In most cases, you have six months to file a WSIB claim. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) applies the deadline differently depending on the type of injury or illness:
- Sudden injuries: six months from the date of the accident.
- Occupational diseases: six months from the date you learn you have the disease and that it is work-related.
- Gradual conditions, called disablements (repetitive strain injuries, for example): six months from the date you report the condition as work-related.
Six months sounds like plenty of time. In practice, waiting is one of the most common ways claims run into trouble. Gaps among the injury, medical treatment, and reporting leave WSIB room to question whether the injury actually occurred at work. Tell your employer about the injury as soon as possible, ideally the same day, and see a doctor or other health professional right away.
Your claim is filed on a Form 6, the Worker’s Report of Injury/Disease. Your employer and your health professional file their own reports (Form 7 and Form 8), but those reports do not replace yours. File your own Form 6 even if your employer says they have handled everything.
If the six months have already passed, do not assume you are out of options. WSIB can extend the time limit in certain situations, for example when you only needed health care at first and lost earnings later, or when your employer discouraged you from reporting. Late claims are harder, not automatically hopeless.
Keep in mind that appeal deadlines are separate and much less forgiving: 30 days for return-to-work and work transition decisions, and six months for most other WSIB decisions. A further appeal to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT) also carries a six-month limit.
If a deadline is close, or you think you have already missed one, WorkAid offers free consultations and can tell you quickly where your claim stands.
