This may come as surprise to many of you, but if you “employ” any therapist for 8 hours or more during a week, then you have to register with Worksafe BC and pay premiums for the coverage.
Once you pass the 8 hour threshold, then you have to report the payroll for all of your therapists.
How much will it cost?
ABA therapy falls under the Counseling or Social Services Classification (Autism Counseling)(766007) which is $1.15 per $100 of assessable payroll. A payroll of $40,000 will set you back $460.
You can claim this using your BC autism funding. Consider this to be cheap liability insurance. You won’t get a better deal anywhere else.
Do different families have different experiences?
Of course they do! You didn’t think it was going to be that easy did you?
The ABA therapy job is not well defined by Worksafe and different registration officers may put you in different classifications. For example you may be assigned Life and Job skills or even Domestic Child Care (which provides for “developmentally challenged persons care”). Each group has its own criteria and some may even provide you with an exemption from registration.
It’s important to remember that each family is different and Worksafe will assess each case individually. You must contact Worksafe to see if you have to register.
Registration with Worksafe will provide you with protection from being sued by your therapists for workplace injuries. If you haven’t registered and the worker is injured, then you are responsible and the therapist may be able to sue you for damages.
Where do I apply?
It’s easy to register online. The payroll is reported by you on a yearly basis. Documentation is not normally required, unless a claim is filed, at which time WorkSafe may ask for further details. Registering with Worksafe BC has no bearing on the employer/employee relationship.
Autism Funding in BC 