The claimant sought entitlement to income replacement benefits as well as a catastrophic impairment designation. The claimant testified that following the accident she had a blackout while a passenger in another car. She indicated that the blackouts prevented her from working or resuming school studies. The insurer asserted that the blackouts were not as a result of the MVA and that the claimant did not meet the test for income replacement benefits. Adjudicators Deborah Neilson and Nicole Treksler found the claimant credible. It was noted that the claimant’s licence had been revoked due to the blackouts. On review of the medical evidence it was highlighted that the claimant made submissions that the IE assessor of the insurer did not establish a rapport with the claimant due to cultural and gender differences. It was also noted that the insurer’s expert admitted that cultural and gender differences can impact the validity of testing. On review, the claimant’s medical evidence was preferred and it was determined that the claimant’s blackouts were as a result of the MVA stemming from PTSD. As a result, she suffered a Class 4 impairment in two spheres of functionality and was deemed catastrophically impaired. The evidence of the claimant’s medical expert regarding the WPI threshold of 55% being reached by virtue of a combination of the high-end of ranges, however, was rejected. Additionally, since the blackouts, which were deemed a result of the MVA, had resulted in the claimant’s licence being revoked, and the fact that driving was considered an essential task of her employment as a babysitter, it was determined that the claimant met the test for income replacement benefits. However, because the claimant did not tender evidence regarding the availability of employment that could accommodate her impairments nor demonstrate efforts to find subsequent suitable employment, the claimant was not entitled to post-104 week income replacement benefits.
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