Yellowknife (Apr 21/03) - A letter from the Workers' Compensation Board (WCB) had John Huffman fuming last week.

Huffman has been fighting the WCB since 1996 for payments related to his repetitive stress injuries.

John Huffman shows his letter from the Workers' Compensation Board that requested a reply from him by April 11 -- but the letter was postmarked April 11 and he says he didn't receive it until April 14. - Kathleen Lippa/NNSL photo

Now his benefits have been cut off after he missed an April 11 deadline to choose between surgery and a pension.

For Huffman, this is just another insult: the letter was dated April 9, postmarked April 11 and not delivered until April 14.

"How can I give a guy an answer on a letter I haven't even received?"

Huffman is appealing the decision to suspend his benefits -- $47 a day.

"The bottom line is they don't want to pay," said Huffman.

Donna Allen, vice-president of NWT Operations at the WCB, is familiar with Huffman's case.

Allen would not discuss his case, but said: "That notice had been previously provided to him.

What you saw there was a final letter. He'd been spoken to the day the letter was postmarked and had been previously provided with a deadline."

Huffman says he was contacted by his caseworker April 4 and told he needed to decide between surgery or pension, but says he was never given a deadline.

He told the worker that he needed to discuss the situation with his lawyer and doctor first.

Huffman realizes he has been an irritant to the WCB since 1996.

But he sees no other recourse than to keep fighting them.

"They say they've got you covered," he said. "But it's not what you think."

Allen said the WCB takes workers injuries seriously.

"When injured workers are upset with us, we investigate," said Allen. "But we are bound to provide the benefits that we're able to provide through legislation and policy.

"And yes, we have people who are not happy with decisions that we make."