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Policy decisions finalized at the December 9, 1998 WCB Panel of Administrators meeting
The following is a list of policy decisions finalized by the WCB Panel of Administrators on December 9, 1998. For information about the function and mandate of the Panel, please see Governing Structure.
Occupational Disease Codes
Assessment Policy Manual No. 30:50:52 and Rehabilitation Services and Claims Manual No. 115.30 provide that claims costs for certain occupational diseases are to be excluded from consideration for experience rating purposes. The excluded occupational diseases are listed by name and statistical code in each policy. The use of the particular code does not determine whether a claim is excluded for experience rating purposes – a claim is excluded if the disease is listed in the policies.
The statistical coding system for injuries and occupational diseases has been changed. The references in these two policies are obsolete. The Panel has decided that, rather than changing the codes in the Manuals, the codes should be deleted from the policies. The statistical codes are used solely for internal administrative purposes to flag the claim when it comes time to do the experience rating calculation and can be identified by internal directive.
For further information on this issue, please contact Meg Brighton at 604 244-6354, toll free at 1 888 922-2768, local 6354.
You may also examine the complete resolution.
Authority of Case Managers
The Board's Strategic Plan contemplates the development of a "case management" approach to handling workers' claims whereby accountability for each complex case is assigned to one Case Manager. The Board's Administration has conducted a pilot project in Prince George and North Vancouver and received approval for further implementation of case management in two additional sites.
Effective February 27, 1998, the Board reached an agreement with the Compensation Employees' Union to reclassify all Claims Adjudicator positions at the Board to Case Manager positions. The Panel has authorized Case Managers to perform the functions and make the decisions assigned by the Rehabilitation Services and Claims Manual to Claims Adjudicators and has ratified that authority from the date of the agreement.
For further information on this issue, please contact Keith Sullivan at 604 214-5479, toll free within B.C. at 1 800 661-2112, local 5497.
You may also examine the complete resolution.
Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS)
The Panel of Administrators has amended the policy for assessing pensions for Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) to reflect current medical knowledge. The amended policy includes a new table that more finely differentiates the degree of disability among workers with HAVS. In addition, the new table accounts for the impacts of the vascular, sensorineural, and musculoskeletal elements of the condition in assessing the level of disability for workers with HAVS. The previous policy considered only the vascular element. The new policy took effect on September 11, 1998, and applies to new claims received and all active claims that are currently awaiting an initial pension adjudication.
For further information on this issue, please contact James Watson at 604 231-8650 or toll free within B.C. at 1 800 661-2112, local 8650.
You may also examine the complete resolution.