Catastrophic Impairment Involves Serious Life Threatening or Life Altering Injuries

Catastrophic impairment

3.1 (1) For the purposes of this Regulation, an impairment is a catastrophic impairment if an insured person sustains the impairment in an accident that occurs on or after June 1, 2016 and the impairment results in any of the following:

1. Paraplegia or tetraplegia that meets the following criteria:

i. The insured person’s neurological recovery is such that the person’s permanent grade on the ASIA Impairment Scale, as published in Marino, R.J. et al, International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury, Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, Volume 26, Supplement 1, Spring 2003, can be determined.

ii. The insured person’s permanent grade on the ASIA Impairment Scale is or will be,

A. A, B or C, or

B. D, and

1. the insured person’s score on the Spinal Cord Independence Measure, Version III, item 12 (Mobility Indoors), as published in Catz, A., Itzkovich, M., Tesio L. et al, A multicentre international study on the Spinal Cord Independence Measure, version III: Rasch psychometric validation, Spinal Cord (2007) 45, 275-291 and applied over a distance of up to 10 metres on an even indoor surface is 0 to 5,

2. the insured person requires urological surgical diversion, an implanted device, or intermittent or constant catheterization in order to manage a residual neuro-urological impairment, or

3. the insured person has impaired voluntary control over anorectal function that requires a bowel routine, a surgical diversion or an implanted device.

2. Severe impairment of ambulatory mobility or use of an arm, or amputation that meets one of the following criteria:

i. Trans-tibial or higher amputation of a leg.

ii. Amputation of an arm or another impairment causing the total and permanent loss of use of an arm.

iii. Severe and permanent alteration of prior structure and function involving one or both legs as a result of which the insured person’s score on the Spinal Cord Independence Measure, Version III, item 12 (Mobility Indoors), as published in Catz, A., Itzkovich, M., Tesio L. et al, A multicentre international study on the Spinal Cord Independence Measure, version III: Rasch psychometric validation, Spinal Cord (2007) 45, 275-291 and applied over a distance of up to 10 metres on an even indoor surface is 0 to 5.

3. Loss of vision of both eyes that meets the following criteria:

i. Even with the use of corrective lenses or medication,

A. visual acuity in both eyes is 20/200 (6/60) or less as measured by the Snellen Chart or an equivalent chart, or

B. the greatest diameter of the field of vision in both eyes is 20 degrees or less.

ii. The loss of vision is not attributable to non-organic causes.

4. If the insured person was 18 years of age or older at the time of the accident, a traumatic brain injury that meets the following criteria:

i. The injury shows positive findings on a computerized axial tomography scan, a magnetic resonance imaging or any other medically recognized brain diagnostic technology indicating intracranial pathology that is a result of the accident, including, but not limited to, intracranial contusions or haemorrhages, diffuse axonal injury, cerebral edema, midline shift or pneumocephaly.

ii. When assessed in accordance with Wilson, J., Pettigrew, L. and Teasdale, G., Structured Interviews for the Glasgow Outcome Scale and the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale: Guidelines for Their Use, Journal of Neurotrauma, Volume 15, Number 8, 1998, the injury results in a rating of,

A. Vegetative State (VS or VS*), one month or more after the accident,

B. Upper Severe Disability (Upper SD or Upper SD*) or Lower Severe Disability (Lower SD or Lower SD*), six months or more after the accident, or

C. Lower Moderate Disability (Lower MD or Lower MD*), one year or more after the accident.

5. If the insured person was under 18 years of age at the time of the accident, a traumatic brain injury that meets one of the following criteria:

i. The insured person is accepted for admission, on an in-patient basis, to a public hospital named in a Guideline with positive findings on a computerized axial tomography scan, a magnetic resonance imaging or any other medically recognized brain diagnostic technology indicating intracranial pathology that is a result of the accident, including, but not limited to, intracranial contusions or haemorrhages, diffuse axonal injury, cerebral edema, midline shift or pneumocephaly.

ii. The insured person is accepted for admission, on an in-patient basis, to a program of neurological rehabilitation in a paediatric rehabilitation facility that is a member of the Ontario Association of Children’s Rehabilitation Services.

iii. One month or more after the accident, the insured person’s level of neurological function does not exceed category 2 (Vegetative) on the King’s Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury as published in Crouchman, M. et al, A practical outcome scale for paediatric head injury, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2001: 84: 120-124.

iv. Six months or more after the accident, the insured person’s level of neurological function does not exceed category 3 (Severe disability) on the King’s Outcome Scale for Childhood Head Injury as published in Crouchman, M. et al, A practical outcome scale for paediatric head injury, Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2001: 84: 120-124.

v. Nine months or more after the accident, the insured person’s level of function remains seriously impaired such that the insured person is not age-appropriately independent and requires in-person supervision or assistance for physical, cognitive or behavioural impairments for the majority of the insured person’s waking day.

6. Subject to subsections (2) and (5), a physical impairment or combination of physical impairments that, in accordance with the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 4th edition, 1993, results in 55 per cent or more physical impairment of the whole person.

7. Subject to subsections (2) and (5) a mental or behavioural impairment, excluding traumatic brain injury, determined in accordance with the rating methodology in Chapter 14, Section 14.6 of the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 6th edition, 2008, that, when the impairment score is combined with a physical impairment described in paragraph 6 in accordance with the combining requirements set out in the Combined Values Table of the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 4th edition, 1993, results in 55 percent or more impairment of the whole person.

8. Subject to subsections (3) and (5), an impairment that, in accordance with the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, 4th edition, 1993 results in a class 4 impairment (marked impairment) in three or more areas of function that precludes useful functioning or a class 5 impairment (extreme impairment) in one or more areas of function that precludes useful functioning, due to mental or behavioural disorder.

(2) Paragraphs 6 and 7 of subsection (1) do not apply in respect of an insured person who sustains an impairment as a result of an accident unless,

(a) two years have elapsed since the accident; or

(b) an assessment conducted by a physician three months or more after the accident determines that,

(i) the insured person has a physical impairment or combination of physical impairments determined in accordance with paragraph 6 of subsection (1), or a combination of a mental or behavioural impairment and a physical impairment determined in accordance with paragraph 7 of subsection (1) that results in 55 per cent or more impairment of the whole person, and

(ii) the insured person’s condition is unlikely to improve to less than 55 per cent impairment of the whole person.

(3) Paragraph 8 of subsection (1) does not apply in respect of an insured person who sustains an impairment as a result of the accident unless,

(a) two years have elapsed since the accident; or

(b) a physician states in writing that the insured person’s impairment is unlikely to improve to less than a class 4 impairment (marked impairment) in three or more areas of function that precludes useful functioning, due to mental or behavioural disorder.

(4) Subsection (5) applies to an insured person who was under the age of 18 at the time of the accident and whose impairment is not a catastrophic impairment within the meaning of subsection (1).

(5) If the insured person’s impairment can reasonably be believed to be a catastrophic impairment for the purposes of paragraph 6, 7 or 8 of subsection (1), the impairment shall be deemed to be the impairment referred to in paragraph 6, 7 or 8 of subsection (1) that is most analogous to the impairment, after taking into consideration the developmental implications of the impairment.