The Personal Injury Protection Plan (PIPP) provides enhanced coverage for the people who need it most. If you have been catastrophically injured in a motor-vehicle accident, PIPP offers you enhanced income replacement, permanent impairment payments and additional funding for personal care.
Catastrophic Injury is defined as the following:
- Permanent and complete spinal cord injury (paralysis).
- Brain injury resulting in a permanent need for supervision.
- Multiple amputations.
- Complete loss of sight.
- Debilitating psychological injury.
- Other similar injuries.
Coverage
People who are catastrophically injured in a motor-vehicle accident are eligible for enhanced coverage under PIPP:
- The minimum amount you’re eligible to receive is based on the Industrial Average Wage, which is adjusted annually on April 1.
- For permanent impairment, the maximum amount that is payable is based on the date of your accident.
- We may provide additional funding for those who have already used their PIPP monthly limit for personal care.
- We can offer additional Attendant Care Coverage to support a return to work and mitigate Income Replacement costs.
- We can cover the extraordinary costs associated with an attendant to accompany a victim while travelling or other additional costs to travel.
- We can cover the extraordinary costs for a victim to take part in recreation or leisure activities as a result of the accident related impairment.
Claimants who are deemed catastrophically injured and entitled to enhanced benefits may also be entitled to reimbursement of extraordinary expenses under the following circumstances:
- To provide temporary benefits when a claimant is waiting for funds from an alternate government program.
- To cover an expense not normally paid under PIPP that will lead to fewer PIPP benefits being needed in the longer term.
- To top-up the benefits of another government agency that will lead to fewer PIPP benefits needed in the longer term.
Please refer to the PIPP Benefits outline for the current reimbursement rate.
Definition of catastrophic injuries
Schedule 4, Section 70(1) of the Manitoba Public Insurance Act states that a person is catastrophically injured if they suffer:
- Quadriplegia or paraplegia – complete or incomplete, that meets the criteria for classification as Grade A or B on the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scale and results in an impairment of 65 per cent or more. Please see the PIPP Guide (section 7) for the ASIA scale.
- Two or more amputations, such as shoulder/arm or pelvis/hip/thigh, including disfigurement.
- Loss of functional vision (impairment of 80 per cent or more).
- Functional alteration of the brain resulting in a determined impairment of 50 per cent or more.
- Psychiatric injury requiring supervision in an institutional or confined setting for 50 per cent or more of the time and with a determined impairment of 70 per cent or more.
- Severe burns, resulting in consequential impairments, excluding scarring or disfigurement to all surface areas of the body other than the face, that are determined to result in a degree of permanent impairment of 75 per cent or more.
- A combination of any of the following impairments totaling 80 per cent or more:
- Single amputation, such as shoulder, arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, pelvis, hip, thigh, knee or below the knee.
- Quadriplegia or paraplegia – complete or incomplete, which meets the criteria for classification as Grade C or D on the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) scale with partial preservation of motor power.
- Loss of functional vision impairment between 50 and 80 per cent.
- Functional alteration of the brain resulting in a determined impairment of 30 per cent or more.
- Severe brachial plexus injuries.
- Psychiatric injury requiring supervision in an institutional or confined setting for 50 per cent or more of the time and with a determined impairment of 35 per cent.
- Severe burns, resulting in consequential impairments, excluding scarring or disfigurement to all surface areas other than the face, that are determined to result in a degree of permanent impairment of 40 per cent or more.
- Another injury that is prescribed in the regulations as being catastrophic.
Please be advised that this list does not outline all of the specific qualifiers for the Catastrophic Injury designation. Your case manager can review the impairment schedule with you as to whether you meet the requirements specified in the legislation.
Income replacement
We believe in providing enhanced coverage for people who need it most. We use the Industrial Average Wage (IAW), rather than the provincial minimum wage, to calculate lost income. The IAW is set using Statistics Canada data about Manitobans’ salaries and is substantially higher than minimum wage. Please refer to the PIPP Benefits outline for the current IAW rate.
Permanent impairment payments
Manitoba Public Insurance recognizes the serious and lasting impact that catastrophic injuries have on people. Please refer to the PIPP Benefits outline for the current permanent injury payment rate.
Additional benefits
If you’ve been catastrophically injured in a motor vehicle accident, you may be eligible for some of the following additional benefits:
More for personal care
PIPP already covers the expense of hiring someone to care for you if your injuries prevent you from caring for yourself. There is a monthly limit paid for approved personal care related to non-catastrophic injuries under the current guidelines. Customers who are catastrophically injured and have already used that monthly limit may also be eligible for payment towards additional related expenses per month.
Special circumstances (Transitional Expense Coverage)
PIPP allows payments to catastrophically-injured claimants under the following special circumstances:
To provide temporary benefits while a claimant is waiting for funds from a government program.
To cover an expense not normally paid under PIPP or another government program that will lead to less PIPP benefits being needed in the longer term.
These payments are made at the discretion of Manitoba Public Insurance.
Travel and accommodation
To ensure you are still able to enjoy many of your pre-accident activities, PIPP will help pay for any extraordinary accommodation expenses you may have as a result of the catastrophic injuries sustained. For example, if you require an aide to travel with you to visit an out-of-town relative, PIPP would cover their expenses.
Acquisition of a motor vehicle
PIPP may also provide funds to acquire a passenger car, truck or van that has been adapted for use by a catastrophically injured customer, either as a driver or as a passenger. For example, if you are constantly required to use a wheelchair as a result of your catastrophic injuries from the accident, PIPP may assist with funds towards the purchase of a passenger van with a wheelchair lift.
New life events
PIPP covers any new events you choose to participate in as a result of life events such as marriage or the birth of a child. For example, if, after you are catastrophically injured in an accident, you marry and your spouse owns a cottage, PIPP will pay for renovations to make it accessible to you.
Attendant care for employment
PIPP may pay for attendant care to allow a catastrophically-injured customer to go back to work.
Indexed benefits
Each year, Manitoba Public Insurance will increase the benefits listed in this section, based on the Consumer Price Index.