How To Apply Disability In Canada

Person With A Disability

How to Apply For Long-Term Disability Benefits From Insurance Companies in Canada

The programs definition of a person with a disability is found in the ODSP Act.

Meeting the definition means that:

you have a substantial mental or physical impairment that is continuous or recurrent, and is expected to last one year or more and

your impairment directly results in a substantial restriction in your ability to work, care for yourself, or take part in community life and

your impairment, its duration and restrictions have been verified by an approved health care professional

To determine whether you meet this definition, your caseworker will give you a Disability Determination Package for you and your health care provider to complete.

Your completed package will be used to determine if you meet the programs definition of a person with a disability.

How Credits Get Counted

You do not have to do anything to have your credits in one country counted by the other country. If we need to count your credits under the Canadian system to help you qualify for a U.S. benefit, we will get a copy of your Canadian record directly from Canada when you apply for benefits. If Canadian officials need to count your U.S. credits to help you qualify for a Canadian benefit, they will get a copy of your U.S. record directly from the Social Security Administration when you apply for the Canadian benefit.

Although each country may count your credits in the other country, your credits are not actually transferred from one country to the other. They remain on your record in the country where you earned them and can also be used to qualify for benefits there.

When I Sue The Insurance Company For Disability Benefits What Do I Actually Sue For

In long term disability actions you are suing for the payment of the disability benefits to which you are entitled. If you and your lawyer decide that the insurance company acted unfairly when they denied your claim you may also sue for bad faith. Your lawyer will also make a claim for pre- and post-judgment interest on the amounts claimed along with a financial contribution from the defendants which will go towards your legal fees.

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A Cpp/qpp Pension May Affect Your Us Benefit

If you qualify for Social Security benefits from the United States based only on U.S. credits and a CPP/QPP benefit from Canada, the amount of your U.S. benefit will be reduced. This is a result of a provision in U.S. law which can affect the way your benefit is figured if you also receive a pension based on work that was not covered by U.S. Social Security. Receipt of a Canadian Old-Age Security pension, which is based on residence in Canada, will not affect the way your benefit is figured. For more information, get the publication, Windfall Elimination Provision . If you are outside the United States, you may write to us at the address in “For more information” section.

Who Qualifies For Temporary Disability Assistance

It would be nice if the Disability Tax Credit were distributed in a way that is black and white. Unfortunately, there are many shades of grey in this process. The Canada Revenue Agency has a trusted medical board that reviews T2201 forms and makes decisions on who receives disability assistance. This group reviews each case and makes individual rulings.

The decision making process can be difficult. It takes time to determine who will receive disability support and for what length of time. The Canada Revenue Agency needs to know more than what type of disability you have they need to know how this disability affects you every day.

This information can help you fill out the T2201 form accurately. Make sure your medical practitioner clearly defines the effects of your disability rather than submitting a flimsy fact sheet. If you feel your doctor has limited knowledge of your daily living challenges, make it a point to discuss these obstacles before he or she fills out their portion of the form.

The Disability Tax Credit Is Our Specialty

The National Benefit Authority is the countrys largest service provider of the Canadian Disability Tax Credit , a Canadian disability benefits program that provides relief for disability costs and living expenses.

Over 40,000 Canadians have entrusted The NBA to manage the medical and financial aspects of the DTC through each stage of the complex Disability Tax Credit application process. We have the experience, knowledge, and resources to help you receive every dollar you deserve.

Best of all, if we dont succeed in recovering your disability tax refund or credit, you dont pay a cent. Guaranteed.

How Do You Apply For The Disability Tax Credit

There are four steps in applying for the Disability Tax Credit

Download the DTC Form here and complete Part A of the form.

Depending on your disability, take Part B of the form to one of these people: your family doctor, optometrist, audiologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, psychologist, nurse practitioner or speech/ language pathologist. Ask them to fill out the relevant sections. You may need to pay for this. When you call to make an appointment, let the receptionist know what it is for and ask how much it will cost.

Get the signed form back from your practitioner. You want to be the person to send it in. If you dont agree with what the practitioner has written, or feel they have missed information, you can then choose to take it to another practitioner or get some professional help.

Send the signed form to the Canada Revenue Agency . You can mail an application or submit it online. To mail it, send the completed form to a CRA Tax Centre You can find a list of locations or call 1 800 622-6232 to find the one nearest you. Or if you prefer, you can now send Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate, and any supporting documents using the secure online tool Submit Documents in your CRA My Account or Represent Client sections. This is a quick way to send your form and get confirmation that the CRA has received your documents.

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Leave Without Pay For Illness Or Injury

If you wish to request leave without pay for illness or injury, you must provide a medical certificate from your physician. With this certificate, and the indication of a likely return to work within a reasonable period of time, your manager will consider granting you leave without pay for illness or injury.

Once your leave without pay is approved, your manager will notify your departmental human resources. They will then notify the Pay Centre through a pay action request form. The Pay Centre will take the appropriate action to temporarily stop your salary.

Apply Using A Paper Application

A new application kit for the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) disability benefit

If you are applying by paper, you must complete 1 of the following forms that applies to your situation:

Please mail the form to us or drop it off at a Service Canada office.

Information on completing the application form

Read all instructions, which include steps for completing your application, changes that may affect your benefits, an address page, a checklist and other information about disability benefits
Write/type your Social Insurance Number at the top of each page in the form and sign all areas that require your signature
If you are a parent or guardian, you can request the child-rearing provision and the children’s benefit
If you are unable to fill out the forms, a family member or a friend can help you. Make sure that you sign where necessary
Keep photocopies of everything you submit. If you call us, write down the name of the person you speak to and the date and time of your conversation. Keep all the information in one place

If someone is helping you with your application

You must provide consent for someone to help you with your application. You can do this 2 ways:

through your My Service Canada Account

This does not give the person helping you authority to:

submit your application
apply for benefits on your behalf
change your payment address
request or change the withholding of tax for you

If you need to apply or act on someone’s behalf

If someone cannot manage their own affairs, another person or agency may act on their behalf.

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Priority Processing Time For Terminal Illnesses

Applications from anyone with a terminal illness receive priority handling. A terminal illness is a disease state that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is reasonably expected to result in death within 6 months.

Our goal is to make a decision within 5 business days of receiving a complete Terminal Illness Application, including a complete Terminal Illness Medical Attestation form .

Fill Out The Application Forms And Gather Supporting Documents

Fill out the forms and gather all the supporting information and documents. Most disability programs have 2-3 forms to be filled out when making a disability claim. You fill one of the forms out. Usually, another form is a medical report for your doctor to fill out. With some disability plans short- and long-term disability, workers compensation there is also a form your employer needs to fill out.It is your responsibility to make sure the forms are filled out properly. Its very important that you review both your doctors report and the employers form for accuracy after they are filled out. Your doctor may inadvertently forget to mention one of your medical conditions your employer may give an inaccurate or incomplete description of your work duties.We see many people do a very poor job when making a disability claim. This is how legitimate disability claims get denied. The claim representative making a decision to approve or reject your application do so based on the qualify of the information and documents you have given, and not based on the reality of your situation as you know it.

You should read that sentence again. If you have done a poor job putting together your application, its very likely your claim will be denied, no matter how legitimate your disability.

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Information On Completing The Medical Form

In addition to your application, you need a medical form completed by your doctor or nurse practitioner. It is very important that you:

complete Sections 1 and 2 of the Medical Report / Terminal Illness Medical Attestation form before you give it to your doctor or nurse practitioner
do not wait for your doctor or nurse practitioner to complete the medical report or medical attestation forms before sending your completed application to us
if you are currently receiving a disability benefit from an insurance company or a provincial/territorial agency, you can ask them to send us your most current medical records instead of the medical report form

We will pay your health care professional up to $85 for completing your medical form. Should they charge more than $85, you are responsible for covering any extra costs.

Learn how we protect your privacy.

How To Apply For The Disability Tax Credit Certificate

To obtain a DTC, you must fill out the first section of the T2201 tax form. The form is available both online and from CRA offices across Canada.
Your medical doctor or other qualified professionals will need to verify and certify your condition on the DTC application.
The Disability Amount can also be transferred to family members and spouses if the impaired person is dependent on them for basic needs, such as food, shelter and clothing.

Once approved by CRA, the DTC allows you to claim the Disability Amount on your tax return.

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What If The Application Is Denied

If the CRA denies your application, the first thing you need to do is review it and make sure that no details were omitted. You can also contest the decision by submitting an appeal which requires you to re-submit your application and provide evidence to prove your eligibility. It is always recommended to use a professional service to review your application and help you gather additional proof. Note that the number of times you is unlimited.

Your Responsibilities When Illness Or Injury Prevents You From Working

Administering sick-leave benefits is complex. You need to work closely with your manager, your departmental human resources team and the Pay Centre to ensure that:

leave records are accurate and up-to-date
you receive information of your options and benefits
forms are filled out accurately
forms are sent to the appropriate organization in a timely manner

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Streamline Your Application Process

The application process will depend on what kind of Short Term Disability coverage you have and your insurers requirements. If your benefits plan includes services from a third-party disability management service like DMI, ensure you are utilizing their expertise to help you along the way.

If you are applying for short term disability coverage, you want to focus on your treatment and recovery. To get your claims experience started right, our partners at DMI offer their advice to get things going in the right direction:

Fill out application forms in their entirety. Your application for benefits will be based primarily on the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the information that you provide, so double checking or having a close friend or family member look over your application form for any missing information can save you valuable time and energy.
Ensure your doctor, treatment team or specialist fills out the appropriate paperwork and provides the clinical records relating to your claims. This is the information your insurer will use to adjudicate your claim for benefits.
You will need to provide a clear and legible copy of one of the following documents: birth certificate, drivers license, or a government-issued passport.
Other information you may need to include is your SIN number, banking information for direct deposit, an up-to-date mailing address, as well as your employers address.

Make Sure Your Doctor Supports You

Disability & Canadian Healthcare Q A

It is critical that you have your doctors support before you try to go on sick leave and apply for disability benefits. To be blunt: making a disability claim without your doctors support is a waste of time and can cause a lot of problems.Without your doctors support, your employer will not recognize your absence from work as being an approved sick leave. They will take the position that you are on an unauthorized leave and might take steps to terminate your employment.If your own doctor doesnt support you, there is no chance that any disability benefits plan or program will approve your application for disability payments. Many disability plans will deny your application even if you have a supportive doctor.What do you do if your doctor doesnt support you?It may just mean that your doctor needs more convincing. You should discuss your concerns to the doctor and do everything the doctor recommends to improve your symptoms and ability to work. Many doctors will support you once they believe you have done everything possible to try and remain employed.In rare cases, you may have a biased or uninformed doctor. Some doctors have personal beliefs and biases against people who need to apply for disability benefits. Dont assume this is the case with your doctor just because they are reluctant to support you give your doctor the benefit of the doubt.

What Conditions Automatically Qualify You For Disability

The Social Security Disability Insurance program has the most-publicly accessible information on how it qualifies applicants to receive long-term disability benefits. Regarding which medical conditions count as long-term disabilities, SSDI maintains a frequently updated online list that is divided into the following categories:

Musculoskeletal system
Immune system disorders
Low birthweight and failure to thrive

In addition to a diagnosis, SSDI considers the results of functional assessments when deciding whether a health condition qualifies as a long-term disability. For adults, the program looks at a benefits applicants abilities to:

See, hear and speak
Perform work activities such as sitting, standing, walking, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, reaching, handling, stooping and crouching
Perform mental tasks like understanding and remembering new information, concentrating on and completing tasks, following instructions and responding appropriately to supervision, co-workers and stress
Adapt to changes in environmental conditions such as temperature fluctuations and the presence of fumes

The severity of a childs disability is assessed by the individuals ability to do things like learn, complete tasks, interact with other people, move and manipulate objects as well as communicate. What Medical Conditions Qualify for Long Term Disability in Ohio?

Disability Insurance Benefits And Taxes

Generally, if you pay the entire amount of the disability premium yourself, your disability benefits will be tax-free. This may bring your income while on disability closer to your current take-home pay.

If your employer pays all or part of the disability premium, your disability benefits will be subject to income taxes.

Who Is Eligible For The Dtc

You are eligible for the DTC only if we approve Form T2201, Disability Tax Credit Certificate. A medical practitioner has to fill out and certify that you have a severe and prolonged impairment and must describe its effects. Answer a few questions to find out if the person with the disability may be eligible.

If we have already told you that you are eligible, do not send another form unless the previous period of approval has ended or if we tell you that we need one. You should tell us if your medical condition improves and you no longer meet the criteria for the DTC.

See Eligibility criteria for the disability tax credit to know more about the requirements to be eligible for the DTC.