The appellant, who suffered catastrophic injuries resulting in quadriplegia, appealed an arbitrator's decision denying his claim for $204,130 in home renovations as a rehabilitation benefit.
The insurer had already paid approximately $331,000 towards the purchase of a new home, representing the value of renovations that would have been required for the appellant's existing rented home.
The Director's Delegate upheld the arbitrator's decision, finding that under section 15(8) of the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule, the maximum benefit available for the purchase of a new home is the value of the renovations to the existing home.
The new home did not become the 'existing home' for the purpose of claiming further renovation costs.