Policy Purpose

The Workers Compensation Act provides that the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) may recover overpayments of compensation benefits to claimants. Once an overpayment has been identified, this debt may be recovered from current or future compensation payments. The purpose of this policy is to describe the principles that the Board of Directors has established to guide the WCB in its recovery of overpayments to claimants. The principles attempt to strike a fair balance between the WCB's fiscal responsibilities and the interests of injured workers. The WCB strives to prevent overpayments of benefits; however, the payment of benefits in as timely a manner as possible means that some overpayments will inevitably occur.

This policy establishes the framework for preventing, recovering and writing off overpayments, and outlines the effect of overpayments on an employer's assessment rates or WCB costs.