Nova Scotia’s Workers’ Compensation Board will implement sweeping changes to the Workers’ Compensation Act on Jan. 1, 2026, extending cancer coverage to more firefighters and giving workers three times longer to appeal claim decisions.
The amendments modernize benefit protections, accelerate injury reporting timelines, and introduce full cost-of-living adjustments for long-term benefits starting in 2027.
Extended appeal window
Workers will have 90 days to appeal a claim decision, up from the current 30-day deadline. The extended timeline allows injured workers to collect medical records and seek legal advice before filing appeals.
Benefits will now be payable to a worker’s estate in cases where no dependents exist. When a worker receiving long-term benefits dies, annuities previously lost will go to the worker’s estate if there are no dependent survivors.
Cancer coverage expansion
Wildland firefighters and fire investigators will receive the same presumptive cancer coverage currently available to municipal firefighters. Workers diagnosed with job-related cancers will have their claims automatically presumed work-related.
The coverage applies retroactively to eligible workers diagnosed before the law takes effect.
The Act now explicitly recognizes common-law partners and same-sex spouses in the definition of spouse, ensuring equal access to survivor benefits.
Faster injury reporting required
Employers must report workplace injuries within two days, down from five days. The compressed timeline aims to accelerate benefit access and enable earlier return-to-work planning.
Employers will receive functional ability information about injured workers, such as lifting restrictions, to facilitate safe modified duties. The WCB will share only information necessary for workplace accommodation while protecting worker privacy.
Transportation costs for injured workers, including ambulance services, will now be included in overall claims costs rather than billed separately to employers.
Benefit adjustments
Starting in 2027, benefits will be indexed to 100 percent of inflation, capped at three percent annually. The WCB stated its financial position allows for full indexing without increasing employer premiums.
Extended Earnings Replacement Benefits can now be reviewed when a worker’s circumstances change, rather than waiting for scheduled three-year or five-year reviews.
Compliance and administration
The WCB will have authority to publicly report the names of employers who receive administrative penalties for non-compliance.
The amendments clarify how Canada Pension Plan and Quebec Pension Plan disability benefits interact with WCB benefits, and update annuity payments to lump sums at age 65.
The changes remove duplicate hospital fatality reporting requirements and lift restrictions on funding for workplace safety research and prevention programs.
