Start Occupational Therapy after a car accident

Get help. Get better. Get well.

Ask for OT for your ICBC claim.

Ask for OT

You have been injured in a car accident, and you have not fully recovered. You want to get back to your regular life, but you are not sure how or where to get started. Ask for Occupational Therapy (OT) for your ICBC claim.

Occupational Therapy is fully covered by ICBC.

Occupational therapy can help you put the pieces together that you need to get better. OTs provide individualized care that is specific to you, your injuries, and your life. They listen to you and focus their work on your goals and what is meaningful to you.  
We can help you to get back to living your life after a car accident. 

How OT can help after an accident 

An Occupational Therapist can help you in many ways after a car accident.  
We focus on your function and help you perform a wide variety of activities. Whether you’re having physical, cognitive, and emotional difficulties, an OT can help. We see each person as unique and tailor our approach to you. 
An Occupational Therapist can help you with activities like: 

  • Preparing you and your home for your discharge from hospital 
  • Restoring basic activities, like bathing, dressing, grooming and personal hygiene 
  • Getting you back to activities like home making, finances, meal planning, community access 
  • Leisure and recreation 
  • Getting back to school or work 
  • Return to driving 

Click here to learn how an OT can assist you in different stages of your recovery. 

OT is fully covered by ICBC 

Occupational therapy is covered under ICBC’s Enhanced Care model.  There are no user-fees for OT.

However, OT is not pre-approved like other health professions.  To have an OT help your recover, your ICBC claims specialist must approve OT involvement.  To get approval, you will need a referral from your GP or a doctor’s note. Talk to your doctor if an OT would be right for you.

If ICBC has already approved funding for Occupational Therapy for you, simply email us the written authorization, and we will assign an OT to assist you. 

ICBC must approve OT services before you start with an OT.

Get Started with an OT

After reporting a claim to ICBC, you can ask your ICBC Recovery Specialist for OT. You can also contact our Referrals Team at OT Works! to discuss your situation. You can reach us by phone, email or on our website:

You need a GP referral (or Doctor’s note) for ICBC to pay for OT services.

What do I need to get started? 

You will need to provide some personal information, ICBC claim details, and a GP note. 

Your GP note should state the reason for referral and how it’s related to the MVA.

Our Referrals Team will then guide you through the process. 

If you are not sure if OT has been approved, our Referrals team will contact ICBC and/or your legal counsel on your behalf to secure funding. 

How much does OT cost? 

If ICBC has approved OT services for you, our OT services will be fully paid by ICBC. There are no user fees and you don’t have to pay anything out of pocket.

NOTE: ICBC will not pay for OT services that have not been approved. We recommend always getting ICBC approval before starting with an OT. If you are not sure how to get the approval, give us a call and we can help

When can I start working with an OT? 

It depends, but our goal is to make the whole process as fast as possible.  We always try to assign the best OT that matches your situation and find the right fit for you. It may take some time for the right OT to become available. Our Referrals team will keep you informed during the process and inform you of any wait times. 

Who will contact ICBC to get approval for Occupational Therapy? 

Our Referrals team and/or your legal counsel will contact ICBC on your behalf to get approval for OT.

Where are OT services delivered? 

Our OTs work in the community, and can see you in your home, workplace or in a community setting (park, community center).  
We can also offer telehealth if that’s appropriate for your situation. 

OT Works! has OTs available in the following areas: 

  • Lower Mainland: Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey, North & West Vancouver, Richmond, Delta, Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Langley, Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows 
  • Fraser Valley: Mission, Abbotsford, Chilliwack 
  • Sea-to-Sky: Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton 
  • Sunshine Coast: Gibsons, Sechelt 
  • Vancouver Island:
    • South: Victoria, Esquimalt, Sooke, East Sooke, Saanich, Sidney, Langford, Colwood, Metchosin 
    • Central: Nanaimo, Parksville, Ladysmith, Qualicum Beach, Port Alberni 
    • North: Campbell River, Courtney, Comox, Cumberland, Fanny Bay, Nanoose Bay, Union Bay 

Are all of your OTs approved by ICBC? 

All our OT’s are authorized by ICBC to provide OT services. Occupational Therapists s are university-educated professionals, registered by the College of Occupational Therapists of BC.

Get started today 

If you are ready to start your rehabilitation after a car accident, ask for OT and contact us today. 
Our OTs will be happy to help you getting back to the life you love! 

Photo by Daniel Xavier from Pexels

woman wearing headset

Telehealth

When clients can access few other services, occupational therapy via telehealth is a vital link to wellness. 

About Telehealth 

Telehealth refers to using electronic communications to manage a client’s health and wellbeing. OT Works! is delivering telehealth services during the COVID-19 outbreak. Care by telehealth is therapy that is: 

  • Provided via phone, email, text messages or video 
  • Live, private and confidential 
  • Guided by the College of Occupational Therapists of BC (COTBC) and the Provincial Health Services Agency (PHSA)

How OT can help with Telehealth

Telehealth allows clients to safely receive the prompt care they need while social distancing is required. Through telehealth, our therapists help clients: 

  • Maintain or improve workplace tolerances  
  • Develop a daily structure that simulates their typical (work) day 
  • Create healthy routines 
  • Increase resiliency 
  • Deliver health education 
  • Promote connection with the workplace and decrease isolation 

OT Works! Telehealth Approach 

OT Works! therapists provide a creative healthcare service that develops client-centered solutions that are: 

  • Cost Effective 
  • Customized to optimize outcomes (including remote session length and frequency)  
  • Tailored towards cognitive and emotional gains 
  • Focused on the long-term goals, including Return to Work 
  • Provided with integrity and therapeutic value 

Services Considerations 

The following services are difficult to deliver remotely, yet we have solutions to help: 

  • Home environment – possible with video technology 
  • Objective assessments of range of motion and strength – possible with video technology 
  • Functional assessments (e.g. transfers, stairs, community access) – inferred from client reports, questionnaires, camera observations and medical documentation 
  • Wheelchair or home safety assessment – if urgent, in-person assessments can be considered after completing a client risk assessment and while using personal protective equipment.

Get Started 

All of our therapists at OT Works! are certified with the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC) and have additional training in areas such as mental health, brain injury rehabilitation, home safety and chronic pain. 

We’re here for you when you need us.  

E-mail: info@ot-works.com 

Phone: 604.696.1066 ext 1000