Announcement Medical Expenses & Travel: 2020 Guidelines

February 5, 2020

If you are hurt on the job, we are here to help with your recovery, rehabilitation and safe return to work. We also provide financial benefits to help protect workers and their families from the economic impact of a workplace injury.

WorkSafeNB has approved changes to its Medical Expense Travel Policy effective January 1, 2020. If you need to travel outside of your home community (defined as more than 40 km one way) for a medical appointment, WorkSafeNB will provide reimbursement for mileage. If you must travel 80 km one way for a medical appointment, we will provide meal allowances and may provide reimbursement for overnight accommodations (pre-approval required).

These thresholds align with Canada Revenue Agency’s definitions of eligible medical expenses. For more information, read our Medical Expense Related Travel policy.

If you must travel for a purpose related to your WorkSafeNB claim, but it isn’t for medical purposes, please read our Non-Medical Expense Related Travel Policy.

Travel Expense Form

FAQs

We are committed to providing fair service to our clients as they recover safely. Much of a client’s care can be within their own community and the travel to these appointments can be integrated into their daily activities. However, if you need to travel outside of your home community (defined as more than 40 km one way via the most direct route) for a medical appointment, WorkSafeNB will provide reimbursement for mileage. If you must travel 80 km one way (via the most direct route) for a medical appointment, we will provide meal allowances and may provide reimbursement for overnight accommodations (pre-approval required).

A medical appointment is any visit to a medical professional and includes visits to physicians, pharmacies, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and any other treatment provided to help you recover from your workplace injury.

Any single trip that is less than 40km one way for a medical appointment is considered to be within the worker’s normal pre-injury commuting and/or travel patterns and is not eligible for reimbursement. Also, overnight accommodations for a medical appointment that requires travel of more than 80 km one way, using the most direct route, must be pre-approved to be eligible for reimbursement.

The one way 40 km threshold applies to medical appointments. It does not apply to other travel that is required as part of your claim, such as retraining services, Workers’ Compensation Appeals Tribunal hearings or meetings with WorkSafeNB staff, at their request. For more information, please read our Non-Medical Expense Related Travel Policy.

Yes. WorkSafeNB has updated its travel policy to align with CRA’s guidelines for eligible medical expenses. 

 

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