Recovery after a motor vehicle accident is often anything but linear. Injuries initially expected to resolve quickly can lead to persistent symptoms and ongoing limitations. In the case of brain injuries, specifically concussions, research finds that an estimated 15–30% of patients can experience protracted symptoms lasting weeks or several months.
A patient’s needs in the first few weeks after an accident may look very different several months into recovery. Since July 1, 2026, those unpredictable clinical timelines have also been operating alongside a new accident-benefits framework in Ontario.
What Changed Under SABS?
Ontario’s Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) provides no-fault benefits that may be available to people injured in motor vehicle accidents.
Under the new framework, medical, rehabilitation and attendant-care benefits remain mandatory. However, several other benefits that can affect an injured person’s financial and home life have become optional, including:
- Income replacement
- Non-earner benefits
- Caregiver benefits
- Housekeeping and home maintenance
- Lost educational expenses
This shift is important for rehabilitation professionals. Each patient’s needs differ, and mandatory medical and rehabilitation coverage does not always align with them. That means not every patient will have the same financial or practical support for their recovery.
Rehabilitation Does Not Happen in Isolation
Insurance policies categorize a patient’s injuries and needs into distinct buckets, yet patients experience the effects of each simultaneously. Consider these scenarios:
- Someone receiving physiotherapy after a serious injury may also be unable to work.
- A parent undergoing concussion treatment may have difficulty looking after their children.
- A patient who lives alone may be physically unable to cook, clean, shop or perform other activities they managed independently before their accident.
A treatment plan is meant to be clinically appropriate. Yet the patient is also navigating external factors, such as transportation, employment, caregiving or financial pressures, while trying to follow it.
Under Ontario’s updated accident benefits system, some benefits addressing those broader circumstances will depend on the optional coverage available to the patient.
When Recovery Takes Longer Than Expected
Certain injuries require longer recovery periods than others, including brain, spinal and psychological injuries, as well as concussions and chronic pain. An initial treatment plan may need to be reassessed as long-term effects become clearer and returning to normal activities becomes more difficult than anticipated.
A patient’s condition shortly after an accident does not always tell the full story of where they will be months later. Rehabilitation, therefore, needs to account not only for the diagnosis but also for how the injury affects function over time.
Returning to Work Can Bring New Barriers
Returning to employment is another important stage of rehabilitation, but going back to work does not mean a patient is fully back to normal. Statistics Canada reported that 69% of employed Canadians with disabilities experienced at least one workplace accessibility barrier in 2024.
That figure applies broadly to Canadians with disabilities rather than specifically to motor vehicle accident patients, but it illustrates the wider accessibility challenges people with functional limitations can encounter at work.
Depending on the injury, a return-to-work plan may involve:
- Modified duties or reduced hours
- Physical workplace accommodations
- Cognitive accommodations
- Gradual increases in workload
- Ongoing treatment alongside employment
For someone with persistent concussion symptoms, such as fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating or sensitivity to light and noise, a return to work can prove to be tricky, even when the person is deemed medically capable of returning.
Documentation Helps Tell the Recovery Story
Clinical records can demonstrate how a patient’s condition and functional needs shift rather than providing a snapshot of a particular appointment.
Useful documentation may include:
- Changes in functional capacity
- Treatment goals and progress
- Persistent or emerging symptoms
- Barriers interfering with rehabilitation
- Treatment response
- Return-to-work attempts and limitations
- Reasons for modifying or continuing treatment
Good documentation supports continuity of care and communication between the professionals involved in a patient’s recovery. It can also become important when entitlement to treatment or accident benefits is questioned by insurance providers.
The Patient Outside the Treatment Room
Perhaps the most important consequence of Ontario’s new system is that two patients with similar injuries may experience very different recovery environments.
One may have comprehensive workplace disability coverage, a flexible employer, strong family support and optional accident benefits. Another may have limited employment benefits, significant caregiving responsibilities, and fewer insurance supports.
For rehabilitation professionals, Ontario’s new accident benefits provide important context for understanding the financial, employment, and family pressures patients may experience while trying to recover.
Clinical recovery does not stop at the treatment-room door. As Ontario’s new insurance framework takes hold, recognizing the circumstances surrounding each patient will remain an important part of understanding their path back to work, family responsibilities, and everyday life.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Accident-benefit eligibility and insurance coverage depend on individual circumstances and applicable Ontario law. Readers should consult an appropriate professional regarding their specific circumstances.
About The Author
Warren WhiteKnight is a partner at Bergeron Clifford LLP. He is based in the firm’s Kingston office but travels throughout Eastern Ontario each week as clients’ needs require. Warren is an avid cyclist, rock climber, snowboarder, and soccer player, and is heavily involved in volunteer work. Warren understands that when you get injured, the impact runs deeper than skin deep – the entire family is affected, and people lose the ability to work and play as they did before. Warren is a Queen’s Law graduate who achieved top 10% standing all three years and received numerous course prizes and scholarships. Warren regularly represents his clients in court and tribunal proceedings and has an excellent track record of achieving results both in court and in out-of-court settlements.
