To get people back to work after being off with a mental illness, the whole system — including physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists and insurers — need to engage in a collaborative effort to ensure individuals get the correct diagnosis and treatment with a focus on returning to the workplace. That’s the message Carmen Bellows, a psychologist […]
Many Canadian workers who experience a mental illness face barriers and obstacles when it comes to diagnosis, treatment and returning to work. But new virtual programs show there are steps employers can take to help employees get well and back to work. Julie Gaudry, senior director of group of business markets at RBC Insurance Services […]
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is expanding its work-related mental-stress policy following decisions at the appeals tribunal that found the limits currently placed on entitlement criteria are unconstitutional. Over the last few years, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal has issued several decisions that determined the provisions in the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act limiting entitlement only […]
Sun Life Assurance Co. of Canada is partnering with Medical Confidence Inc. to help Canadian employees navigate the health-care system when they go on disability leave. Beginning in 2018, Medical Confidence’s disability management service will be rolled out to Sun Life’s employer clients. The service provides one-on-one support through a health-care professional, arranges accelerated access to […]
A migraine is more than just a headache. The third most common disorder in the world, migraine is a chronic disease of the brain that’s prevalent, frequent and disabling, said Elizabeth Leroux, a clinical associate professor at the University of Calgary’s department of clinical neurosciences, during a session at the Calgary Drug Trends Summit on […]
From lack of sleep to post-traumatic stress disorders, employees facing a range of challenges that can have an impact on their work. What are some of the causes of mental-health issues and how can employers recognize when an employee is having difficulties? At the 2017 Mental Health Summit in Toronto on Nov. 7, experts provided […]
Despite mental health accounting for more than 30 per cent of long-term disability claims, there’s a disconnect between medical practitioners and insurers that unwittingly impedes the ability of plan members to receive timely care. Samuel Mikail, senior consultant for mental health at Sun Life Financial, told attendees at Benefits Canada’s 2017 Mental Health Summit in […]
In one episode of the television show The Office, salesman Stanley Hudson has a heart attack during a workplace fire drill. A few days later, he’s back at his desk, with only a doctor’s orders to “relate more positively” to his surroundings. Many employers can only dream of such an easy return to work. In […]
Does disability interfere with an organization’s right to terminate employment and employer-provided benefits? It’s a question that commonly arises when it comes to employees who have been away from work and in receipt of long-term disability benefits for extended periods of time. Generally, and subject to applicable statutory entitlements respecting termination pay and severance, it […]
A recent Court of Appeal of Alberta dismissal of a case relating to age discrimination and the eligibility of receiving long-term disability benefits provides some clarity to future legal interpretation of similar employer-sponsored plans. In International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1007 v. Epcor Utilities Inc., the union’s appeal related to whether a long-term disability […]