I was talking last night to Greg the fellow who was electricuted a few months ago. The system that was put in place to take care of the injured worker is failing terribly for him. I seen him a couple weeks ago and he has lost so much weight and now he told me he is 125 lbs. WSIB is throwing up road block after road block denigning him everything and he has a legimate injury He has had many skin graphs and operations has to walk with a cane now forever. He is getting peanuts to live on because his wage from WSIB is based on hours worked and with economy the way it is even though he is full time union operator he was not getting many hours at the time of the accident.

I think what is happening to him is wrong regardless of the cause of the accident he has a true injury and is being treated unfair. He wants to work but cannot if he misses his rehab they threaten him that his claim will be cut off some of the doctors reports have not been filed in a timely manor and they have dropped his status to a lower value.

In speaking to him last night I fear he is on the breaking point and he stands to lose everything he has and he does not have much left to lose. Why is it that there are people out there that are milking the system and getting everything from them yet a man with a true injury is getting raked over the coals and in my opinion will never be able to operate a pump again or any piece of heavy equipment.

It really bothers me that a healthy man in his 30s who was in very good shape is whithering away to dust and that the system that is suppose to help us when we get hurt fails so terribly I hope no one out here gets hurt including myself because none of us need to be treated like this.

Z - How many years in the Union? He has Annuity paid into his package I assume. He can declare hardship with the Union and collect some of that annuity for now till he works out the other issues. Normally the Annuity cannot be collect till retirement but under hardship you can get it.

What is that W thing?

For us americans tell us what WSIB stands for, we dont have a clue.

He's referring to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (Worker's Comensation Board in Ontario)

http://www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/home_e

38, he needs to start here, http://www.wsib.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/fairpracticescommission if he hasn't already.  After that, he needs to get a lawyer competent with the bureaucracy. 

As a union member he is entitled to his full disability pension! It is based on the total hours you worked period. Not how many you had in the recent past. Start there, and then get a disability lawyer,a greedy one! Law says they are only entitled to a maximum percentage!

Mud is right Z. Like I wrote you in the PM.

Mud. He is entitled to his Annuity monies as well under hardship.

TB His annunity money is like a kind of 401k, and there will be tax penalties for withdrawal.A loan on the money is possible, but the interest rate is gonna hurt. But when you need the money for day to day survival...

PS. Doesn't Canada have a kind of Social Security system? Go there SOON!

Hey

Well at the time of the accident he was not in the union yet but that is not the thing because he did not have many hours in the 4 weeks prior WCB based his entilement on hours worked not based on a 40 hour work week anyway the guy has a true injury and is getting no where fast as for other goverment agencys yes there are but none of them will do anything since he is on WCB.... It is pass the buck pass the buck if he was taking advantage of the system then that would be wrong but to have 16000 volts go through and live well and have your toes explode off you feet not to mention the 3rd degree burns and the mental impact....

You are totally right, it is a very flawed system. Half of the time you end up right back where you started because your circumstances don't match any on their list on the page in front of them, so you get to spend days even weeks going from department to department and getting nowhere. As for the people milking the system, that is because they have been on the system for so long they know all the ins and outs and can get away with it. It is sad that the person who really needs it can't even qualify and the lazy bum gets money dished out hand over fist.