Policy Purpose

The Workers Compensation Act provides for circumstances where the established method for awarding an impairment rating does not provide an adequate level of compensation to reflect the earnings loss resultant from the impairment.

Up to and including December 31, 1991, the Act provides that the WCB shall compensate a claimant for a physical loss determined to be a permanent partial disability caused by an injury arising out of a compensable claim, hereinafter referred to as an impairment. However, if the claimant has a loss in earning capacity (as the result of an impairment) which is significantly greater than any rated impairment, the WCB may, under certain circumstances, increase the amount of compensation originally allowed for the physical loss by means of Special Additional Compensation under Section 40(2) of the Act (up to and including December 31, 1991).