After a catastrophic injury in Ontario, the cost of necessary home modifications may be covered through Ontario accident benefits when the injury resulted from a motor vehicle accident. If another person or organization was responsible for causing the injury, the cost of current and future home modifications may also form part of a personal injury claim. What is available depends on the cause of the injury, the person’s functional needs, their insurance coverage, the medical and rehabilitation evidence, and the circumstances of the claim. 

For someone returning home with a spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputation, severe orthopaedic injury, or another life-altering impairment, a house that was once comfortable may suddenly create significant barriers. Stairs may become inaccessible. Doorways may be too narrow for mobility equipment. Bathrooms may be unsafe. A bedroom may need to be relocated, and entrances may require ramps, lifts, or other accessibility features. 

Determining who pays for these changes is therefore an important part of planning for life after a catastrophic injury. 

Key Takeaways 

• Ontario’s Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) recognizes reasonable and necessary home modifications and home devices as potential rehabilitation expenses after a motor vehicle accident. 

• For catastrophic impairment, the standard SABS limit for combined medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits is currently $1 million, subject to the applicable policy and accident date. Optional coverage may increase the available limit. 

• Home modification funding is not automatic. The proposed modifications generally need to be connected to the accident-related impairment and supported as reasonable and necessary rehabilitation expenses. 

• When another party is legally responsible for an injury, necessary home modifications and other future care expenses may also form part of a personal injury claim. 

• Occupational therapists, rehabilitation professionals, contractors, architects, life care planners, medical professionals, and other experts may be involved in identifying and documenting accessibility needs. 

• Families should obtain professional and legal guidance before undertaking major renovations because insurance approval, documentation, available limits, and the coordination of accident benefits and a personal injury claim can affect how these expenses are addressed. 

Why Are Home Modifications Necessary After a Catastrophic Injury? 

A catastrophic injury can fundamentally change how a person moves through and uses their home. 

For example, a person who uses a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury may be unable to enter a house with stairs at the front entrance. They may need wider doorways, an accessible bathroom, appropriate flooring, a modified kitchen, or changes that allow them to safely reach essential areas of the home. 

Someone living with a serious brain injury may have different needs. Depending on their impairments, modifications could focus on safety, supervision, orientation, accessibility, or creating an environment that supports greater independence. 

The appropriate solution is highly individual. A modification that is essential for one person may not be reasonable or necessary for another person with a different injury or living environment. 

This is why home accessibility planning should be based on an assessment of the injured person’s actual functional needs rather than a standard renovation checklist. 

Can Ontario Accident Benefits Pay for Home Modifications? 

Yes. When a catastrophic injury results from a motor vehicle accident, Ontario accident benefits may provide funding for reasonable and necessary home modifications as part of rehabilitation benefits. 

Ontario’s Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule specifically includes home modifications and home devices, including communication aids, that accommodate the needs of an insured person among the activities and measures that may qualify as rehabilitation benefits. The SABS also contemplates the purchase of a new home where it is more reasonable to purchase an appropriate home than renovate the existing residence. 

Under the SABS, rehabilitation benefits are intended to pay reasonable and necessary expenses for measures that reduce or eliminate the effects of an accident-related disability or facilitate reintegration into family, society, and the labour market. 

This means the central question is not simply whether a renovation would make the home more convenient. The proposed modification must be properly connected to the person’s accident-related impairment and rehabilitation needs. 

What Types of Home Modifications Could Be Considered? 

Depending on the injuries and professional recommendations, modifications could include features such as entrance ramps, lifts, widened doorways, accessible bathrooms, altered kitchens, flooring changes, bedroom modifications, accessible entrances, or other adaptive equipment. 

The precise modifications required should be determined through appropriate rehabilitation and accessibility assessments. A major renovation should not be assumed to qualify simply because an injured person would benefit from it. 

How Much Funding Is Available for Catastrophic Impairment? 

For Ontario motor vehicle accident claims, catastrophic impairment is a specific legal classification under the SABS. It is not simply another term for a very serious injury. 

For the applicable standard coverage, a person who sustains a catastrophic impairment may have access to up to $1 million in combined medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits, plus applicable HST. Optional benefits can increase the catastrophic medical, rehabilitation and attendant care limit to $2 million. 

That overall funding may need to address many different needs over the course of recovery, including treatment, rehabilitation, attendant care, assessments, equipment and home modifications. 

A catastrophic impairment designation therefore does not mean that $1 million is automatically available specifically for renovating a home. 

It also does not mean that every proposed modification will be approved. 

The expense still needs to satisfy the requirements of the SABS and must fit within the coverage available under the applicable policy. 

Important 2026 Ontario Auto Insurance Changes 

Ontario changed its accident benefits system effective July 1, 2026. Medical, rehabilitation, and attendant care benefits remain mandatory, while a number of other accident benefits have become optional. FSRA currently identifies $1 million as the standard medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefit for catastrophic impairment, with an option to increase that coverage to $2 million. 

Coverage can depend on the policy, accident date and optional benefits purchased, an injured person should have their actual automobile insurance policy reviewed rather than relying on a general description of SABS limits. 

How Does the Home Modification Approval Process Work? 

Large home modifications should generally be carefully assessed and documented before construction begins. 

An occupational therapist or another qualified rehabilitation professional may assess how the injured person functions in the home. This can help identify barriers, safety concerns, equipment requirements, mobility limitations, and the modifications necessary to accommodate those limitations. 

For substantial projects, other professionals may also become involved. Depending on the circumstances, this could include accessibility of consultants, contractors, architects, engineers, medical professionals, case managers, or life care planners. 

The insurer will generally require sufficient information to evaluate whether the proposed expense qualifies under the SABS. Treatment and assessment plans are part of the accident benefits process for many medical and rehabilitation expenses, and the SABS contains rules governing when expenses may be incurred and submitted for approval. 

For that reason, families should be cautious about paying major renovations before understanding the approval process and how the proposed expense will be funded. 

What If Renovating the Existing Home Is Not Practical? 

Sometimes modifying an existing house is not the safest, most practical, or most economical solution. 

Ontario’s SABS expressly recognizes that the purchase of a new home may be considered where buying another home is more reasonable than renovating the existing residence to accommodate the injured person’s needs. 

That does not mean an insurance company will simply purchase a new house whenever relocation is preferred. Whether relocation is reasonable, what amount may be payable, and how the cost should be calculated are fact-specific legal and evidentiary questions. 

For example, an older multi-level home may require extensive structural work to accommodate wheelchair access, while another suitable property could require substantially fewer modifications. These circumstances require careful comparison of the available options. 

Can a Personal Injury Lawsuit Pay for Home Modifications? 

Potentially, yes. 

Accident benefits and a personal injury lawsuit are separate legal avenues. Accident benefits are generally available after a motor vehicle accident regardless of fault, while a tort or personal injury claim may be available when another person or organization is legally responsible for causing the injury. 

In a serious injury claim, damages may include proven future care expenses. Depending on the evidence, future care costs can include rehabilitation, attendant care, assistive equipment, home and vehicle modifications, case management, and other long-term support. 

This can be particularly important when a catastrophic injury creates lifelong accessibility needs. 

For example, an injured person may require not only an initial renovation but also replacement equipment or additional modifications as their medical condition, mobility, living arrangements, or technology changes over time. A properly developed future care claim should consider the long-term consequences of the injury rather than focusing only on immediate expenses. 

The amount recoverable through a personal injury lawsuit will depend on liability, causation, the evidence supporting the need and cost of the modifications, applicable insurance and statutory rules, and the individual circumstances of the case. 

Why Is a Future Care Assessment Important? 

A catastrophic injury claim involves more than identifying what a person needs today. 

Future care planning considers how those needs may develop over many years. Medical professionals, rehabilitation experts and life care planners can help identify the treatment, equipment, assistance and environmental changes an injured person is reasonably expected to require. 

This evidence can be especially important when home modifications are expensive or when an injured person is expected to require accessible housing for life. 

Without proper planning, there is a risk that immediate changes will be made without considering future equipment, mobility, caregiving, aging, replacement costs or changes in the injured person’s abilities. 

What Should Families Do Before Starting a Major Renovation? 

Before committing to substantial construction costs, families should document the injured person’s needs, obtain appropriate professional assessments, retain quotes and plans, keep invoices and correspondence, and determine what approvals are required from the insurer. 

It can also be important to consider home modification within the person’s broader rehabilitation and future care plan. Spending a significant portion of available accident benefits on one project without understanding other long-term care requirements can have consequences later. 

For people living in Toronto, Brampton, Vaughan, Mississauga, Newmarket, Bradford, Richmond Hill, Markham, or elsewhere in Ontario, the legal framework is provincial, but the actual cost and feasibility of renovations will depend on the property and the work required. 

What If the Insurance Company Denies Home Modification? 

An insurer may disagree that a particular renovation is reasonable and necessary, challenge the proposed cost, question whether the modification relates to the accident-related impairment, or rely on assessments obtained through the accident benefits process. 

A denial does not necessarily end the matter. 

Disputes over Ontario statutory accident benefits may be brought before the Licence Appeal Tribunal’s Automobile Accident Benefits Service. Oatley Vigmond assists clients with denied or delayed accident benefits, including disputes involving catastrophic impairment and rehabilitation needs. 

The appropriate response to a denial will depend on the insurer’s reasons and the supporting medical, functional, and rehabilitation evidence. 

When Should You Contact an Ontario Personal Injury Lawyer? 

Legal advice should be obtained early when an injury is serious enough that significant home modifications, long-term attendant care, catastrophic impairment designation, or substantial future care costs are being considered. 

There are deadlines that can affect legal rights. Under Ontario’s Limitations Act, 2002, the basic limitation period generally prevents a court proceeding from being commenced more than two years after the claim was discovered, although the legislation contains discovery rules and other exceptions that can affect when a particular limitation period expires. 

Accident benefits disputes also have their own procedural requirements and deadlines. 

A lawyer can help coordinate the accident benefits and personal injury components of the case, obtain appropriate expert evidence, assess future care requirements, review insurer decisions and make sure that home accessibility needs are considered as part of the injured person’s overall claim. 

Why Oatley Vigmond? 

Oatley Vigmond focuses exclusively on personal injury law and represents people facing catastrophic and life-altering injuries throughout Ontario. Our personal injury lawyers work alongside dedicated Accident Benefits Specialists and collaborate with medical, rehabilitation, vocational and future care professionals when those experts are required. 

That team-based approach is particularly important in catastrophic injury cases. A home modification is rarely an isolated expense. It may be one component of a much larger plan involving rehabilitation, attendant care, mobility equipment, future medical treatment, transportation, income loss, and lifelong support. 

Our role is to help clients and families understand how these pieces fit together and to pursue the accident benefits and compensation available based on the facts of their individual case. 

Speak With Oatley Vigmond About a Catastrophic Injury Claim 

If you or a family member has suffered a catastrophic injury and your home is no longer safe or accessible, it is important to understand your options before undertaking major renovations. 

Oatley Vigmond’s Ontario personal injury lawyers and Accident Benefits Specialists can review the circumstances of the injury, available insurance coverage, rehabilitation needs and potential personal injury claim. Contact Oatley Vigmond for a free consultation to discuss the next steps for you and your family. 

Frequently Asked Questions for Home Modifications After Catastrophic Injury in Ontario 

1. Who pays for home modifications after a catastrophic injury in Ontario? 

If the injury resulted from a motor vehicle accident, reasonable and necessary home modifications may qualify for funding through Ontario accident benefits. If another party was responsible for causing the injury, home modification expenses may also form part of a personal injury claim. The available funding depends on the circumstances, insurance coverage, and supporting evidence. 

2. Are home modifications covered by Ontario accident benefits? 

They can be. Ontario’s SABS specifically recognizes home modifications and home devices that accommodate an injured person’s needs as potential rehabilitation measures. The proposed expenses must satisfy the applicable legal requirements, including whether they are reasonable and necessary. 

3. What home modifications may be covered after a catastrophic injury? 

Depending on the injured person’s functional needs, modifications may include ramps, lifts, widened doorways, accessible bathrooms, modified kitchens, flooring changes, accessible entrances and other adaptive features. Coverage depends on the evidence establishing why the modification is required. 

4. How much accident benefit coverage is available for catastrophic impairment in Ontario? 

Under the current standard Ontario automobile insurance coverage, a person with a catastrophic impairment may have up to $1 million in combined medical, rehabilitation and attendant care benefits, plus applicable HST. Optional insurance coverage may increase the limit to $2 million. The applicable policy and accident date should always be reviewed. 

5. Does catastrophic impairment automatically mean my insurer will pay for renovations? 

No. A catastrophic impairment designation increases access to accident benefit funding, but it does not automatically approve a renovation. The proposed home modifications must still satisfy the requirements of the SABS and be supported by appropriate evidence. 

6. Can insurance help pay for a different home instead of renovations? 

Potentially. The SABS recognizes the purchase of a new home as a rehabilitation measure where it is more reasonable to purchase another home to accommodate the injured person’s needs than to renovate the existing residence. The amount payable and whether relocation is appropriate depends on the circumstances. 

7. Should I renovate my home before receiving insurance approval? 

Families should obtain advice before incurring substantial renovation expenses. Major home modifications may require professional assessments, treatment and assessment plans, quotes and insurer approval. Beginning construction without understanding the applicable insurance process may create difficulties with reimbursement. 

8. Can home modifications be claimed in a personal injury lawsuit? 

Yes, in appropriate cases. If another person or organization is legally responsible for the injury, reasonable future care costs may form part of the damages claimed in a personal injury lawsuit. Depending on the evidence, these costs may include necessary home modifications and accessibility equipment. 

9. What happens if my insurer denies funding for a home modification? 

The insurer should provide reasons for its decision. Depending on the circumstances, additional medical or rehabilitation evidence may address the dispute. Unresolved statutory accident benefits disputes can potentially proceed to Ontario’s Licence Appeal Tribunal. 

10. When should I contact a personal injury lawyer about home modifications? 

It is advisable to obtain legal advice early when a serious injury creates significant accessibility or long-term care needs. A lawyer can help review available insurance coverage, coordinate professional evidence, address insurer disputes, assess a possible personal injury claim, and identify deadlines that may affect your rights.