Barbados National Insurance Scheme > Guide to Benefits: |
| Employment Injury Benefit | |||||
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The following are payable under Employment Injury Benefits:
a weekly benefit payable to an insured person who is incapable of work as a result of an employment accident or a prescribed disease.
a benefit payable to an insured person who, following the end of the period for which injury benefit is payable, is suffering from a loss of physical or mental faculty as a result of an employment accident or a prescribed disease.
reasonable expenses (including the cost of medicines and travelling) incurred in the treatment of an employment injury or prescribed disease.
a payment of $1400 to assist with the funeral expenses of the worker whose death results from an accident at work or from a prescribed disease.
a weekly payment to the surviving spouse, children and other persons who were wholly or mainly dependent for support on the insured person at the time of death.
To qualify for an injury benefit, one must be incapable of work as a result of an accident arising out of and in the course of insured employment, or must be incapable of work as a result of a prescribed disease.
The daily rate of Injury Benefit is 90% of the person's average insurable weekly earnings, divided by 6.
Average insurable weekly earnings means the earnings on which contributions were based over the relevant quarter. The relevant quarter may be the quarter but one immediately preceding the contribution quarter in which the accident occurred if the insured person had been in the service of the employer for 7 or more contribution weeks; but it may be a later quarter depending on the length of service with the employer in question.
Injury benefit is payable for a period or periods of incapacity for work during the 52 weeks immediately following the relevant accident or of the development of the prescribed disease as the case may be.
Payment is not normally made for the first three days of incapacity for work. These are treated as "waiting days", as in the case of sickness benefit. However, payment may be made from the first day of incapacity for work if this falls within eight (8) weeks of the end of an earlier period of incapacity for which sickness or injury benefit was payable. Also, as for sickness benefit, payment is made for the waiting days if the incapacity for work lasts for three (3) or more weeks.
To qualify for Disablement Benefit, a person must be suffering from a loss of physical or mental faculty as a result of an employment accident or a prescribed disease which arose out of or in the course of employment. This benefit is not available to an insured person earlier than three (3) days after the relevant accident.
If a person has been off work as a result of an employment injury or a prescribed disease he/she may qualify for Disablement Benefit after 52 week from the date of the relevant accident or after he/she has ceased to receive injury benefit, whichever event occurs first.
The disablement benefit payable is calculated by reference to the percentage loss of faculty suffered, the weekly amount of benefit payable or would have been payable as Injury Benefit, and the length of time disablement is assessed to last. For example, a total loss of sight, according to the schedule which prescribes degrees of disablement constitutes 100% disablement and the Disablement Benefit payable in such a case would be at the same rate as injury benefit, that is, 90% of average insurable weekly earnings. Benefit in respect of disablement of under 100% would be proportionately less. For details on the degree of disablement please contact the NIS Office.
Assessment of degree of disablement is made by a medical authority after examination of the claimant. The assessment may be provisional or final depending on whether or not the condition of the person has stabilised.
If the degree of disablement suffered is less than 1%, the claimant is deemed not to have suffered disablement.
Where the degree of disablement is assessed at 30% or more, Disablement Benefit is payable in the form of a weekly pension. Payment for assessment of less than 30% is made in the form of a lump sum grant. If the disablement is permanent (e.g. loss of an arm) pension will be payable for life, but if the loss of faculty is temporary, it is payable in for a limited period only.
When a person receiving Disablement Benefit for an assessment of less than 100% enters hospital for treatment of the injury or disease, or becomes incapable of work as a result of the injury or disease within five (5) years from the date of the accident or development of the disease, the disablement benefit is increased to an amount which would be payable if the assessment were 100%.
An additional allowance (known as "a constant attendance allowance") may be paid to an injured person whose disablement is 100% and who requires the constant help of another person. This allowance is equal to one-half of the disablement pension.
A person qualifies for a refund of expenses incurred in the treatment of an employment injury or a prescribed disease.
For medical expenses to be paid:
The amount of fees and charges which may be refunded as medical expenses is determined by the Director. Where it is considered desirable, the National Insurance Board may pay the medical expenses incurred to the medical practitioner or institution from whom or at which the person obtained treatment.
To qualify for Funeral Grant death must have resulted from personal injury caused by accident arising out of and in the course of employment, or from a prescribed disease.
The amount of a funeral grant is $1400. The grant is payable to the person who has met or is liable to meet the cost of the funeral of the deceased.
Death Benefit is payable to the dependants of a person who dies as a result of an employment accident or a prescribed disease, in the following order of priority.
In the case of (i) benefit is payable for life; in the case of (ii), it is payable until the children concerned reach their sixteenth birthday. However, if the child is in full time education in an approved educational institution, the benefit is payable until that child attains the age of 21 years. In the case of invalid children, this benefit may continue beyond the sixteenth birthday and for so long as invalidity lasts; in the case of (iii) it is payable for a maximum of 52 weeks commencing from the date of death of the deceased.
This benefit ceases if the beneficiary marries or remarries as the case may be or cohabits as the spouse of another person.
Where a death benefit payable to a spouse ceases because of remarriage or cohabitation, that person is entitled to a gratuity equal to a year’s pension.
In the case of invalid children, benefits may continue beyond the sixteenth birthday and for so long as invalidity last.
The death benefit available for distribution to dependants is equivalent to the weekly amount of disablement pension which would have been payable to the deceased person had he/she been alive and 100% disabled.
A widow/widower received one-half of the amount which would have been payable. A common-law spouse may be treated as a widow/widower where no legal spouse exists.
Children received each one-sixth of the amount which would have been payable. However, a child who is an orphan or an invalid may received one-third.
Other dependants received one-sixth, but the amount may be fixed at one-half of the available pension in certain circumstances.