Q3 2024 Overview
A clear path for change through accountability
Accountability breeds change. That's the focus of a new business model at WCB Nova Scotia that's aimed at better protecting the workforce Nova Scotia so badly needs to be healthy, working, and on the job.
“The old adage is that you can't keep doing things the same way and expect to see different results,” says WCB CEO Karen Adams. "We have more people working in the province than ever before and we have an obligation to make sure that they stay healthy and safe at work.”
She says that for too long, WCB was actually the bottleneck. Now, WCB is on a clear path to change - to be the solution, not the problem.
The government review of the workers' compensation system earlier in 2024 identified a WCB that wasn't living up to its potential, and validated the WCB's new strategic plan, already in motion. Both shone a light on the problem: Too many workers spend too long away from work due to injury, and too many of them go on to long-term benefits - far more than in other provinces.
The claims process was too slow and return-to-work outcomes were among the worst in the country. "The review reiterated what we already knew: The workers and employers of this province need more from us,” says Adams. "That's why we've acted.”
That action includes:
- Keeping prevention as job one, continuing the decline in the province's injury rate.
- Holding WCB itself more accountable, through service level agreements and more visible, regular reporting on standards on everything from how quickly phone calls are returned to how quickly claim decisions are issued.
- Holding employers accountable, who may face fines if they don't cooperate in return to work, or find suitable work for people injured on the job.
- Holding workers accountable, who also have to do their part in the return-to-work process.
- Holding service providers accountable, curbing over-treatment of sprain and strain injuries and ensuring effective return-to-work support.
The path to improvement is simple, Adams says. Injuries are usually prevented, but when they happen, WCB does its job. And with better outcomes driven by increased accountability, WCB becomes more financially stable, and less expensive.
That will eventually allow the WCB to reduce employer rates, and government to improve worker benefits, in tandem: A balanced approach that realizes the benefits of a more efficient system.
As the province grows, so does its workforce. And WCB's work becomes even more important to keep Nova Scotians working. “We all want the same thing - we want Nova Scotians working,” says Adams. “Accountability, for all of us, is how we will accomplish that:”