In Canada, one of the benefits available to people with a disability is the CPP Disability Pension. Information on the pension can be found here on a government website. But, it helps to understand how the benefit works and whether or not it is viable for you as an individual.
The Application Process
First, to apply for the benefits is a lengthy process. One has to go to their GP or treating practitioners and have them fill out a form with you. Your doctor has to be supportive of the application otherwise there is no chance to be approved for the CPP Disability Pension. Many people apply for the pension but don’t get it because the information on their application isn’t clear, or the disability isn’t accepted by the review board who reads the applications. The first step therefore is to read the information offered at the above website and then discuss it with one’s doctor. If your doctor is supportive, then you proceed with the application. If one isn’t approved, there is an appeals process.
Seven Reasons Why Applications Fail
According to a Globe and Mail article in 2014 there are key reasons why some Canadians are being turned down for the pension. Author Michael J. Prince is the Lansdowne Professor of Social Policy at the University of Victoria, and has written extensively on disability policy. He wrote that the following are the primary reasons why people are refused the CPP Disability Pension .
- 60% of people are refused on their first try – which is why it’s so important to have everything in order before you submit the application
- Canada has one of the highest rejection rates for its disability insurance program – successful appeals are about 43%
- The Tribunal has approximately 7,000 appeals in backlog (in 2014) and these hold the application system/process back
- “Working Canadians with disabilities who apply for CPP benefits have lost certain legal rights and had other rights confined. Regulations now allow the new Tribunal to summarily dismiss an appeal if it is satisfied that the appeal has no reasonable chance of success.”
- The process is very subjective and each application goes before only one member of the Tribunal
- No new evidence can be presented in an appeal
- The system is moving to a completely electronic process but nothing in the legislation requires teleconferences or video conferences to be accessible
Get Help from Disability Credit Canada
The process is therefore highly arduous and perhaps even biased to a degree in that the system makes it extremely difficult to apply and even harder to be accepted. Only the individual with the disability can decide whether or not the time and energy are warranted. However, there is help. Disability Credit Canada is an organization with specialists in this field. The information and support they can provide could make the difference between a successful or failed application. They understand exactly what the Tribunal looks for in an application, and they can discuss this with you to provide the advice necessary to submit an application which has a much higher chance for success.
At Disability Credit Canada we’ve seen many people applying for CPP Canadian Pension Plan disability benefits who are unaware that their dependent children may also be eligible to receive a monthly payment under the children’s benefits provision of the CPP. This part of the pension program is called the CPP Disability Child Benefits. The CPP disability children’s benefit plan was introduced to help alleviate the hardship brought upon dependent children by a parent’s disability. If you have applied and been approved for CPP disability benefits there is a good chance your dependent children will be eligible for the children’s benefit.
However, in the end, only the individual must do a lot of the work. For many people with disabilities there is already stress in their lives in the management of other challenges and concerns. It helps to know the benefits of the pension before applying, so again, go to the website listed at the top of this article to ensure you know everything before even considering the submission of an application. Also, it is helpful to have that detailed conversation with you doctor as they have likely supported others to apply for the pension, and they too can be a support system for your application. Good luck!
