Under Bill 59, a brain injury is classified as catastrophic or non-catastrophic. These limited amounts and time frames do not account that brain impairment lasts a lifetime. A brain injury is not like a broken bone that will heal and return to normal . Most persons who have sustained brain injuries will require the long term use of compensatory strategies and some type of support system. It would be helpful to survivors to have access to time limited services during the times of life changes, for example, the birth of a child, marriage or job change.
Insurers favour time limits on benefits.
Unfortunately, the needs of victims don t cooperate. In addition, persons who are classified as non-catastrophic are not entitled to have the cost of case management services covered by the insurer and typically, one is not assigned. The result has been that the survivor and the family do not receive the help they require and become over-burdened, necessitating time away from other tasks, including work and child care responsibilities. The survivors whose GCS and GOS suggests that they are catastrophically injured also experience many obstacles in obtaining the rehab they need despite what the regulation states. For example, the regulations state that the catastrophic designation is to be made within 30 days.