In this issue:  

• UFL retirement sets stage for wide-ranging improvements
• WSIB offers premium rate reductions to businesses again in 2018
• Getting ready for our new premium-rate setting model in 2020
• 2019-2021 Strategic Plan released
• Better access to Specialty Programs 
• Nurses, special constables and others included in PTSD presumptive coverage
• Digital Intake
• Compass Refresh: Comparing apples to apples
• Small Business Awards: Safety is a group concern 
• Small Business Week: We’re here to help
• Our one-stop report shop

This week we were proud to announce an historic achievement at the WSIB – the elimination of our unfunded liability (UFL) – almost 10 years ahead of schedule.

For decades, the WSIB had carried a UFL – the difference between the money needed to pay future benefits and our available funds. Just six years ago, this UFL had grown to a staggering $14.2 billion. And now, it has been eliminated thanks to the commitment of our partners, stakeholders and WSIB employees.

This significant milestone sets the stage for wide-ranging improvements to outcomes, services and technology and helps secure the future of Ontario’s workplace health and safety system for the people we help every day. 

The elimination of the UFL is meaningful for Ontario businesses who will see significant average premium rate reductions.

We are pleased to announce a 29.8 per cent reduction in the average premium rate for 2019. This is the third year in a row that the average premium rate has been lowered. That adds up to over one billion dollars left in the economy every year that businesses can invest in new technology, new jobs, and health and safety improvements.

We know the premium rates that finance our services must be fair, transparent and easy to understand. That’s why in January 2020, the WSIB will transform how we calculate premium rates for almost 300,000 registered businesses across Ontario.

Our new premium rate-setting model is more reflective of individual claims experience. A risk-based approach means businesses can improve their premium rates with a better health and safety record. It will also be easier for businesses to understand how they are classified, and we’ll also give them future year rate projections to help them plan.

To prepare for the coming changes, check out our six new policies that govern the new premium rate-setting model. You can also watch three new videos that explain what’s changing and how the new model will work.
2019-2021 Strategic Plan released

This week we were excited to release our 2019-2021 Strategic Plan. The new plan outlines how we will improve our services and how we will work to get the best outcomes possible for people who are injured or ill as a result of their work.

Our plan also shows how we will deliver public value to the people of Ontario by reducing workplace injuries and illnesses. Our work is guided by continually asking ourselves: 

  • Are we making Ontario a safer place to work? 
  • Are we improving return-to-work and recovery outcomes for people with workplace injuries or illnesses in a compassionate way? 
  • Are we meeting our customers’ service needs and expectations? 
  • Are we providing services in a financially responsible and accountable way?

Our Specialty Programs help people in Ontario recover from workplace injuries and illnesses every day. Recently, we made improvements to these programs to provide people with even faster access to care, closer to home. This will make a meaningful difference to people in communities across the province.
Nurses, special constables and others included in PTSD presumptive coverage

The WSIB has significant experience providing sensitive and compassionate support for people experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Presumptive PTSD coverage was recently expanded to include nurses who provide direct patient care, provincial bailiffs, probation officers and their supervisors, special constables, and certain other members of police forces.

This means that when people in these occupations submit a claim for PTSD, we presume it is work-related. 
Digital Intake

You can now upload documents associated with a claim number online. All you need is a digital copy of the document, internet access and your verification information. Once you verify your identity you can add documents to the claim file instantly. Case managers can view and process files promptly, making information sharing better and faster. 
Compass refresh: Comparing apples to apples

You already know Compass, our online tool that lets you find and compare health and safety statistics for businesses across Ontario. Now there are even more features at your fingertips. You can find and compare businesses by industry, rate group and schedule. You can compare apples to apples, or apple farms to other apple farms. We’ve also updated the business data available in Compass to provide more up-to-date information. 
Small Business Awards: Safety is a group concern 
We’re pleased to announce SG Cunningham as the gold-level winner of the 2018 Small Business Health and Safety Leadership Awards. SG Cunningham is a family-operated, full-service general contractor and construction management firm based in the Waterloo region. We’re also pleased to congratulate Zero Environmental as the silver-level winner, and Bread and Butter bakery as the bronze-level winner. 

October 14-20 is Small Business Week. The vast majority of businesses in Ontario employ fewer than 50 people and together they employ nearly a third of people working in the province. The WSIB offers programs, services and free resources designed to help small business owners improve the health and safety of their workplaces. During Small Business Week, our consultants will host and attend events in communities across the province, giving you more opportunities to connect with us, learn about your responsibilities and build up your health and safety program. 

Did you know you can sign up to be notified as soon as our corporate results go live? These include our Quarterly Results Report, Sufficiency Report and Economic Statements. 
"What's New" - a newsletter by the Ministry of Labour:
Stay updated on current news from the Ministry of Labour by subscribing to What's New. Delivered monthly to your inbox, this newsletter features the latest on occupational health and safety, employment standards and labour relations that could affect you and your workplace.
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. 
To injured workers, we're the agency that provides wage-loss benefits, health care coverage, and return-to-work and transition programs. To employers, we're the agency that provides no-fault collective liability insurance and access to industry-specific health and safety information. But to our employees, we're simply the agency that believes in getting injured workers across Ontario back to what matters. 

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