WCB Alberta Employer Rebates: Are You Missing Out?
Last month, the WCB Alberta announced a surplus funding of $467 million that will be distributed to Alberta employers. According to a 2014 Calgary Herald article, 2013 marks the sixth time in the last 10 years that the WCB Alberta has declared and distributed a surplus, factor in rebates in 2014 and 2015, and it becomes the eighth time in 12 years. In the past three years alone, almost $1.5 billion dollars has been paid out to Alberta employers, prompting the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) to publish a paper urging the WCB Alberta to issue refunds at a more reasonable threshold. Surplus funding occurs when the WCB premiums collected from employers are invested and there is a higher-than-expected return on that investment and/or there is a lower-than-expected amount of claims and claims costs for the year. When the funding pool exceeds more than 128% of anticipated amount to […]
Fort McMurray Wildfire and WCB Alberta Coverage
Fort McMurray Wildfire and WCB Alberta Coverage: The recent and ongoing wildfires in Northern Alberta have been devastating with far reaching effects, including Worker’s Compensation concerns for workers and employers. Should you have questions regarding any aspect of the WCB process or wish to discuss any specific issues or scenarios, please contact us directly at 1-844-377-9545 or by email at [email protected] or [email protected]. Failing to take control of your claim could result in an interruption of benefits or services resulting in unnecessary stress and frustration. The following information touches on some of the most common WCB related situations: Current Claims: If you have a current claim with either the WCB Alberta or a workers’ compensation organization in another province and have been displaced by the Alberta wildfires, you should contact your case manager or claim adjudicator as soon as possible regarding: Benefit payments – if you receive benefits by mail, provide […]
After the Alberta Wildfires: Rebuilding Fort McMurray Safely
Image: mikeledray / Shutterstock.com Although the immediate crisis may have passed in Fort McMurray and the surrounding area, the state of emergency is far from over. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done in order to get the 80,000 evacuees safely back to their own homes or resettled into new ones, and there is a great deal of pressure to get this done as quickly as possible. The path to rebuilding these communities will be long and involved. While still monitoring hot spots and further potential wildfires, there is a vast amount of demolition, cleanup, environmental testing and repairs that will need to be done before the rebuilding can truly begin. Infrastructures such as roadways, water, sewage, gas and power systems need to be repaired or restarted. Waste management facilities need to be ready to deal with the garbage, from food left in refrigerators and freezers with […]
Mental Health: The Connection Between Healthy Minds and Healthy Workplaces
It is not really a coincidence that Mental Health Week and North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week overlap. Recent focus on the awareness and acceptance of mental illness and the effects that stress has on our overall wellbeing, highlights the connection between workplace safety and a psychologically healthy work environment. Although NAOSH week focuses on all aspects of health and safety on the job, healthy minds are the foundation of healthy workplaces. A balanced, stress-free mind is better able to focus on the task at hand, which helps reduce of the risk of accident or injury on the job for everyone. Especially in tough economic times, the effects of stress and the incidence of mental illness become more prevalent as our ability to cope is tested and our emotional reserves are strained. That healthy, balanced, stress-free mind becomes increasingly difficult to attain and maintain, so it is more […]
How to Determine the Cost of WCB Premiums for Your Business: 7 Things You Need to Know
Workers’ compensation is a form of ‘no fault’ insurance for workers injured on the job. It has been a part of the Alberta labour workforce since 1918 when the Workers’ Compensation Act was established. Essentially, employers agreed to pay into a fund that would be used to cover the costs associated with a work-related injury or illness and in return, workers gave up their right to sue their employers as a result of getting sick or hurt on the job. The fund was set up similar to an insurance policy where employers pay annual premiums to the WCB and workers file a claim with the WCB if they were injured as a result of their employment. The premiums collected, managed by the WCB, would then be used to cover the medical expenses, wage loss and other associated claims costs related to the injury. How much employers pay in WCB premiums […]