Workers' compensation and benefits policy
Workers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to workers injured in the course of their employment. Eligibility for, and awarding of, benefits to injured workers are determined by workers’ compensation boards, which are funded through employer premiums. IWH research explores trends in compensation benefits, including benefit adequacy and equity, as well as the effects of compensation policy design on injury and illness prevention.
Featured
Research Highlights
Workers are using cannabis to treat work-related conditions, mostly without medical guidance
While cannabis is often used recreationally, there is growing interest in its use for therapeutic purposes, such as for pain, anxiety, depression and sleep problems. Some workers are using cannabis many months following the onset of a work-related condition, mostly without medical guidance.
Published: October 5, 2023
Impact case study
Following reports by IWH and others, B.C. amends the law to strengthen protections against claim suppression
After an IWH study filled a research gap on claim suppression in B.C. and helped make the case for change, the province amended legislation to strengthen protections against the practice.
Published: July 6, 2023
Impact case study
WSIB integrates prognostic information in improved return-to-work case management services
Four factors that predict how long injured workers will remain off work are incorporated into new case management model at Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
Published: December 2016
At Work article
Experience rating design differences lead to different outcomes in Ontario and B.C.
Ontario sees larger reductions in injury claims, but B.C.’s reductions are more enduring.
Published: November 2016
IWH Speaker Series
IWH Speaker Series
What are physicians told about their role in return to work?
Physicians have an important role in the return to work (RTW) process, but research shows that they sometimes struggle to manage RTW consultations and help patients return to work after an injury. As part of a broader exploration into the role played by doctors in RTW, an IWH team led by Dr. Agnieszka Kosny sought to examine resources, policies and guidelines that have been developed for physicians by workers’ compensation boards, governments and other organizations across Canada. In this plenary, Kosny highlights resource gaps that may hinder physicians’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities in the workers' compensation system and RTW process, and which may ultimately delay workers’ RTW after injury.
Published: November 2016
IWH in the media
Study looks at relationship between employers and doctors in return to work
A key element of a successful return to work is a good, communicative relationship among the injured worker, the employer and the worker’s doctors. But a study found the relationship between employers and doctors can be marred by mistrust and lack of communication.
Published: OHS Insider, April 2016
Issue Briefing
Measuring the adequacy of workers’ compensation benefits in Ontario: An update
In 2011, an IWH Issue Briefing summed up research on the adequacy of earnings replacement benefits for injured workers with permanent impairments in Ontario and B.C. This update looks at more recent cohorts, after major changes in Ontario’s workers’ compensation legislation.
Published: March 2016
At Work article
Employers and doctors often have uneasy relationship in return to work, study finds
Interviews with Australian employers highlight problems with physicians over communication, trust.
Published: February 2016
At Work article
Research key to finding way forward during WSIB reform: Nachemson speaker
Judy Geary, a former Workplace Safety and Insurance Board executive, reflects on the value of research in policy-making at IWH's annual lecture.
Published: November 2015
At Work article
Workers’ comp benefits keep poverty low among permanently impaired workers and their families, study by IWH finds
Ambitious study of earnings of injured and non-injured workers over 10 years finds benefits play important role in reducing poverty among permanently impaired
Published: August 2015
Project
Project
Role of health-care providers in the workers’ compensation system and return-to-work process
How do health-care providers their role in the return-to-work process? What challenges do they face interacting with workers’ compensation boards, injured workers, employers and other health-care professionals? These are among the questions answered by a multi-jurisdictional research team led by IWH.
Status: Completed 2017
Impact case study
WSIB work reintegration program improves outcomes, lowers costs
Study by IWH "points us in the right direction," says former WSIB exec.
Published: December 2014