Accessing treatment during your first 12 weeks of recovery

Enhanced Care means you’re pre-approved

Since May 2021, Enhanced Care covers everyone for 12 weeks after their crash no matter who was responsible. That means you don’t have to wait to start your pre-approved treatments. All you need is your ICBC claim number, which is created when you submit your claim.

Book your treatments as soon as possible

Enhanced Care automatically covers you for pre-approved treatments in the initial 12 weeks after the crash. But that time can go by quickly, so it’s important to book your appointments right away to get the most out of your benefits.

Your medical providers may ask for your claim number so they can directly bill ICBC. You’ll receive it once you report your claim, so make sure to record it and have it ready when you visit a provider for treatment. Also, hold on to any out-of-pocket receipts (expenses you paid for yourself) for reimbursement consideration.

Prioritize care that helps you return to your previous abilities

Our goal is to help you return to your normal activity levels. Since Enhanced Care offers you pre-approved treatments for 12 weeks after your crash, it’s important to use that time to get the most out of your benefits. Your health care provider can help you create a plan to balance your recovery with pain management.

You’ll also want to balance your active and passive treatments. Active treatments mean you are an active participant. Passive treatments mean you do not need to actively participate. Active treatments tend to be more effective in restoring your physical functions, rather than treating pain. While both active and passive treatments are helpful, prioritizing active treatments will get you the most out of your initial 12 weeks of coverage.

Pre-approved treatments available to you

For the first 12 weeks after your crash, you have pre-approved coverage for a variety of treatments to help you recover. You don’t need a referral from a family physician or nurse practitioner, or approval from ICBC, but you will need your Personal Health Number (PHN) and your ICBC claim number.

* treatments between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025
** one-on-one treatment with customer and provider

ICBC can also fund occupational therapy to support your recovery from the crash, talk to your recovery specialist if your health care provider has recommended it for you.

If you were injured as a cyclist or pedestrian

If you were a cyclist or pedestrian injured in a crash with a vehicle, you’re eligible to receive the same full range of care and recovery benefits as drivers in most cases. This ​includes income replacement benefits if you’re unable to work and additional benefits in the event of a serious or life-altering injury.  If you’re not responsible for the crash or share some responsibility​, you can claim the damage caused to your bike.

Learn how ICBC supports cyclists and pedestrians.

Additional benefits you may be entitled to

Depending on your injuries, you may be eligible for additional benefits covered by ICBC. Talk to your health care provider and your ICBC recovery specialist to see if you qualify.

If you need treatments that aren’t pre-approved under Enhanced Care, or if your recovery is taking longer than 12 weeks, you might be able to get additional treatments covered. Talk to your health care provider so they can work with your recovery specialist to get these treatments approved.

Make sure to complete your medical disclosure authorization form  to give your health care provider permission to speak to us about your injuries.

Some injuries are also eligible for financial benefits like personal care assistance or travel reimbursement. Learn more about financial benefits.

Benefits for severe, permanent and catastrophic injuries

For the most serious injuries, you might not be able to recover all your previous functions. If that happens, ICBC is here to support you with additional benefits specific to severe, permanent and catastrophic injuries.

Not all severe and permanent injuries are catastrophic injuries. Catastrophic injuries are typically the loss of a limb, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or another injury of similar severity. If your injury is categorized as catastrophic, you may be eligible for:

• Higher coverage for personal care assistance

• A lump sum payment for permanent impairment

• Benefits to cover extraordinary expenses for travel, accommodation, or other special circumstances

If you think this applies to you, speak to your recovery specialist to see if you are eligible for additional benefits.

Complete your medical disclosure authorization form

Your health care provider may need to speak with us about your injuries. For example, if your injuries require treatment beyond the pre-approved 12 weeks, your provider can speak with us to get that treatment covered.

But to do that, you need to provide permission for them to disclose your medical information to us. Make sure to complete your medical disclosure authorization form  and submit it through our online claims service.

Direct billing and upfront payments

Many health care providers in B.C. use direct billing to charge ICBC for your treatments. That means you won’t have to make any payments yourself.

But other providers might not be able to bill us directly. In those cases, you will need to pay for the treatment upfront, and then let us know so we can reimburse it. If you have any upfront expenses for your treatment, make sure to save any receipts or invoices. Then submit a claim for medical expenses within 180 days (6 months) of the expense so we can reimburse you to the level of our approved rates (exclusive of user fees). User fees are the share of costs (or service fee) a patient pays for health care services.

Set up direct deposit

The easiest way for us to reimburse you is with direct deposit. If you need to make out-of-pocket payments, make sure to set up direct deposit so we can deposit your payments directly into your bank account.

Staying in touch with your ICBC recovery specialist

It's important to keep your ICBC recovery specialist updated about your injury. Staying in touch helps us manage your claim more smoothly. For example, if your health care provider recommends additional treatments for your injury, keeping your specialist updated means we can provide coverage for those treatments sooner.

We recommend reaching out to your recovery specialist by phone or email every 2 to 3 weeks, even if it’s just to say things are going fine.

Quick links

• Your guide to Enhanced Accident Benefits 

• Your guide to Enhanced Accident Benefits (Chinese) 

• Your guide to Enhanced Accident Benefits (Punjabi) 

• Medical disclosure authorization form 

• Set up direct deposit