery timelines, without the board ever following up with the worker or their doctor about their health.

This comes as no surprise to me, as it is all part of a common theme: Victims and their personal health care practitioners are being ignored. Benefits are being eviscerated. WSIB-controlled doctors and clinics are dictating that victims must return to work though it is unsafe for them to do so.

Who’s Really In Charge Of Your Health Care?
Some time back, I commented on a case where a WSIB doctor had the gall to write a report that supported a victim. According to that particular doctor’s lawsuit, their reward was to be removed from the list of doctors used by the WSIB.

The sad truth is that this behaviour is commonplace for victims of motor vehicle accidents in their dealings with insurers and insurer doctors. The message is clear: give us the answer we want, or get cut out of the loop.

Familiar Changes
The motoring public sadly ignores this issue – if they are aware of it at all – while pinning their hopes on the promises of lower premiums from this and previous Ontario governments. Then, as happened as recently as this month, we get higher premiums and decimated benefits to show for it.

I have witnessed it time and again. Victims only understand just how badly they’ve been taken after they have been injured and need help. Unfortunately, I don’t see any evidence that this cycle will end any time soon.