Hello, I am new to this site. I am currently on STD from my employer due to workplace sexual harassment, reprisal and a poisoned work environment. This is my second time off work for this issue, and I have an active HRTO case. My research for my HRTO case has brought to light information I wasn’t aware of regarding matters of my extended health care coverage with the employer. Recently, I began inquiring with my employer about extended health benefits for my severely disabled young adult, as their health benefits had been cut off after I filed my HRTO complaint. At the time, I was told that my dependent had “aged out” of coverage. I started requesting the Master Group Insurance Agreement from the employer for my estate planning for my dependant in February, right after this my Short Term Disability case manager began telling me that because I don’t have a family doctor, I have to fill out an ESR form for them and I have to see their independent medical examiner to review the treatment plan that was given to me by the psychiatrist and is being managed by my psychotherapist while I wait for a new doctor. Am I obligated to see the insurer’s psychiatrist, or can my psychotherapist continue my treatment plan? I have requested all my case notes from the insurance company, as well as requested the directive letter that the insurance company is sending to their IME, so I know what it is that they want to evaluate me for. I was diagnosed with C-PTSD, anxiety and depression by the psychiatrist in 2024. and was additionally diagnosed with ADHD by my family doctor in September of 2025. As my employer is an adverse party to my ongoing litigation, I tried to withdraw consent for the insurance company to speak to my employers hr department. I permitted for the insurance company to speak to the medical department of my employer, but now the insurance company has told me that if I withdraw consent to speak to HR, they would cut my benefits effective immediately. Can they do that if my employer is a respondent to my case at the HRTO if the information HR receieves can be used in a legal case?
Yes you must comply with any IME requests from the insurer. Anything associated with an IME is not for treatment, it is for documentation/examination used for the insurance company to determine if they will continue your disability payments or not.
You continue with your own medical team for treatment regardless who they send you to for any type of independent examination.
For all the other stuff you will need to review your master contract and/or dicsuss it with a lawyer to get a reliable answer.
Thank you for the answer. I am currently a self-represented litigant with no lawyer. This has all come about only after I started requesting the master contract from my employer after they terminated my daughter’s health benefits. It appears that they are taking advantage of the fact that I currently don’t have a family physician and have been following the plan that was in place prior to him retiring suddenly at the end of 2025. While I am on a wait list for a new doctor.
Do you know what information that I must disclose? I was told that the employer will receive the report from the IME before I do. I have requested my file from the insurance company, and it seems that things have amplified since that time and the request for the master contract benefits agreement.
The employer is an adverse party to an ongoing litigation of which i am concerned they will use this report in the litigation. Can they do that?
If you have filed a human rights complaint, is it possible the employer is making the request for IME through the insurance company. It might place you at a disadvantage, with your human rights hearing, for the employer to have your medical information.
When I was on STD my employer continually directed the case manager to contact me, request updated medical information one day after doctor’s appointment, in general, harass me with petty crap to deliberately induce anxiety.
When I tried to return to work, after months of interference by the return to work process manager, my employer demanded an IME. Initially, I agreed, but when I found out I was restricted from seeing the IME report, I changed my decision.
I filed also filed a human rights complaint.
Sorry that you are having to go through this experience.
Wondering if you can agree to IME but require a waiver preventing your employer from having your personal medical details.
You might want tell your insurer that you are currently in litigation against your former employer for human rights violations and you specifically do not authorize that any IME or medical documentation be shared with your employer as it would violate your rights to medical privacy. There is no reason they should get able to terminate your STD/LTD payments because you have asked them not share your protected information. I limited my insurer to only giving my former employer very high level “one liner” information about my medical status like “they are unable to return to work at this time”.