Latest news in Disability management

Managing diabetes in the new era of glucose monitoring technology

Managing diabetes in the new era of glucose monitoring technology

Since diabetes is a progressive disease, it’s important to get treatment in the middle, according to Dr. Thomas Ransom, endocrinologist at the Nova Scotia Health Authority,…

What role can pharmacists play in health-care access, improved outcomes?

What role can pharmacists play in health-care access, improved outcomes?

Canada’s health-care system isn’t working or sustainable, and the gap between private and publicly funded services deserves our attention, according to Rose Dipchand, regional manager of professional…

Sun Life expanding digital offerings with disability management toolkit

Sun Life expanding digital offerings with disability management toolkit

Sun Life is expanding its suite of digital tools with a disability management toolkit. The new tools include virtual independent medical examination, a solution that…

  • By: Staff
  • October 15, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 10:05
SSQ Insurance adds pharmacogenetic testing to group benefits

SSQ Insurance adds pharmacogenetic testing to group benefits

SSQ Life Insurance Co. Inc. is adding pharmacogenetic testing to its group insurance offering. Pharmacogenetic testing helps determine how a person’s DNA reacts to prescription…

  • By: Staff
  • October 3, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 16:00
Canadians still reluctant to admit to mental illness at work: survey

Canadians still reluctant to admit to mental illness at work: survey

The majority of Canadians said they’d either be reluctant to admit (48 per cent) or wouldn’t admit (27 per cent) to a boss or co-worker…

  • By: Staff
  • September 24, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 15:15

Alberta court rules against double-dipping in disability payments, lost wages

An Alberta court has ruled that employees receiving disability payments during the reasonable notice period can’t “double-dip” by receiving payments for lost wages. “The decision…

Sun Life partnering with EQ Care to launch virtual medical evaluation service

Sun Life partnering with EQ Care to launch virtual medical evaluation service

Sun Life is launching Equinoxe LifeCare’s virtual medical evaluation services to help plan sponsors with disability management. The service allows plan members and their dependants to connect with virtual…

  • By: Staff
  • September 9, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 16:00
Ottawa paid $75M for veterans’ cannabis last year, could pay $100M this year

Ottawa paid $75M for veterans’ cannabis last year, could pay $100M this year

The federal government’s effort to rein in the cost of reimbursing veterans for their medical marijuana appears to have failed as new figures show Ottawa…

‘Inherently impossible’ to accommodate employee unable to work, finds Ontario court

‘Inherently impossible’ to accommodate employee unable to work, finds Ontario court

The Ontario Divisional Court has confirmed that an employer’s duty to accommodate ends when an employee’s disability becomes permanent and thereby frustrates the contract of employment.…

How employers can support staff with diabetes-related hypoglycemia

How employers can support staff with diabetes-related hypoglycemia

When an employee with diabetes is working in a safety-sensitive role experiences severely low blood sugar, what are the ramifications for employers? This question was…

‘Historic settlement’ for female armed forces, national defence staff in sexual harassment case

‘Historic settlement’ for female armed forces, national defence staff in sexual harassment case

The federal government has reached a tentative settlement on multiple class action lawsuits filed by current and former female and male members of the Canadian…

Is sex addiction a disability employers must accommodate?

Is sex addiction a disability employers must accommodate?

A Nova Scotia arbitrator has ruled that sex addiction isn’t a disability that employers must accommodate, especially where the condition doesn’t affect the employee’s ability…

Next steps for data analytics in disability and benefits plans

Next steps for data analytics in disability and benefits plans

Data is everywhere in the fourth industrial revolution, with no industry left untouched by the momentum it’s creating, according to Nikolas Badminton, futurist and chief…

Mental-health disability claims among federal public service staff increased in 2018

Claims involving mental-health conditions represented 52 per cent of disability insurance claims approved for federal public service employees in 2018, according to a new data from the National…

  • By: Staff
  • June 26, 2019 November 30, 2020
  • 09:45
41% of U.S. employers trying to reduce absenteeism: survey

41% of U.S. employers trying to reduce absenteeism: survey

About four in 10 (41 per cent) U.S. employers said they’re making a major effort to reduce absenteeism in 2018, according to a new survey…

  • By: Staff
  • June 21, 2019 November 11, 2020
  • 15:15
Just a quarter of plan sponsors review claims data regularly: Sanofi

Just a quarter of plan sponsors review claims data regularly: Sanofi

Just 24 per cent of plan sponsors said they regularly receive claims analyses to help identify disease states in their workplaces, according to the 2019…

  • By: Staff
  • June 21, 2019 November 12, 2020
  • 09:00
Conference Coverage: 2019 Chronic Disease at Work

Conference Coverage: 2019 Chronic Disease at Work

On June 5, Benefits Canada‘s 2019 Chronic Disease at Work conference featured educational presentations around trends and treatments in an effort to help plan sponsors…

Supporting employees with obesity starts with recognizing it’s a chronic disease

Supporting employees with obesity starts with recognizing it’s a chronic disease

Six million Canadians are living with obesity and its prevalence is continuing to rise, said David Macklin, medical director of the weight management program at…

Rethinking long-term disability with cannabis-assisted return to work

Rethinking long-term disability with cannabis-assisted return to work

Compared with recreational users, medical cannabis patients frequently use CBD-dominant preparations with the smallest amount of THC to get the greatest improvements in symptom control,…

Considering the link between cardiovascular disease, absenteeism and cost

Considering the link between cardiovascular disease, absenteeism and cost

Thirty per cent of deaths in Canada are due to cardiovascular disease. It kills more woman than all cancers combined. And it cost $21 billion…

The numbers behind chronic disease in the workplace

The numbers behind chronic disease in the workplace

By now, the economic burden of chronic disease in Canada has most likely surpassed $200 billion, according to Sarah Lussier Hoskyn, senior analyst, regulatory affairs and…

Understanding the burden of adolescent eczema on patients, caregivers

Understanding the burden of adolescent eczema on patients, caregivers

For adolescents with atopic dermatitis, or eczema, the burden of illness is high and caregivers face many challenges, according to Dr. Neil Shear, president of…

A look at the value of continuous glucose monitoring

A look at the value of continuous glucose monitoring

For people with diabetes, hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia can impact health and, as a result, workplace performance. However real-time continuous glucose monitoring can enable people to…

The impact of hypoglycemia on workplace absenteeism

The impact of hypoglycemia on workplace absenteeism

While the definition of type 1 diabetes – the body doesn’t produce insulin – sounds clear and concise, this disease is anything but, said Lisa Geelen,…

Is scrutiny on the rise for long-term disability claims?

Is scrutiny on the rise for long-term disability claims?

A recent RBC Insurance Services Inc. study found 45 percent of employees on disability claimed their workplaces pressured them to go back earlier than they…