“I'm Not Ready to Go Back!” | Can You Refuse Modified Work on WSIB? What Happens If You Say No

Being offered modified work when you are still in pain is stressful. Saying yes feels risky for your body. Saying no feels risky for your benefits. Here is how the rules actually work.

Do I have to co-operate with return to work?

Yes. Under the WSIB's policy on return to work co-operation obligations, workers are expected to:

• make early contact with the injury employer and keep communicating
• help the employer identify suitable work when asked
• give the WSIB the information it needs about returning to work
• take part in return to work assessments and plans

Your employer has co-operation obligations too, and can be penalized for not meeting them.

What if the job does not fit my restrictions?

Say so, and say why. The policy is clear that a disagreement about whether a job offer is suitable is not an act of non-co-operation. The WSIB helps the two sides reach agreement on whether the work fits.

The strongest way to raise it is in writing, to your employer and your case manager: list the duties, and point to the restriction each one goes beyond. Your restrictions usually come from your health professional, often on the Functional Abilities Form. Our article “My Doctor Has Paperwork to Fill Out!” | What Is the WSIB Functional Abilities Form? explains it.

What happens if the WSIB decides I am not co-operating?

There are steps first. The WSIB tells you what is expected and what the penalty could be, confirms you are still not co-operating, then sends written notice. The penalty starts 10 calendar days after the notice.

The first penalty cuts wage loss benefits by 50% for up to 14 days, or until you co-operate again. If it carries on past that, benefits can be reduced to your capable earnings or suspended.

How long do I have to object?

Thirty days, for decisions about return to work, work transition and re-employment, according to the WSIB's page on objecting to a decision. That is far shorter than the usual six months, so act quickly.

What should I record?

• The offer, in writing. Duties, hours, location and start date.
• Your current restrictions. The latest form or note from your health professional.
• Each shift, if you try the work. What you did, for how long, and how your body responded that day and the next.
• Every conversation. Date, name and what was agreed.

A record like this shows the difference between "won't" and "can't", which is the question everyone is really asking.

Who can help?

The Office of the Worker Adviser, if you are not in a union. It is an independent agency of the Ontario government, and its service to non-unionized injured workers is free. Its number for English service is 1-800-435-8980. If you are in a union, start with your union representative. A community legal clinic is another free route.

Read next

• “My Employer Wants Me Back!” | Return to Work and WSIB in Ontario
• “Can They Really Let Me Go?” | Fired While on WSIB in Ontario? What Your Employer Must Do, and What to Write Down
• “My WSIB Payments Stopped!” | WSIB Cut Off Your Benefits? What to Do First, and How Long You Have
• “What Do I Do for Work Now?” | Can't Go Back to Your Old Job? How WSIB Retraining Works

If your recovery were reviewed tomorrow, what would your record say?

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Both guides, $39 until 22 November. Add the Ontario Workplace Injury Companion Guide for the dates and rules that shape your recovery in Ontario, and the discount applies at checkout. Bought separately: $63.99.

Every figure in this article comes from a named source. How we check
Last verified: October 2026.