FAIR has put together a paper version of the petition calling for a Public Inquiry into the medical evidence used in our courts and administrative tribunals. It is the same as the one we have asked you to sign online.
The Ontario Legislature ONLY accepts ORIGINAL petitions, on paper, with ‘hand signed’ signatures. There are strict rules for petitions so NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh’s office has generously agreed to receive the paper petition in his office and present it at Queen’s Park.
If you or a loved one were injured in an auto accident, at work or elsewhere wouldn’t you want an honest, unbiased and qualified medical opinion/report of your injuries? That’s just not happening in Ontario for injured and disabled individuals who make a claim for benefits through their private or public insurers. What if it was your fault that something happens to someone else? You’d want them to have the best chance at recovery wouldn’t you?
Please print, sign and circulate the petition because quality and qualified medical evidence shouldn’t be something we need – it should be something we already have because there is no real justice without it.
Make a copy and mail the ORIGINAL copies to: MPP Jagmeet Singh, Room 172 Main Legislative Building, Queen’s Park 111 Wellesley St. Toronto, ON M7A 1A5
Thanks for being part of the collective voice needed for change!
Accident Benefit Coalition Victim Survey is for Accident Victims who were injured in Ontario Motor Vehicle Collisions (MVCs). The purpose is to collect information regarding victims’ experience in regards to obtaining Ontario Accident Benefits from insurers. Absolutely no personal information is collected or shared.
The Accident Benefit Coalition (ABC) consists of a membership of Ontarians concerned with issues surrounding the provinces’ mandatory Accident Benefits. It was founded by NeuroConnect and FAIR Association and is committed to advocating for Accident Victims in Ontario.
Unlike other types of litigation in Ontario, personal injury actions arising from motor vehicle accidents are stacked against plaintiffs from the beginning....
As the 2015 Parapan Am Games get underway, Ontario’s Liberal government is quietly cutting insurance benefits to the province’s most disabled, while filling the pockets of insurance companies....
Why is the Ontario government taking away money they deserve and transferring it to the insurance industry?
How nice for the insurance industry. Take money from deserving accident victims and give it to insurance companies. Instead of increasing the deductible the government ought to abolish it. There’s no principled reason to apply a deductible....
The stated aim of the deductible is to eliminate “nuisance” cases from the system. But that is achieved by the threshold. The deductible is just another way to line the pockets of auto insurance companies. If the Ontario government sees the need to tie the deductible to inflation,why are no-fault accident benefits not tied to inflation?.......
Last week, an updated study from York University School of Business Professors Fred Lazar and Eli Prisman was released that reveals consumers likely overpaid $1.5 billion in the last two years for auto insurance. This includes overpayments of $700 million (or about $100 for each insurance policy) in 2014 on top of the $840 million ($120 per policy) in 2013.....
TORONTO, Oct. 15, 2015 /CNW/ - An updated study released today provides alarming new data on auto insurance in Ontario. The study, conducted by York University Schulich School of Business Professors Fred Lazar and Eli Prisman, reveals that consumers likely overpaid by $1.5 billion in the last two years alone. This includes overpayments of $700 million (or about $100 for each insurance policy) in 2014 on top of the $840 million ($120 per policy) in 2013......
The price of car insurance is always a hot topic in this province. It costs Ontarians more than double to drive here, than anywhere else in Canada. New figures released today show rates have fallen marginally, less than 1%… and now an independent report found the auto insurance industry is raking in large government guaranteed profits. As Kate Carnegie reports, the liberals admitted today they have more work to do to lower the rates for drivers....
Since auto insurance is mandatory in Ontario, information on how these companies rank should be made available. We have created two surveys to collect this information.....
Tammy Kirkwood said the province’s plan to reduce auto-insurance benefits that was passed as part of the budget earlier this year will severely hurt crash victims requiring extensive care....
Monday, July 27, 2015 Social Security Tribunal appeal stacked against claimant
Via Facsimile 1-855-814-4117 Social Security Tribunal of Canada RE: IN THE MATTER OF APPEAL GP-xx-xxx
Dear Social Security Tribunal:
I acknowledge receipt of a letter by xxx -IS Operations Manager, General Division Dated July 16, 2015 informing me that your are now “ready to proceed” with my Appeal.
I do not understand how you can be ready to proceed without fulfilling your obligation to provide me a copy of my previously requested file.
Until I am able to receive a complete copy of my file I am unable to proceed in defending myself and presenting the facts.
As you know my file represents the how, when, and why I have an appeal with you, and is the record of events for any future actions against the Social Security Tribunal in the event of the continuation of these unjust denials. Its all relevant. I wish to discuss with the Member assigned my file all relevant information regarding my file and my Appeal. So again, I kindly ask for an updated copy of my file.
Even if I am unsuccessful in my Appeal I still require everything that I sent to the Tribunal to be part of the record as it confirms and demonstrates the facts of my long journey through this preconceived nightmare designed to deny, humiliate and thoroughly frustrate legitimate victims that have already been threw enough interrogations from their insurance companies hired guns and wordhirelings. All orchestrated by the IBC and bad politicians that pray on the week, sick, and injured, for profit.
Doctors that don't stand up for legitimately injured patients are most to blame in this charade of politics and money makers. My 7 year Appeal process is just another example of an upside down world where the money doesn’t go to where its suppose to. Bad Doctors that don't properly investigate are at the core of the backlog problems at F.S.C.O, our courts, and the Social Security Tribunal of Canada.
As Service Canada has used my blogging (about them) as an excuse not to pay my disability benefits attached you will find my latest blog entry advocating for the thousands of people waiting at your Tribunal because of bad decisions by disgraceful, dishonourable and unprofessional Service Canada employees.
As you know my faxes to you and my blog still asks for the Chairperson of the Social Security Tribunal xxx to answers numerous, unanswered, questions. I have no acknowledgement that the Chair is getting my correspondences. Is she receiving anything? Should I resend?
Also, will I be permitted to audio/video record my appeal hearing?
Finally, attached you will find my completed “Hearing Information Form”. You will notice that I have not answered the witness question at this time. What are the rules for witnesses? I submit that anyone that has correspondences, investigations, or relevant knowledge of this appeal makes them a witness to this Appeal. Furthermore, is there a limit to the number of witnesses?
With my injuries, no consumer protection, no consultation or mind reading skills I continue to have difficult understanding why this process is designed so difficult for a legitimately injured person. You should all be ashamed.
Looking forward to hearing from you as soon as possible in this regard.
Thanks to all those who help me write my letters and blog postings since 2007.
What are the number of appeals backlogged at the Social Security Tribunal? The following comment was made by Fair Association of Victims for Accident Insurance Reform on the Toronto Sun site back in November of last year.
In February of this year Minister Jason Kenney pledged to wipe out the Social Security Tribunal backlog of 11,000 by this summer.
The backlog was also discussed later in the house by Mr. Robert Aubin (NDP). He said: "Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday the chair of the Social Security Tribunal confirmed that there are significant delays in the processing of cases: 14,677 cases are languishing on her desk."
So what are the numbers now?
More importantly, how would you get rid of such a backlog of appeals...fairly?
The Tribunal Chair refuses to acknowledge or respond to my letters as an appeal applicant, or as an advocate for these disabled Canadians that have been waiting for years at the tribunal backlog.
Knowing that these disabled Canadians can't respond our government has reaped the $$$ in withholding these benefits. Appeals in the take-a-number-lineup because of bad decisions by Service Canada and their policy of delay, deny, wait for them to die.
In my case these benefits that my employers and I have paid into mandatorily since 1979.
Hundreds protest the Ontario government’s proposed auto insurance cuts outside Queen's Park in Toronto on June 3, 2015. (Dave Abel/Toronto Sun) A slugging match recently erupted between car insurance companies and Ontario personal injury lawyers.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) opened by claiming the public needs regulatory oversight of contingency fees charged by personal injury lawyers.
The IBC feels a change is necessary to protect consumers and allow the government to evaluate the impact of lawyers’ fees on the auto insurance system.
The Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA) countered by releasing a study it commissioned concerning auto insurance premiums.
According to the study, prepared by two professors at York University’s Schulich School of Business, “consumers in Ontario may have overpaid for auto insurance by between $3 and $4 billion over the period 2001 to 2013.” The OTLA urged an independent “thorough and truly transparent” review of auto insurance by Ontario’s Auditor General.
Reacting quickly, the IBC fired back through a press release, pointing the finger back at personal injury lawyers claiming, “lawyers’ fees are simply too high and have a significant impact on the cost of auto insurance.”
The IBC supported its conclusion by claiming some lawyers charge 40%, while others between 25% and 33% of any settlement or judgment.
I doubt many lawyers would dare charge a 40% contingency fee, although even a 25% to 33% fee may be too high in some cases.
But, the IBC forgot to mention clients don’t pay the entire contingency fee as a good part of the fee is paid by the insurance company.
To rub it in further, the IBC stated, “In 2013, lawyers received an estimated $500 million from injury claimants out of their insurance settlements for bodily injury claims. These are real dollars that never make it to the claimant. IBC will continue to fight for increased transparency so that consumers can actually see where their insurance dollars go.”
But I don’t think insurers want to open the transparency can of worms. If they want to talk about “real dollars” that don’t make it to claimants, check out the vast sums paid by insurers for their so-called independent medical examinations (IMEs), used to belittle or deny claims.
According to the most recent Ontario Health Claims Database, insurance companies paid approximately $372 million for IMEs for accidents taking place in the last four years.
In some years, insurance companies forced almost half of all claimants to attend IMEs and in each year the average amount paid per assessed claimant for these exams exceeded the average amount paid per claimant for all medical and rehabilitation expenses.
Sending claimants for multiple and expensive assessments to pro-insurer experts is a major contributor to insurers’ costs and takes “real dollars” out of the pockets of claimants.
That’s not to say lawyers are free of blame.
There’s a long history of lawyers neglecting to act diligently to expose insurer experts who file partisan reports, sometimes outside their sphere of expertise, used by insurers to delay and deny claims.
As well, quality control at some law firms is substandard.
The FAIR Association of Victims for Accident Insurance Reform has recently posted an announcement stating, “ALERT – we are hearing about more and more cases where time limitations for filing have lapsed due to plaintiff’s legal representatives failing to meet limitation period deadlines.” Then again, motor vehicle litigation and accident benefits claims are highly complex and insurance company tactics often lead to increased fees.
And if the insurance industry wants to point fingers at personal injury lawyers, perhaps they ought to make complete disclosure of the money they spend on defence lawyers and adjusters to deny, delay and defend claims.
Furthermore, how much do insurers pay to fund their massive public relations campaigns -- including political contributions to those in power -- which they effectively use to portray accident victims as opportunistic, malingering or just plain fraudulent?
It seems there is a lot of mud that can be thrown at each side in this messy debate.
But while the debate drags on, insurers continue to exact high premiums and lawyers receive handsome payments for their work. And accident victims? They’re stuck in the middle.
Ontario’s car insurance system seems to work well except for consumers who need it and accident victims who make legitimate claims under it.
After all, the insurance industry is making good money.
Lawyers are amply rewarded acting for plaintiffs and insurance firms.
Doctors earn significant sums preparing insurer-requested medical reports.
Treatment providers receive good compensation for treating the injured.
Premier Kathleen Wynne received generous financial support from the car insurance industry when she ran for the Liberal leadership.
The Liberal party receives significant campaign donations from it.
But here’s the problem. Two problems, actually.
The first is fraud by people trying to rip off insurance companies with phony claims. We agree it happens and it’s a serious problem.
But what we don’t understand is why the amount of fraud -- to hear it from the insurance companies -- never, ever, seems to decrease.
Fraud, we’re told, is the main reason auto insurance premiums in Ontario remain stubbornly high, no matter how many times the government cuts back benefits to all accident victims at the behest of the insurance industry, as it did again in its latest budget passed last week.
We also think there’s another kind of fraud in the insurance industry that needs to be addressed by government.
That fraud happens when people who have faithfully paid their auto insurance premiums year after year are hurt in serious accidents and, when they make legitimate claims for the benefits promised in their policies, are denied them.
It happens when car insurers fight against paying genuine claims from accident victims, falsely making them out to be the enemy and going to absurd lengths in and out of court to deny them the benefits to which they are entitled.
Last week, hundreds of demonstrators at Queen’s Park protested this kind of fraud as the Liberals passed yet another piece of legislation favoured by the insurance industry that will cut in half benefits for people who sustain catastrophic, life-changing injuries in car accidents.
Prior to the passage of the budget, Finance Minister Charles Sousa boasted, “Ontario is the most generous in Canada when it comes to providing coverage for auto insurance.”
Last week, Sun legal affairs analyst Alan Shanoff, demonstrated conclusively in his column how this statement was inaccurate.
In fact, Ontario doesn’t provide the most generous benefits for either catastrophic injuries or for so-called “minor” ones, which can include dislocation of joints, partial tears of tendons and ligaments and whiplash not exhibiting neurological symptoms.
As the FAIR Association of Victims for Accident Insurance Reform put it: “The budget does nothing to ensure that insurer claims management practices are fair and there has been no action (to deal with) ... the biased and corrupt insurer medical examination reports that are disqualifying innocent and legitimate accident victims.”
We agree. It’s time to end this type of insurance fraud, as well.
The provincial government is quietly pushing forward a bill that slashes the insurance coverage available for people injured in Ontario car accidents....
As an appeal applicant I require you to answer my enquires involving my Canadian Pension Plan Disability Application.
As you know I have gone public about Service Canada, the Social Security Tribunal, and the Insurance industry puppets that prey on legitimate accident victims. The information I have compiled during my problematic 7 year battle to receive Canadian Pension Plan Disability Benefits shows how much of a dysfunctional product it is.
As a member of Fair Association of Victims for Accident Insurance Reform
http://www.fairassociation.ca/I also require an answer to my questions as an advocate for the 15,000 people that are waiting at your Social Security Tribunal backlog.
These same people discarded by their auto insurance companies. These same people with legitimate injuries that were already backlogged At FSCO because of our justice system has run amok.
Then these same people were denied by Service Canada ending up at your door backlogged once again as part of a delay, deny, wait for them to die tactic directed at injured victims already victimized by Motor Vehicle crashes.
These backlogged consumers that were mandated to purchase security and piece of mind from Ontario's insurers through government legislation.
The same people who already have a severely diminished quality of life. They are injured, broke, medicated, terminally ill, often organ transplant recipients, they are stressed out, dying and suicidal.
Please address the following CPP Disability Appeal
issues that remain outstanding
1-Ontario will introduce legislation to tackle privacy violations of health records http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2015/03/30/ontario-will-introduce-legislation-to-tackle-privacy-violations-of-health-records.htmlmy issues regarding health records are the following: (a)-My Medical file that was left on a bench in front of our house on December 3, 2014. http://t.co/lEyFQ9zJyr. (b)- Anonymous access to my medical records have been downloaded HCAI Security Breach: http://survivingacollision.blogspot.ca/2013/12/hcai-security-breach.htmland transferred to unsecured mail servers. Phillis Brodie RN Service Canada said she would decide where she was going to get medical information from and let me know by letter. She never did. She wrote down my lawyers name, address, fax number, phone number, so she could. Where did Phillis Brodie of Service Canada get my medical records from? See: audio recordings Phillis Brodie RN Service Canada 2- Please respond to the Social Security Tribunal Unreasonable Conduct described in my fax submission to you on January 22, 2015 and Service Canada Intent to Deceive, Bad Faith Administering my Claim, and Service Canada being Caught in Lie. See attached: January 22, 2015 Fax Submission to Ms Brazeau -Social Security Tribunal Chairperson. 3- Social security officials idle in the tribunal's early months as backlog grew http://cinsurancenews.blogspot.ca/2015/01/social-security-officials-idle-in.html 4- Again, please acknowledgement that I did not write the posting: Ottawa’s unjust approach to disability insurance by Jackie Esmonde , Marie Chen published September 12, 2014. GD15-3 5-Please acknowledge I do not “make software” or “build computers” as Service Canada has said in there submission to the Social Security Tribunal. GD-12-10 6-Please fix the error in my file that I administrate the Fair Association site at http://www.fairassociation.ca/GD5-3 7-Because the Social Security Tribunal Backlog has stretched on for years and Service Canada s routine denials of benefits it is reasonable that there will be an earning freeze on my claim. I also request an adjustment to my starting date to my first application for Disability benefits in 2008 -when I first applied one year after I was disabled by a fatal automobile crash. I submit that Service Canada never did a full investigation with my 1st application.
SOCIAL SECURITY TRIBUNAL – PROFITING FROM PROCESSING DELAYS
9- I AM USING THE SAME EMAIL. WE HAVE NOT MOVED. PLEASE DO NOT SAY THAT WE HAVE. If we do I will of course notify you. Is this how you will get rid of the 15,000 appeals by “proceeding in your absence” decisions? See email Jonathan Lylyk- Case Management Officer Social Security Tribunal. Again, I kindly request that you include ALL my submissions for my appeal. Since you have decided not to allow my email submissions I will begin sending them by fax when I am able. That will include all the years of contents from my blogs.
Because you may not respond again I will be sending this to all the Members of the Social Security Tribunal, that have not quit, in hopes that someone with intelligence will respond.
See: http://metronews.ca/news/canada/1172725/benefits-arbitrators-dont-get-benefits/ Chelsea Murielle Brazeau I remind you that my employers and I have paid into the Canadian Pension Plan since 1979. That's how you get a $233,900 salary. I deserve better than to be treated unfairly, delayed, denied, and lied to. We had enough of that behaviour from Service Canada, the Insurance companies, and our backlogged justice system for the rich. See: http://www.appointments-nominations.gc.ca/prsnt.asp?menu=1&page=renum&lang=eng This is abuse-of-process. I paid many years into our society for the privilege of not being ignored. Please give my claim the attention it deserves. It is reasonable that I request full and fair disclosure of my relevant documents by the Social Security Tribunal of Canada. It is clear that there is an ongoing duty and obligation to adjust my file. I also recommend that you ameliorate this situation for those of us that are most vulnerable and at risk in our society. For almost 8 years this is all that I do, I am consumed by this one sided process. Someone should do the right thing and fix this mess. Looking forward to hearing from you, and everyone that gets a copy of this correspondence in this regard. My application for CPP Disability was first submitted in 2008. I told you the longer this takes the louder I will be.
Cc: undisclosed at this time
Please note: This letter has taken a long time for me to write given my headaches and mixing up letters of the alphabet. I want to say thank you to all the people that help me edit my letters and blog postings. Thank you. If it were not for you, my letters would not be so coherent and family friendly.
