Housekeeping and Maintenance Benefit

Question: If you’re in Ontario and your injuries from a car accident prevent you from doing household chores, who can help you claim housekeeping and home maintenance expenses under the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule for household help?

Answer:   In Ontario, Vagans Legal (paralegal) can help you understand and apply for the accident benefits housekeeping and home maintenance expense coverage under the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule, O. Reg. 34/10, which generally pays up to $100 per week for reasonable and necessary added housekeeping and maintenance costs when you have a catastrophic impairment that creates a substantial inability to do the tasks you normally handled before the accident; the benefit is typically available only when the expense is incurred by hiring a genuine housekeeping or maintenance provider (or reimbursing a family member or friend who suffers an economic loss by stepping in). Call (416) 473-8472 to discuss your situation and learn what documents and proof are usually needed to maximize your chances of getting the benefit.

Is the Expense of a Housekeeper Paid For By Automobile Insurance?

The Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule Within An Automobile Insurance Policy Provides a Limited Coverage to Pay the Cost of Hiring a Housekeeper On Behalf of a Catastrophically Injured Accident Victim.

Understanding the Housekeeping and Maintenance Expense Benefit Including Coverage Qualifications and Limitations

The housekeeping benefit component of the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule, O. Reg. 34/10, provides compensation for the cost of hiring assistance with housekeeping and maintenance, such as vacuuming, lawn mowing, clearing of eavestroughs, raking of leaves, snow shoveling, among other tasks, of the principal residence of a catastrophically injured accident victim who is unable to perform such duties because of the injuries directly suffered by the accident victim.

The Law

The housekeeping benefit as prescribed within the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule is a mandatory automobile insurance coverage and is subject to strict eligibility criteria as well as a nominal sum as coverage whereas the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule states:

Interestingly, the housekeeping benefit is available only for the hiring of a person genuinely in the business of providing the housekeeping service hired or for reimbursing another person, such as a family member who steps up to perform housekeeping duties and as a result of doing so suffers a correspondence loss.

This requirement of hiring a genuine housekeeper or maintenance service, or for reimbursing a friend or family member who suffers a corresponding loss, appears as intended to prevent an accident victim from using the housekeeping benefit as a means to provide supplemental income for a friend or family member. Essentially, whereas the coverage is available only as a reimbursement to a corresponding loss of income, such prevents any advantage from being gained and thereby thwarts any ability to misuse the coverage.

These criteria were confirmed within the case of Micanovic v. Intact Insurance, 2022 ONSC 1566, wherein it was said:

Summary Comment

The Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule as contained within policies of automobile insurance includes coverage for the cost of hiring a housekeeping or maintenance service. The coverage is limited to one hundred ($100.00) dollars per week. The coverage is also available only to pay the cost of hiring a genuine housekeeping service or for reimbursing a friend or family member who suffers a corresponding loss of income. The coverage is unavailable to provide a bonus source of income for a friend or family member.