Alberta WCB Claim Deadlines

The dates that govern a WCB claim in Alberta. Free. No email required. For anyone injured at work.

Alberta gives you more time than most provinces. A year to ask for a review, another year to appeal. What it does not do is tell you loudly that you can ask for money while you wait.

How long do you have to request a review?

Twelve months from the date of the decision letter. That is generous next to Ontario's thirty days on some decisions, and it is worth not treating it as permission to wait.

There is an informal step first. Raise it with your adjudicator, case manager or supervisor. If you then request a formal review, a supervisor should contact you within fourteen days to try to resolve it. Only if that fails does it go to the Dispute Resolution and Decision Review Body.

Past the twelve months? You can request an extension by explaining your circumstances, for example a medical or physical condition that stopped you acting sooner. Send supporting documents to drdrb@wcb.ab.ca, ideally within two business days of the form, with your claim number and name in the body of the email.

How long do you have to appeal to the Appeals Commission?

One year from the DRDRB decision. That sits in section 13.2(8) of the Workers' Compensation Act. Decisions dated between September 1, 2018 and March 31, 2021 carry two years instead, under the law in force when they were made.

The Appeals Commission is independent of WCB. A panel of three commissioners hears it, in person, by video or on the documents, whichever you ask for. A written decision normally follows within six to eight weeks.

It is the final level of appeal, which means the record you put in front of it is the last chance the facts of your injury get a hearing.

Can you get a copy of your claim file?

Yes, at any time, and you should. Phone the Claims Contact Centre on 780-498-3999 and expect it within thirty business days.

Request it before you write your review, not after. You cannot argue against reasoning you have never read, and thirty business days is six weeks, so ask early enough that it arrives while you still have time to use it.

Who can help you for free in Alberta?

The Advisor Office. It provides independent advice, assistance and advocacy to injured workers and their dependants, at no charge, and it is separate from WCB.

One of its stated aims is early resolution, meaning getting an issue fixed so that it never needs to be appealed at all. That is worth a call before you start filling in forms.

Were you injured in a vehicle while working?

Then two systems touch the same injury and the motor vehicle side moves much faster. Alberta's Section B accident benefits start with a thirty day clock, not a twelve month one. Our Alberta Section B page sets that out, including which accident benefit form is which.

Keeping the record these deadlines depend on

A year sounds like plenty until you are eleven months in, cannot remember which decision letter said what, and have not yet asked for the file that explains it.

Two things decide how an injury claim goes. What you wrote down and whether you did the right thing at the right time for where you live. The National Recovery Guide handles the first, the daily record of symptoms, appointments, calls and costs that a claim is eventually judged on. The Provincial Companion Guide handles the second, the deadlines on this page and the forms, boards and appeal routes behind them. People who have only one tend to end up with a careful record aimed at the wrong process, or the right dates and nothing to put in front of them.

Your Recovery. Documented. Protected.

See the Alberta Workplace Injury Companion Guide

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This page is general information for people in Alberta. It is not legal or medical advice. Rules differ by province and change over time. Confirm anything specific to your situation with a representative, WCB-Alberta or the Advisor Office.