Applicant's chronic pain syndrome found to be a sequela of minor injuries, keeping claims within the Minor Injury Guideline cap.
The applicant sought statutory accident benefits following a motor vehicle accident.
The central issue was whether the applicant's injuries fell within the Minor Injury Guideline (MIG), which caps benefits at $3,500.
The applicant argued that psychological impairments and chronic pain syndrome removed him from the MIG.
The Tribunal found that the applicant failed to prove a psychological injury, preferring the insurer's psychological assessment over the applicant's due to inconsistencies in the applicant's self-reporting.
While the Tribunal accepted that the applicant suffered from chronic pain syndrome, it concluded that the chronic pain symptoms were clinically associated sequelae to his minor soft-tissue injuries, and therefore fell within the MIG definition.
Consequently, the applicant's claims for various treatment and assessment plans were denied as the $3,500 limit applied.
OLATOntario Licence Appeal TribunalAug 17, 2017