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Vocational rehabilitation spending up in 2005
Recent news stories and discussion in the provincial legislature have suggested that WorkSafeBC's spending on vocational rehabilitation was reduced last year, compared to previous years. This, in fact, is not the case and may be a misreading of the accounting statements in the 2005 Annual Report and 2006-2008 Service Plan.In 2005, WorkSafeBC spent one million dollars more on vocational rehabilitation benefits than in 2004. Spending was also up in every other benefit category. This includes benefits paid to workers on short-term disability, claimants on long-term disability, survivor benefits, and health care benefits.
As the table below shows, total actual dollars paid to and on behalf of workers increased in every benefit category in 2005.
| Benefits Paid Category | 2005 |
2004 |
Short-term disability |
236.1 million |
234.1 million |
Long-term disability |
374.1 million |
364.0 million |
Survivor benefits |
61.4 million |
60.7 million |
Health care |
211.7 million |
201.2 million |
Vocational rehabilitation |
48.7 million |
47.7 million |
Total |
932.0 million |
907.7 million |
This money went to workers, their families, and those who treat them. (See Notes 7 and 8 of the 2005 Annual Report and 2006-2008 Service Plan.)