How and When do You Apply for CPP Disability Benefits?

The Canada Pension Plan or CPP is a pension program that is administered across the country. It is designed to assist Canadians by providing income in the event of a disability or for retirement. With the exception of Quebec, who has the equivalent Quebec Pension Plan, CPP is mandatory in that all employers and employees in Canada must make contributions to it.

Employed Canadians who are 18 to 70 years of age must subsidize CPP and QPP (if a resident of Quebec). The only people excluded are those who are already collecting a pension from the plan.

Contributions are a direct percentage of a person’s annual earnings. Annually, due to fluctuations in the cost of living, the maximum contribution amount, benefits and the basic exemption are adjusted.

Some people mistake Old Age Security (OAS) with CPP. A reputable disability lawyer can explain in further detail how the two are different. To start, the funds from OAS come from taxes and are available to anyone who is between 18 and 65 years of age. Also, they must have been a Canadian resident for at least 40 years. CPP gets its funding from the contributions of employers and employees. A person can start collecting OAS at 65. The age to collect CPP begins at 60.

Decide When to Apply for CPP Disability Benefits

Before making the decision to leave work and apply for disability benefits, determine if it is the right time for you to do so. Many people who complete an application of this sort have a lingering medical condition that, over time, has finally forced them to leave the workforce.

An enduring medical condition makes going to work every day challenging. Eventually, your body simply cannot take any more and breaks down. But before leaving your job, certain questions must be asked:

1. Have you worked four of the last six years, which is the minimum qualifying period?
2. Do you have your doctor’s approval? It will be necessary if you want the CPP disability administration to approve your claim.

How to Apply

Completing the CPP Disability Benefit Application is the first step. To have an application that is considered ready for submission, sections of the application must be completed such as:

● The disability questionnaire
● A child rearing provision
● Information about your work
● The Medical Report form which should be filled out by your doctor
● The consent form for Service Canada to obtain your personal data

It is also a good idea to prepare a well thought out cover letter to accompany your application forms. The cover letter is entirely optional but can better your chances of success if done correctly. The initial paragraph should state that you are submitting the forms. The verbiage in the main body can give administrators more information about you and why you are applying. This is a great opportunity to tell the CPP administrator how living with your disability has impacted your life.

The above is an abbreviated list of all the information required. The application is not difficult to fill out, but there is a lot of information requested and you do not want to take the risk of overlooking a single question or field. An experienced Toronto disability lawyer can help ensure your application is not only completed properly, but accurately, as well.