Ten Things You Need to Know About Asbestos Claims and Workers’ Compensation in New Brunswick

1. When you apply for WorksafeNB benefits you assign your rights to the Workers’ Compensation Board and can take no third-party action.
2. No loss of earning benefits are paid after age 65. If you were diagnosed while working after age 63 benefits are paid for a maximum of 2 years.
3. If you need to travel for medical care, WorksafeNB pays 55¢ per kilometer for the first 5,000 kilometers, and 49¢ thereafter.
4. If you are required to travel for medical appointments and treatment you are required to stay in hotels that have an agreement in place with WorksafeNB or risk the compensation board not paying reimbursement.
5. If you require in home care assistance, the maximum that WorksafeNB will contribute for private personal care is $1,910.69 per month. This covers less than 24 hours of care per week. If you require more assistance you would be required to pay personally.
6. The maximum Quality of Life Grant paid to assist injured workers retain some social interaction with the community is $2,000.00.
7. If the injured worker is retired, and subsequently dies of an asbestos caused occupational disease, their surviving spouse is not eligible for any monthly benefits, even if they were financially dependent on the injured worker.
8. The Permanent Physical Impairment (PPI) base amount, or 100%, for 2019 is $64,800.00. Other medical conditions are taken into consideration and may reduce the payment percentage.
9. If your death is caused by an occupational disease WorksafeNB pays a maximum $17,283.60 to cover your funeral expense. While the funeral benefit policy contains this information, the amount is rarely paid as WorksafeNB must pre-approve the costs associated with the funeral.
10. Once your WorksafeNB claim has been accepted, your medical care decisions rest with WorksafeNB as being “reasonable and necessary” as all costs must be pre-approved by the Board before treatment can be started.

If you would like to discuss the benefits of applying to the Asbestos Trusts of the manufacturing companies that made and distributed asbestos products that you were exposed to, and caused your asbestos related disease, contact us for a no charge consultation.