The Claims Period is now open. Claimants have until July 27, 2028 to submit a Claim for compensation.
Claimants
How to begin your Claim
The Claims Process is designed to be trauma-informed, clear and straightforward so people can move through it at their own pace. Primary Class Members, their Representatives and Estates of Primary Class Members who passed away on or after January 25, 2016, can submit a Claim.
The Settlement does not provide compensation for medical malpractice or claims related medical treatment.
The Claims Period is now open, and Claims can be sent until July 27, 2028.
This page provides an overview of the Claim Form and what happens when you submit your Claim. There are also detailed Step-by-step instructions to help you complete the Claim Form.
This information is for all Claims. If you are submitting for someone else as a representative, lawyer or for someone who has passed away, there is additional information you need to provide.
Additional information for:
Where to Begin
The online Claims Portal is the fastest option to submit a Claim.
You can download the Claim Form or request a paper copy by calling the Info Line at 1-888-592-9101.
The Claim Form asks for personal information, identification, admission details, and written responses to questions about your experience.
You do not need records or proof related to your admission to one of the 33 Federal Indian Hospitals operated by the Government of Canada between 1936 and 1981, unless you choose to include them.
Understanding the Claim Form and Claims Process
You submit your Claim for compensation and that Claim is processed to determine if you are eligible and how much compensation you might receive.
1. Get the Claim Form
The Claim Form is how you start the Claims Process. The easiest and fastest way to get it is through the online Claims Portal.
You can also download the Claim Form or call the Info Line at 1-888-592-9101 and ask for a paper copy.
2. Gather your information
You will need personal and contact information, government-issued identification (photo ID if you have it), and what you can remember about being admitted to one of the 33 Federal Indian Hospitals.
Information about Hospital Admission
- Name of the Federal Indian Hospital
- Approximate dates of admission
- Additional details (if known)
Details about your experience
- Information about psychological, verbal, physical, and/or sexual abuse experienced during admission
Payment Details
- Where compensation can be sent if the Claim is approved
Records are not required, but if you have them, they may help the Claims Administrator review your Claim. Send copies only, never originals.
3. Information about your admission to a Federal Indian Hospital
As part of the Claim, you will be asked to identify the Federal Indian Hospital you were admitted to. If you were admitted to more than one, there are spaces to include that information.
You will be asked questions about your experience. You will also be asked to identify the Level of harm you experienced at a Federal Indian Hospital. Detailed information is included in the Claim Form.
You can share your experience in your own words, in writing, as part of your Claim. There are no oral interviews. You choose what to share and how much to write. Free supports are available to help.
4. Submitting your Claim
When you are ready, you can send your completed Claim Form in the way that works best for you. Many people choose the online option because it is the fastest and easiest, but all methods are available.
Online Claims Portal
The online Claims Portal is the quickest way to send your Claim. The Portal guides you through each section and helps make sure nothing is missed before you submit it.
Email your Claim and copies of your identification and other documents to Claims@Admin.IHSettlement.ca
Fax
Send your Claim and copies of your identification and other documents by fax to 1-416-966-5701
Mail your Claim and copies of your identification (do not send original documents) and other documents to:
FIH Claims Administrator
PO Box 5493
Station Main
Newmarket, ON L3Y 0J4
Courier deliveries are not accepted.
What happens after you submit your Claim
1. The Claims Administrator reviews your Claim
After a Claim is submitted, the Claims Administrator reviews it and will reach out if anything is missing. You will have up to one year to send missing information, with reminders at several points along the way.
2. Eligibility Decision
The Claims Administrator sends the completed Claim to the Government of Canada for its review of the eligibility information. The Government of Canada does not review the harms-related information captured in the Claim Form.
If the Government of Canada has any documents or information related to the Claim, they will be provided to the Claims Administrator. The Government of Canada may make an eligibility recommendation, but they do not make eligibility decisions.
Eligibility decisions are made only by the Claims Administrator.
The Claims Administrator will make an eligibility decision and notify you.
If you agree with the decision, you don’t need to do anything. Your Claim will move to the next step, which is Compensation Review.
2a. Eligibility Reconsideration
If you disagree with an eligibility decision, you can ask for an Eligibility Reconsideration by the Independent Reviewer. The Government of Canada can also request for a Reconsideration.
- The Independent Reviewer is a neutral decision-maker appointed by the Court. They review requests for reconsideration of either eligibility or compensation to take another look at a Claim decision and make a final decision.
- In some cases, the Independent Reviewer may ask the Exceptions Committee to review the Claim. The Exceptions Committee is a committee that guides special or unusual Claims. It is asked to review a Claim under reconsideration only when something is unclear or not covered by the usual rules.
An eligibility decision made by the Independent Reviewer or the Exceptions Committee is Final.
3. Compensation Decision
If your Claim is eligible, the next step is for the the Claims Administrator to establish the compensation level using the information in the Claim Form and the Claims Protocol.
Compensation ranges from $10,000 to $200,000, depending on the type and level of harm described in the Claim.
If you agree with the level of compensation the Claims Administrator has decided, you don’t have to do anything and your payment will be processed.
3a. Compensation Reconsideration
If you disagree with the level of compensation the Claims Administrator has decided, you can ask for a Compensation Reconsideration by the Independent Reviewer.
- The Independent Reviewer is a neutral decision-maker appointed by the Court. They review requests for reconsideration of either eligibility or compensation to take another look at a Claim decision and make a final decision.
- In some cases, the Independent Reviewer may ask the Exceptions Committee to review the Claim. The Exceptions Committee is a committee that guides special or unusual Claims. It is asked to review a Claim under reconsideration only when something is unclear or not covered by the usual rules.
Compensation decisions made by the Independent Reviewer or Exceptions Committee are final.
4. Payment
Once the compensation level is final, the Claims Administrator will process your payment in the method you requested on the Claim Form (cheque or direct deposit). You do not need to take extra steps to receive your compensation.
If you have submitted a Claim on behalf of a Class Member who has passed away, payment will be made to the estate.
If a lawyer helped you with your Claim, you will receive your compensation payment directly. There is a separate process for lawyers to have their legal fees paid by the Government of Canada.
