While no person thinks about accidents while buying a car, most of them cannot shake the chances of an accident every time they sit behind the wheel. That is one of the reasons why most of the car insurance companies offer benefits for the victims of the accidents.
Now, if you are in such a vehicle accident, the accident benefits insurer will offer you with a couple of different options. A personal injury lawyer explains the difference between the most common options, the income replacement benefits (IRB) and the Non-Earner Benefit (NEB) in the following section of this article. Keep on reading if you want to know which one you should choose after the accident.
Income Replacement Benefit
More often than not, the car accident injury compels the victims to take some time off work to recover. This causes a substantial loss of income. The IRB is there to offer compensation to the accident victims for their loss of income. However, the victim would need to meet certain requirements to become qualified for this opportunity.
The statutory Accident Benefits Schedule depicts that you are eligible for the benefit, if:
- You were not employed, however, were 16 years old and excused from the school during the accident.
- Employed during the time of the accident but have not been able to go back to the school due to the injuries.
- You were unemployed during the accident but have a record of working for 26 weeks in the past 52 weeks.
- Were availing employment insurance at the time of the accident.
A personal injury lawyer points out that the victim would not get any benefits right after the accident. The insurance company will offer IRB within 104 weeks if you are unable to perform your essential duties due to the injury. After 104, the insurance company will continue to pay the IRB if you suffer from a complete inability to engage in any employment.
Non-Earner Benefit
Even if you do not qualify for the IRB, you can still apply for the non-earner benefit. However, just like the IRB, you have to fulfil certain criteria to get the benefit. Here are the requirements that you need to fulfil to get the perk.
- You should suffer from a complete inability to carry on a normal life.
- You were a full-time student at the post-secondary or secondary level during the accident.
- You were unemployed and a recent graduate at the time of the accident.
For the accidents that happened after 1st June, 2016, the victim is eligible to get paid $185 per week once the waiting period of four week finishes. That means the victim has to wait for that four weeks period from the date of the accident to get this benefit. You can avail of this compensation for two years maximum after the accident.
There is no doubt that it is hard for anyone to apply for any of the above types of benefits. Only a personal injury lawyer has enough experience to make the application process easier than it is. So, if you are a victim of a car accident and are thinking about applying for the benefits, it is better if you get in touch with a lawyer first.