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 drugs, which makes it easier for doctors to choose the most effective medications for their patients. SSQ said it expects the offering will make it easier for plan members to access […]
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 affirms the principle that employees are entitled only to what they would have received had they been working during the notice period,” says Sheena Owens, an employment lawyer at Stikeman […]
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 shelled out a record $75 million in the last fiscal year. And that’s only the beginning: the Veterans Affairs Canada figures show the government is on track to spend nearly […]
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. “The decision in Katz v. Clarke is a breath of fresh air for employers because it reaffirms that employees seeking accommodation can’t merely inform their employers of their desire to […]
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 to perform their duties. The arbitrator, Augustus Richardson, also expressed doubt that a condition called “sex addiction” existed, noting it wasn’t generally recognized by an accredited professional body such as the American […]
While “brain fog” isn’t a clinical condition, it feels like forgetfulness, slow thinking and difficulty concentrating. It happens to everyone at some point and can often impact productivity at work. Some common causes of brain fog include stress, lack of sleep, dehydration, hormonal changes from pregnancy or andropause/menopause, an unhealthy diet, vitamin B12 deficiency, chemotherapy and side-effects […]
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 executive officer of Exponential Minds. For benefits plans and disability management programs, data analytics can offer insight into how decisions are made, but the landscape is evolving as it becomes […]
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 Joint Council’s Disability Insurance Plan Board of Management. While mental-health claims have comprised the highest portion of approved disability claims in the past, this is the first time the percentage […]
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 the Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America. The survey found the number of employers looking to reduce employee absenteeism has significantly increased in the past few years, up from […]
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 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. This number rose to 31 per cent for employers with 500 or more employees and dropped to 13 per cent among small employers. It also found […]