Ontario Car Accident Benefits & Coverage

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• You can increase benefits to $130,000 for non-catastrophic Injuries, or
• Increase $1,000,000 for all injuries, for a total of $2,000,000 for Catastrophic Injuries, and
• Increase combined all injury benefit to $1,000,000 and Increase Catastrophic Injuries to $2,000,000
• You can increase income replacement benefits to $600.00, $800.00 or $1100.00/Week.

Getting these optional benefits could increase your policy premium less than 5% but could help you a lot after the accident. 

You may be eligible for an income replacement benefit payment of 70% of your gross income to up to $400 per week. Income replacement benefits are paid for up to 104 weeks. The weekly limit can be increased to up to $1000 per week depending on your insurance policy. If you were working at the time of the accident and are unable to return to work as a result of your accident-related injuries, you may qualify for Income Replacement Benefits. Generally, you will be entitled to Income Replacement Benefits if you are found to suffer a complete inability to perform the tasks of your pre-accident employment. Should your impairment last more than 104 weeks, however, the test becomes more stringent, requiring a finding that you suffer a complete inability to perform any employment or self-employment for which you are reasonably suited by education, training or experience.

In Canada as a caregiver, you might be eligible for compassionate care benefits of up to $250 per week for the first dependant and $50 per week for each additional person in your household whom you were the main caregiver prior to sustaining the injuries. You may be eligible for this benefit for up to 15 weeks or longer if dependant is unable to carry on with normal activities after this period. The Caregiver Benefit is meant to compensate victims of motor vehicle accidents who are unable to return to a non-paying care giving role that they held at the time of the motor vehicle accident. Following legislative changes on September 1st, 2010, the Caregiver Benefit is not available unless it is purchased as an optional benefit or, if the injuries sustained in the motor vehicle accident are deemed to be catastrophic. The result, unfortunately, is that fewer Ontario policy holders are entitled to this benefit. If you are, or may become, the primary caregiver to a person in need of care, it is important to know whether you have access to caregiver benefits or not.

Part 5 of the SABS deals with Death and Funeral Benefits. In the unfortunate event of an accident-related fatality, Funeral Benefits will pay up to $6,000 for funeral-related expenses. Death benefits may also be available to the surviving spouse and/or dependents of the victim. In certain situations, other persons may be able to receive Death Benefits. The spouse of the deceased may receive a death and funeral benefit payment of up to $25,000. Any other dependants are eligible for a death benefit of up to $10,000 each. This amount may be higher depending on the insurance option purchased by the deceased. A maximum of $6000 will be payable toward funeral expenses unless the deceased had acquired additional optional coverage.

Victims who are unemployed at the time of the accident may qualify for the Non-Earner benefit. The test for Non-Earner Benefits is one of the most stringent tests in the SABS, requiring the victim to suffer a complete inability to carry on a normal life in order to qualify for this benefit. This determination requires a detailed analysis of the victim’s pre-accident and post-accident life  

Part 3 of the SABS deals with Medical, Rehabilitation and Attendant Care Benefits. Attendant Care Benefits are only available to victims that suffer injuries outside of the Minor Injury Guideline.

The type of injury that you sustain in a motor vehicle accident will govern your entitlement to Medical and Rehabilitation benefits.
If your injuries fall within the Minor Injury Guideline, you may be entitled to a maximum of $3,500.00 in Medical and Rehabilitation Benefits.
If your injuries are outside of the Minor Injury Guideline but are not catastrophic, you may be entitled to a maximum of $65,000 in Medical and Rehabilitation Benefits.
If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident while you are student and you are unable to complete your program, you may be entitled to a maximum of $15,000.00 in Lost Educational Expenses under Part 4 of the SABS.
If you suffer catastrophic injuries, you will be entitled to significantly more in Medical and Rehabilitation Benefits. 

Also found under Part 4 of the SABS is Expenses of Visitors. This benefit is intended to cover eligible expenses incurred by a visiting parent, grandparent, sister, brother, spouse, child, and/or grandchild, in connection with your treatment for the motor vehicle accident. The is no limit to the amount that can be claimed under Visitors Benefits, although it has to be reasonable amount. This type pf benefit will only cover first two years of disability in case of non-catastrophic injuries. This benefit will cover all reasonable and necessary incurred expenses with respect to visiting the injured person during his/her treatment or recovery.

You may be eligible for housekeeping and home maintenance benefits of up to $100 per week for life depending on your insurance policy. Another Benefit found under Part 4 of the SABS is Housekeeping and Home Maintenance Expenses, which reimburses the accident victim for up to $100/week of housekeeping and home maintenance services. This benefit is only payable if purchased as an optional benefit, or if you are deemed to have suffered a catastrophic injury.

If you were involved in a motor vehicle accident in Ontario, you are entitled to commence a claim for accident benefits pursuant to the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule. This holds true in all but very limited circumstances, such as when a victim is involved in a motor vehicle accident while at work (and even in that case, there may still be a viable claim for accident benefits).
By default, accident benefits claims are submitted to the victim’s own automobile insurer. In cases where the victim does not have their own automobile insurance policy, there are “priority” rules to help determine the appropriate insurer. Even in cases where the accident benefits application is submitted to the wrong insurer, however, that insurer is obliged to respond to the victim’s accident benefits claim, and then it is the insurer’s responsibility to later seek reimbursement from the appropriate insurer.
In rare circumstances, there may be no insurance company to respond to your accident benefits claim. This may occur when the victim does not have an automobile insurance policy of their own and the third party is either unidentified or uninsured. In these types of situations where there is no insurer to respond, the victim’s accident benefits claim may be submitted to the Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund (“MVAC”). MVAC is the payer of last resort, meaning that they will not respond unless there is no other insurer that will respond. Furthermore, certain criteria must be met before submitting a claim to MVAC.
As you can see, there are various factors to consider when commencing an accident benefits claim. To preserve your rights and ensure you receive the appropriate compensation, you should contact a lawyer as soon as possible after being involved in a motor vehicle accident.

When a person is involved in a motor vehicle accident, there are two potential avenues for recovery/compensation. One avenue is through accident benefits (or “AB”) and the other is by way of a tort claim against the at-fault party or parties.
In Ontario, almost everyone that is involved in a motor vehicle accident will have access to Accident Benefits. The compensation available through Accident Benefits, as well as the tests that need to be met in order to qualify for benefits, are codified in the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (or, the “SABS”). These benefits are usually obtained through the victim’s own insurance company; however, these benefits are still available to those that do not have an insurance policy of their own.
The purpose of accident benefits is to ensure that victims receive timely access to essential benefits, such as medical/rehabilitation, attendant care, and income replacement. Some benefits are standard and apply to all policies, while others are optional benefits that must be purchased from your insurer before the accident occurs.
When disputes arise over a victim’s entitlement to a benefit, the accident benefits dispute process requires that mediation and arbitration be initiated within the applicable time limits.
A tort claim can be advanced where the victim’s injuries are severe. In order to advance a successful tort claim, the victim must not be 100% responsible for the accident, and the victim must have commenced an accident benefits claim. The tort claim is brought against third parties (usually the owner and operator of the third party motor vehicle) and the claim is usually defended by the third party’s insurer. Damages in tort can include pain and suffering, past and future income loss, out of pocket expenses, and other items.