SGI has implemented enhancements to injury benefits, which provide additional support to some of its most severely injured customers. The new enhancements took effect on May 1.
There are two significant enhancements:
- Customers who require assistance with daily tasks like housekeeping and yard work will see the maximum payments for those services increase to better reflect current market rates.
- SGI customers who receive income replacement benefits from SGI and Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) will no longer have income benefits from SGI reduced by the amount of their CPPD benefit.
The increase in living assistance benefits is expected to directly benefit approximately 1,100 customers while the elimination of the reduction of benefits based on CPP income will benefit about 200 customers.
The significant one-time costs of these benefits is approximately $65 million in total. SGI announced in February that strong investment earnings and a decrease in collision claims during the pandemic put the Auto Fund in the position to be able to implement these injury benefits. As a result of these strong investment earnings, SGI is also delivering $285 million in rebates to vehicle owners.
"I'm pleased that SGI is able to bring in these improvements for customers," Minister Responsible for SGI Don Morgan said. "The Auto Fund's sound financial management makes it possible for Saskatchewan people to receive the best package of injury benefits of any auto insurance company in Canada."
"Increasing my living allowance takes away a lot of stress," injury benefit recipient Maurice Draude said. "It makes it so much easier to put food on my table and to replace household items when they need replacing. It will also allow me to continue investing money for my retirement."
There are also some new benefits being implemented, including:
- Support for immediate family members who attend counselling to be reimbursed for expenses such as meals, transportation, and lost earnings.
- A new attendant care benefit for family members who need to temporarily stay home with the injured person under medical advice.
- Significantly increasing the maximum limit for expenses when someone is required to accompany an injured person because of their physical or mental condition or age, so that the customer may receive medical care.
For more information on how SGI's injury coverage works, visit https://www.sgi.sk.ca/basic-auto-injury-insurance.
