Can you file a WorkSafeBC claim when contracting COVID-19 at work? A total of 1,132 people have filed COVID-19 claims with WorkSafeBC, according to WorkSafe claims data. Only 379 of those claims have been allowed.
The following table shows the total number of claims classified as allowed, disallowed, no adjudication required, pending, rejected, and suspended.
| Allowed | Disallowed | No Adjudication Required | Pending | Rejected | Suspended | Total | |
| Total | 379 | 505 | 42 | 129 | 2 | 75 | 1,132 |
A claim is disallowed (denied) by WorkSafeBC when they find that there is insufficient evidence to prove that the worker has contracted the COVID-19 virus. Suspended claims may proceed at a future time. WorkSafeBC classifies a claim as rejected if a worker is in an industry that is not covered by the BC Workers’ Compensation Act or if a worker is self-employed and has not purchased personal optional protection coverage.
The following table shows the total number of claims by industry that are classified as allowed, disallowed, no adjudication required, pending, rejected, and suspended. Most COVID-19 claims involve the Service – Health Care and Social Service industry. The next highest-ranking industries for COVID-19 claims are self-insured employers, other service subsectors (including education, business, and other services), the public sector, agriculture, and the hospitality industry (Service – Accommodation, Food and Leisure).
| Allowed | Disallowed | No Adjudication Required | Pending | Rejected | Suspended | Total | |
| Total | 379 | 505 | 42 | 129 | 2 | 75 | 1,132 |
| Service – Health Care and Social Service | 273 | 264 | 17 | 60 | 1 | 33 | 648 |
| Unknown employer or sector | 2 | 120 | 6 | 35 | 18 | 181 | |
| Self-insured employers | 12 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 46 | |
| Service – Other subsectors (including education, business, and other services) | 17 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 42 |
| Public Sector | 10 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 41 | ||
| Agriculture | 28 | 7 | 2 | 37 | |||
| Service – Accommodation, Food and Leisure | 11 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 33 | ||
| Trade (including retail & wholesale) | 6 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 25 | |
| Manufacturing – Food and Beverage Products | 18 | 3 | 1 | 22 | |||
| Service – Education | 6 | 1 | 10 | 17 | |||
| Construction | 1 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 16 | ||
| Transportation and Warehousing | 1 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 14 | ||
| Manufacturing – Wood and Paper Products | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | |||
| Manufacturing – Metal and Non-Metallic Mineral Products | 2 | 2 | |||||
| Oil & Gas or Mineral Resources | 1 | 1 |
In many ways, WorkSafeBC essentially operates as an insurance company for employers. Employers pay monthly premiums in order to get coverage for the costs of claims. Where possible, WorkSafeBC will deny your claim or minimize your entitlement in order to keep costs low. The statistics confirm that WorkSafeBC denial rates are high for COVID-19 claims.
If you would like to schedule a consultation appointment to discuss your claim, please contact Gosal & Company at info@gosalandcompany.com or (604) 591-8187.
