Case Summary : Delay

Home modifications

A 64-year-old worker’s right leg was amputated at the hip as a result of complications arising from surgery for a work injury. The worker has been in a wheelchair since the surgery in 1997. The WSIB awarded the worker a 100-per-cent pension in 2000.

The worker complained to the Commission about unnecessary delays during the five years it took the WSIB to decide how much money he would get to modify his home for his wheelchair and other physical needs. During much of that time, the worker lived in his original house, one that all expert assessors had agreed was unsafe.
The Commission’s inquiry found many of the worker’s concerns were supported by the evidence on file.

The commissioner and a specialist met with two directors and management teams to discuss the decision-making process in this case, the lessons that can be learned from it, and opportunities for improvement in home modification cases. The Commission asked that the WSIB consider our suggestions as it prepares its new guidelines for home modifications.

In this case, the WSIB agreed to review the information on file immediately.

(November 2007)