Heart disease is a serious condition that affects 1 out of 20 adult Canadians over the age of 20. If allowed to progress untreated, heart disease can make it difficult to do any activities, including work.
A lot of heart disease can be managed with medications, diet, and exercise. These treatments, however, do not cure the problem. For some, heart disease can be very hard to manage, even with treatment. It is these people who need to make a claim for long-term disability payments.
Trying to secure long-term disability benefits for heart disease can be a challenge. Since heart disease in any form is not a “visible” disability, insurance companies like to discredit this as a disability.
If you have heart disease and it has caused you to become disabled, it will be in your best interest to consult a long-term disability lawyer about your rights to make a compensation claim.
Different Heart Conditions That Can Lead To Needing Long Term Disability
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease, or CAD, is a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries of the heart and reduces blood flow. This can lead to shortness of breath, pain in the chest, shoulder, or arms, and nausea. With time, CAD can damage the heart and lead to a heart attack.
Hypertension
Hypertension is also known as high blood pressure. When you have high blood pressure the blood in your arteries is placing too much pressure against the walls of the heart. This can lead to severe headaches, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath. Sometimes there are no visible signs of hypertension until it has caused significant damage to your heart.
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia is also known as irregular heartbeat. This can be caused by many different reasons and generally entails the spending up of the heart rate without exertion. An irregular heartbeat can lead to shortness of breath, fainting or stroke or heart attack if left untreated.
Congestive Heart Failure
When the heart cannot pump blood adequately it is considered congestive heart failure. This can lead to fatigue, shortness of breath, heart attack, and stroke. There are treatments and lifestyle changes for this condition.
Heart Valve Problems
When any of the four heart valves stop working properly your heart can be damaged. This can lead to pain, loss of breath, and fatigue. heart valve problems will require surgery to repair.
Why Is It Difficult To Apply And Secure LTD Benefits For A Heart Condition
Insurance companies are very aggressive about paying out for long-term disability claims, especially for heart conditions. Heart conditions are hard to prove, and since they show no visible disability, they are much easier for the company to discredit.
This does not mean that having a heart condition does not qualify for these benefits. It just means that you will most likely need the services of a lawyer to secure your benefits because the insurance company will not make the process easy for you.
Types Of Benefits You May Be Entitled To For Heart Conditions
If your heart condition is disabling, you may be entitled to receive the following benefits: Canadian Disability Pension Plan Payments and Long Term Disability Payments from your private insurer.
Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) disability payments will require that you are under the age of 65, have become disabled, and have contributed to the plan during your work years.
Long Term Disability insurance will require you to prove that the heart disease is permanent and has caused you to become disabled.
How To Build A Winning Claim For Heart Disease
There are several steps that you should take to help build your claim for long-term disability payments. If you have debilitating heart disease, you are encouraged to do the following:
- Go to the doctor and have your condition officially diagnosed. Your doctor will perform several tests on you that can show that you have heart disease and the progression of the condition.
- Follow all medical advice of your physicians. Your doctor needs to be able to show that you are trying to keep yourself healthy despite heart disease.
- Document everything that you can and cannot do because of your heart disease. This applies to at work and at home.
- Contact a long-term disability lawyer for assistance.
Your physician will have to complete several tests, including stress tests, to determine if you have any of these conditions. These tests can have varied results and may need to be repeated to get a conclusive diagnosis.
It is also very important to understand that the insurance companies are going to be very aggressive about disproving your claim. Sadly, even if you are approved right away, this does not guarantee that you will continue receiving monthly benefits. The insurance companies will continue to monitor you in an effort to find reasons to stop making payments.
Another reason it is crucial to have legal representation when you are making a claim for long-term disability payments for heart disease is that the insurance company may have a lot of stipulations that they put into your agreement that you must comply with to keep getting your payments. Having a lawyer look over these stipulations will be beneficial to you.
If You Have Been Denied LTD Benefits
If you have been denied LTD benefits, you have the right to file an appeal. However, you are encouraged to seek legal help before filing the appeal. Having a lawyer manage your appeal will help you secure long-term disability benefits for heart disease in Ontario.
