How do you contest a CNESST decision, and what happens at the TAT?

A Dispute Over Returning to Work After an Injury

Return to work is where many accepted claims become contentious. A modified-duties offer must genuinely respect your medical limitations — a job that exists on paper but not in practice, or one that exceeds your restrictions, can be refused. Refusing without medical support, however, can end your benefits.

Claiming for a Psychological Injury at Work

Psychological injuries can be compensable in Quebec, but the bar is higher than for physical injury: you generally must show the workplace events were objectively traumatic or abnormal rather than ordinary workplace stress or a difficult manager. Harassment claims may also proceed as a separate labour standards complaint on a different deadline.

Claiming for an Occupational Disease

Occupational disease claims — repetitive strain, hearing loss, respiratory conditions, certain cancers — are harder than single-incident injuries because there is no event to point to. Some conditions benefit from a presumption where you worked in a listed occupation; otherwise you must establish exposure and a medical link.

Your CNESST Claim Was Denied

A CNESST refusal is contestable, and the deadline is stated on the decision letter — it is short and strictly applied. Most refusals rest on one of three grounds: the injury is not accepted as work-related, it is treated as a pre-existing or personal condition, or the medical evidence is considered insufficient. The answer to each is targeted medical documentation, not a longer letter.

Your Employer Is Contesting Your CNESST Claim

Employers can contest whether an injury is work-related, its severity, and the duration of benefits — they bear the cost of accepted claims, so contesting is common and not personal. Once an employer contests, the file becomes adversarial with medical experts on both sides, and this is the point at which representation most changes outcomes.