Veterans Affairs committee  They wouldn't have to prove that the diagnosis they have is related to their employment, because the nature of the employment has already been presumed to have caused, or has had the potential to cause, that type of injury.

Veterans Affairs committee  The requirement under our legislation is that the employer, upon hearing of a worker seeking medical attention or losing time from work, has a legal requirement to report to WSIB. That's the primary channel. Second, if the employer is non-compliant or doesn't do what he or she is supposed to do, the worker can claim it at any time.

Veterans Affairs committee  Ninety-two percent of all our workers get back to meaningful work within 12 months, albeit not always with the accident employer. If they're working for a chip truck and the latter goes out of business, we'll reintegrate them into the workforce in some capacity. We've come a long way.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, there is.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, our first mechanism, really, is that typically in those situations we try to get one of our contracted physicians to call or to connect with the treating physician to discuss the findings. We find that dispute resolution technique positive, because when you have a clinician speaking to a clinician versus a government agency talking to a doctor, it doesn't always work out so well in our interest, so we try to get a doctor to talk to a doctor and come up with a plan.

Veterans Affairs committee  There was new provincial legislation in 2016 that accepted post-traumatic stress for first responders. Within that bill they gave a list, and there are about 25 of them. I don't have them here today, but you're looking at ambulance drivers, police, emergency personnel, firefighters, so the people who respond to the worst parts of the human condition.

Veterans Affairs committee  And not know it—or deal with it under another name. So we want to formalize it. In this legislation we try not to make it difficult for someone to make a claim, to accept their entitlement. That allows us to get to these individuals early and to get them the proper suite of care they require.

Veterans Affairs committee  We take the date of injury as the marker for their earnings: what were they earning at the time of the accident? We take their gross pay over four weeks prior, for the first 12 weeks. We take their gross pay, then we deduct CPP, EI, and income tax. That gives us a net average earnings.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  That gets into the legislation. I believe part of it is that there are some cost savings for the worker when they are off work, with their not going to work, in terms of transportation and all of the other factors that would be involved in their ability to earn. I believe that is the fundamental factor.

Veterans Affairs committee  Their eligibility in terms of our suite of benefits starts when they have an accident on the job that's allowable. Following that, we assess their ability to earn. If they are unable to earn anything, then we will pay them the full amount, 85% of their net...while they are recovering, and we get them into treatment, etc.

Veterans Affairs committee  Again, the quarterback, the case manager, is the first person who really takes that issue on. When we first get a file and it's an allowable claim, we do a very thorough assessment of the worker and their abilities, their skills, their barriers, and their medical situation. As well, we do an assessment of the employer and their abilities and history in terms of returning workers to function.

Veterans Affairs committee  Our main focus at the WSIB, and I think all across the province, is return to work. However, these cases are particularly challenging because of their nature, so we try to build a strong platform medically to make sure we're going into charted waters. As I said earlier, it is collaborative.

Veterans Affairs committee  Our quarterback, per se, is the case manager. They coordinate all that happens at the workplace, as well as medically. They are the point of contact for the challenges and barriers that exist and how to work through them. Because we have work transition specialists going to the employment site, they do a collaborative plan with the frontline supervisor and the employee, whatever medical staff the employer would bring, and the union, and they put together a plan.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, and members of the standing committee. Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to speak to you here today. It's something I don't often get to do in my normal duties. As you said, my name is John Genise. I'm an executive director on case management at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and I also reside in Ottawa.