Long-term Disability Benefits are needed by increasingly more Canadians

Who qualifies for long-term disability benefits?

Long-term disability benefits provide income replacement for a person who has a medical condition, such as an illness or injury, that prevents them from working for an extended time.  Long-term disability benefits are different from workplace insurance benefits in that the medical condition does not need to have originated at work.  For example, someone who was injured in a motor vehicle accident and as a result, is unable to function in their job may be eligible for long-term disability payments.

About 750,000 Ontario residents rely on disability benefits to survive.  Many receive benefits through individual or group plans provided privately or by their employer. Such policies pay the majority of the income you received in your job before becoming disabled, but after two years, in order to continue receiving benefits, you must prove you can’t perform any work for which you’re reasonably qualified.

Long-term disability programs

A large number of Canadians with disabilities receive benefits through the Canada Pension Plan (CPP-disability) or the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).  CPP-disability is Canada’s largest public disability coverage provider, and provides an income for those who are prevented from working due to a prolonged and serious disability.  Also, many Ontarians receive benefits from the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), which is often referred to as the disability benefit program of last resort.

Disability benefits provide not only a necessary income for people who are not able to work, the income from these benefits also pays for needed medicines.  A thestar.com article titled “Disabled in Ontario increasingly forced onto Welfare” (Dec 13, 2013), tells the story of a 45 year old factory work who was diagnosed with a brain tumour.  She had no disability benefits through her workplace, but qualified for ODSP which paid for her medical expenses and drugs after surgery as well as providing an income supplement.

Increasingly more Canadians do not have access to long-term disability insurance benefits through their employer, largely because more employees are hired on a part-time or contract basis without benefits.  At the same time, far more Canadians are applying for long-term disability benefits for psychological conditions that interfere with their ability to do their job, such as mental illness, depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome. Unless someone has private long-term disability coverage, they must rely on government programs such as CPP-disability and ODSP.

Unfortunately, insurance companies and even government programs such as CPP often put up barriers to individuals applying for needed disability benefits, or they deny coverage or terminate benefits while someone is still unable to go back to work.  In 2014, it was estimated that as many as 60 per cent of CPP-disability benefit applications were being denied, in many cases to deserving applicants such as terminally ill cancer sufferers.  This disturbing denial and backlog in CPP claims is partly due to inefficiencies in the application process, but many claims are denied because of insufficient documentation including medical reports required to substantiate a claim.  

After paying for disability coverage through an insurance plan or income tax, likely for many years, you certainly deserve to receive this needed benefit when a medical condition prevents you from working for a prolonged period. If you are having difficulties in applying for long-term disability benefits or your claim was denied, call Injury Lawyers of Ontario to find out how we can help expedite your claim.  Our lawyers are well experienced in successfully resolving insurance disputes and also, in helping applicants apply for long-term disability benefit claims.  

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