An injury may involve several sources of support. Each follows its own rules.

Look for automobile policies, optional accident benefits, family-protection endorsements, employer health and disability plans, privately purchased disability coverage, workplace insurance and any policy connected to a responsible business or property owner.

Then identify which losses each route can address: treatment, care, income, expenses, services, non-pecuniary loss or future needs. Similar labels do not mean the tests or payment rules are the same.

Accident benefits may respond regardless of fault. A liability claim depends on responsibility. The SABS controls benefit entitlement, while the Insurance Act and negligence law shape the automobile liability route.2

From July 1, 2026, only medical, rehabilitation and attendant-care benefits remain mandatory for applicable policies; other accident benefits depend on policy choices and transition rules.3

Long-term disability usually turns on the policy’s definition of disability, proof requirements, exclusions and offsets. WSIB entitlement and third-party election issues are governed by Ontario workplace-insurance legislation.4

Canada Pension Plan disability has its own statutory eligibility test and application process.5 Approval or denial in one system may be relevant evidence, but it does not automatically decide another claim.

Create a ledger showing the payer, benefit, period, gross amount, tax treatment and any asserted offset or repayment. Keep the source document for each entry. This helps avoid double counting and exposes disputes before a final release is signed.

A settlement can affect future rights. Review the parties released, claims ended, allocation, confidentiality terms, liens, indemnities and remaining benefit eligibility before treating the headline amount as the result.

Legal work should identify the insurer's actual position, the evidence required to answer it and the practical consequences of accepting, disputing or settling the claim.

• Identify every policy, benefit, payer and possible source of recovery.
• Compare the insurer's decision with the governing wording and record.
• Explain deadlines, offsets, releases and the likely net result.