A new chair has been appointed to lead the organization that workers or employers can access if they want to appeal a decision from WorkSafeBC.

Maria Luningning Alcuitas is appointed as a member and chair of the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal for a term ending Dec. 31, 2024.

Alcuitas studied law at the University of Manitoba and articled at the Public Interest Law Centre in Winnipeg. She was called to the bar in Manitoba in 1994 and has been a member of the bar in B.C. since 1995. She has worked in the workers' compensation system in numerous roles, including as vice-chair and registrar of the Workers' Compensation Appeal Tribunal since 2003. Alcuitas has also served as a member of B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal and chair of the Mental Health Review Board.

The chair of the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal provides leadership and oversight to vice-chairs and sets the strategic direction of the tribunal. The chair is the chief adjudicator and is also responsible for making policy and procedural decisions.

The tribunal operates independent of government and is the final level of appeal in the province’s workers’ compensation system. It has authority to decide appeals about specific types of work-related matters outlined in sections 288 and 289 of the Workers Compensation Act.

More information on the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal can be found at: https://www.wcat.bc.ca/home/about/