No Fault Benefits – What is covered after an accident?

After a car accident in which a person has suffered injuries, they often require prescription medication as well as treatments like physiotherapy, massage therapy, and chiropractory.  They may not be able to return to work immediately because of the severity of their injuries and losing wages as a result. That person may not have private medical benefits to cover the medical costs associated with their injuries nor have private disability insurance to cover their ongoing wage  loss due to the car accident.
What do you do in that situation?
Part of the annual premium that you pay to ICBC  is to purchase insurance to cover some of the medical costs and wage loss associated with a car accident.
These are called No Fault benefits. These benefits are available to all the parties injured in a car accident, including the driver of a vehicle who was negligent and caused the car accident.
ICBC will pay for physiotherapy, massage therapy and chiropractic treatments. They will also pay for the prescription medications required to treat the injuries from a car accident.  There is no defined list, however, and there are many other types of treatments and medical benefits that a person could be entitled to have ICBC pay for if they are injured due to a car accident. Unfortunately, ICBC is not required to pay the full costs of the physiotherapy, massage therapy or chiropractic treatments. There is usually an additional fee called a user fee of approximately $30 per treatment that a person is required to pay directly to the treatment provider.
ICBC may also be required to pay up to $300 per week towards a person’s wage loss if they are not able to return to work after the first week following the car accident.
These medical benefits and wage loss benefits are payable almost immediately after a car accident as long as the person applies for these benefits within the stipulated time period. There are also certain restrictions on when and how much these benefits are payable immediately.  You should talk to a lawyer as soon after an accident as possible in order to best navigate the application process and get the most out of your benefits.