DEFINITION:
Severe burns shall mean the diagnosis by a physician, who is a certified Plastic Surgeon licensed and practicing in Canada, that you have sustained third degree burns covering at least 20% of the surface area of your body.

INTERPRETATION:
Burns are medically known as 'first', 'second' and 'third' degree. First degree burns damage the top layer of skin (ie: sunburn). Second degree burns go deeper into the layers of skin, but some may heal without scarring. Third degree burns are the most serious, destroying the full thickness of the skin. This definition covers third degree burns when such burns cover 20% or more of your body's surface area.