Negative Reaction to COVID-19 Vaccination

Dear Members;

Re:Negative Reaction to COVID-19 Vaccination

There have been growing questions regarding whether or not a worker is eligible for WSBC compensation if they have a negative reaction to the COVID-19 vaccination.  We have asked WSBC about this specific scenario and when we get their response, we will update the membership.  In the meantime, we recommend that everyone should follow the WSBC guidance of, “…We encourage you to contact us right away. The sooner we hear from you, the sooner we can start to help you. Delays in reporting could affect your claim.  If you think you have a work-related injury, disease or illness, report it to us as soon as you notice the symptoms. You can file an injury or occupational disease claim even if you’re not working or you’ve changed jobs… 

Anyone can and should file for a claim if they believe that have a work-related injury, disease or illness.  A worker’s compensation application for an adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccination or other vaccinations directed by employers, when filed, will be adjudicated on the merits of the application by WSBC’s Claims or Occupational Disease Service departments. The following are some of the policies and sections of the Act that apply:

Section 134(1) of the Act provides that a worker’s injury must arise out of and in the course of employment to be compensable. Policy item C3-14.00, Arising out of and in the Course of a Worker’s Employment, explains this to mean that an injury must occur during, or be reasonably incidental to, the worker’s employment activities, and that those activities must be of causative significance in producing the injury. To be of causative significance, the employment need not be the sole cause of an injury, but it must be more than a trivial or insignificant aspect of the injury.

While WSBC coverage usually occurs when we are at work and wearing a uniform, it can also be when we are engaged in activities directed by an employer.  Again, our recommendation is that anyone that feels they have been injured or contracted and illness or disease “…out of and in the course of employment…” they should file a claim and follow reporting guidelines with our employer.  We will update you with anything new that we get from WSBC.

In solidarity,

Robert Parkinson

Director of Health and Wellness

Ambulance Paramedics and Dispatchers of BC
CUPE Local 873

Please click HERE to view PDF version of this message.

BP/km/MoveUp