WCB’s Supported Job Search (SJS) assists workers in returning to the workforce when they’re no longer able to perform their job due to injury or illness. The program aims to help workers find suitable and sustainable employment, but in reality, SJS often misses the mark.
Stuart, 57, recently lost four fingers in a mining accident. As he slowly adjusts to life as an amputee, doctors tell him he’ll never return to his old job. When this news reaches
WCB, the Board tells Stuart he’ll be entering
Vocational Services, but his wage-loss benefits will remain the same. He’s told there’s
nothing to worry about.
Shortly after, he receives a call from a reemployment specialist, who says he’s being enrolled in computer training. Stuart listens quietly but figures he misheard something. However, when his case manager later explains that it’s his choice to participate in the computer training, but his benefit cheque would be cut in half if he refuses, he’s dismayed. Surely there’s been some sort of mistake, he protests, because he was a mineworker for 35 years and isn’t even sure what “Google” is. And since he has practically no use of his right hand, how would he type exactly? Dazed and confused, he tells his case manager he needs to sleep on it.
Boxed in
That night, he tosses and turns. He needs the money, so he can’t refuse, and yet he doesn’t even own a computer. Sick with worry, Stuart phones up his reemployment specialist the following morning. His mind spinning, Stuart tries to explain the obvious: that typing is impossible and that his version of “logging in” involves a chainsaw and a tree. But Diane doesn’t seem to hear him. She goes on to say that some employers offer voice recognition computers, so he wouldn’t need to use his hands, and how basic computer training will make him far more employable.
“Voice recognition? Employers? Is that what this is about? Getting me back to work?” Stuart injects. “Yes, that’s exactly right,” Diane responds. “Because I’ve already identified numerous job leads for you in your new career as a call centre agent. And these jobs pay as much as your old job, so when your
Supported Job Search ends in 90 days, you won’t even need WCB.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. But who would hire me?, he thinks to himself. He tries to stay calm and reminds Diane that he’s pushing 60 and asks how a basic computer course would change the fact that he’s disabled with no customer service experience. Diane, in turn, reminds Stuart that he has a duty to cooperate and informs him that WCB doesn’t guarantee employment but seeks only to enhance employability. Putting two and two together, Stuart suddenly realizes that even if he takes the course, he’ll never find a job anyway. And by providing him with perfunctory training, WCB can say they enhanced his employability, and thereby wash their hands of him. Stunned by the catch-22 and feeling cheated and cornered, he throws his hands into the air.
The harsh reality
Believe it or not, Stuart’s story isn’t unusual in the slightest. During a triage assessment, a reemployment specialist is supposed to collaborate with a worker to assess their needs and then offer recommendations that would best suit the worker’s unique needs and circumstances. The RE specialist should make every effort to support the worker in finding a job that maximizes their earning potential or matches what the worker earned at their date of accident job.
Furthermore, with respect to managing a Supported Job Search, case owners are supposed to
confirm that a job option is suitable for a worker by ensuring that:
• It matches the worker’s physical and vocational abilities
• It fits with the worker’s interests and motivations
• Accessibility is anticipated (the job option can be filled by the general public, is within a reasonable commuting distance and the hours required for the position are equal to or less than the number of hours the worker worked at their date of accident job).
• It has sufficient salary information.
• It fairly represents what the worker could earn given their skills, experience, education and work history.
This is where the process often goes sideways. Who’s to say what a good “match” is? What is a “reasonable” commuting distance, and who decides what defines “fairness”? The obvious answer is, the Board decides. Injured workers, on the other hand, don’t get much say in the matter.
Don’t go it alone
This is why, should you find yourself being ushered into WCB’s Vocational Services program, reach out to an
experienced WCB representative. Because if you decide to opt out of a Supported Job Search, no matter how valid the excuse, your benefits will disappear in whole or in part. And if you do decide to participate, you’ll likely find yourself in the same boat, with reduced benefits. Either way you lose. A good rep will challenge the Board in multiple ways to ensure they’re abiding by their own policy, to help you escape the catch-22, and if not, to aggressively appeal the decision.
