Stacey is a single mother and a welder by trade who suffered an injury at work which caused her headaches and pain associated with exposure to bright lights. Because welding required her to work with very bright lights, even when wearing protective eyewear, Stacey believed she would never be able to weld again. Following a number of decisions made in relation to her workplace injury claim, the Review Division of the Workers’ Compensation Board determined that Stacey should undergo additional assessment to determine whether she was able to return to welding. Once this was done, the Board indicated it could then reassess her benefits accordingly. After four months of waiting for this decision to be implemented, and not understanding the reasons for the delay, Stacey asked our Office to look into her situation. We investigated whether the Workers’ Compensation Board was following a reasonable process when implementing the Review Division’s decision.

Stacey explained to the Board that she would require a new prescription and eyewear to take part in the assessment. On the request of the Board, Stacey’s ophthalmologist provided a copy of the exam invoice and the results of the testing. Unfortunately the Board misfiled this report as being only a copy of the invoice, and not the exam results. Without both, the Board was unwilling to pay for the exam or for the new eyewear. Without new eyewear, the Board was not prepared to move forward with the welding assessment. Without the assessment, her claim was stalled. Understanding Stacey’s frustration and the difficult financial situation she and her children found themselves in, we went back and forth between Stacey and the Board to make sure we understood the exact cause of the delay. Through this process we let the Board know that both Stacey and her ophthalmologist were confident that they had sent everything the Board needed to move forward with the welding assessment.

In response to this, the Board explained that it would look through its records again to make sure that the report had not been misfiled. In doing this the Board discovered its error and promptly proceeded with making arrangements for Stacey to attend the welding assessment as soon as possible. As a result, the deadlock was overcome and Stacey was able to have her claim properly assessed.