This is a preliminary decision over whether a claimant could apply to the Tribunal and dispute his claim for a housekeeping and home maintenance expenses denied by the insurer prior to receiving a catastrophic impairment designation, despite the claimant not yet being found to suffer a catastrophic impairment. Adjudicator Johal held that based on the Ontario Court of Appeal decision of Tomec v Economical, the claimant would not be barred from bringing his claim for HK expenses once he has “discovered” his entitlement. However, Adjudicator Johal agreed with the insurer that the claimant did not yet have a cause of action because he had not been deemed to be catastrophically impaired, and he would not be prejudiced by withdrawing his application and bringing the application before the Tribunal if, and when, he was deemed catastrophically impaired. To dispute the benefits at this stage when the claimant had yet to apply for a claim of a catastrophic impairment would create an absurd result by permitting the claimant to dispute a claim for HK expenses, to which he had no entitlement until his medical status deteriorated to the point of a catastrophic impairment designation.
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