If you’ve become disabled and cannot work, it’s understandable that you might be concerned about money. How will you take care of yourself and your loved ones without a regular paycheck coming in?
Applying for disability is a good place to start; however, your claim might be denied. Even if it’s ultimately approved, the process might be a long one. What are your chances of getting approved for disability? Are there any signs your claim might get the green light? Let’s unpack the issue here.
What Are Some Signs that You Will be Approved?
First things first. You have a higher likelihood of being approved if your case involves:
- An impairment recognized as eligible by your policy. This requires reading the fine print of your policy prior to submitting a claim for benefits.
- There is complete information in the application to prove your eligibility for benefits. This could include documentation from a doctor and medical specialists, as well as from an employer.
- There is knowledge about specific provisions in the policy that provide eligibility. Disability policies often contain a myriad clauses meant to help insurers minimize payouts, since that’s how they maximize profits. Again, read your policy carefully to ensure your disabling condition does not fall within some exclusion, such as is common for pre-existing conditions.
Additionally, any Canadian with a significant health condition could qualify for a Disability Tax Credit, which could result in an award of more than $25,000 to qualified claimants. The refunds could be $25,000 in a lump sum as well as $2,500 per year for current and future tax years.
Some of the most common conditions that usually qualify include:
- Cognitive issues such as memory loss, confusion, Alzheimer’s, dementia, depression, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Digestive disorders such as inflammatory bowel disorder, Crohn’s/colitis, incontinence, or prostate issues
- Slowed walking because of knee/hip problems, osteoarthritis, poor circulation, or foot disorders
- Hearing-impaired issues such as hearing aids, the need for hearing aids, or general poor hearing
- Limited upper body mobility, such as weak or shaky hands or arms and back or neck problems
- Breathing disorders, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, tuberculosis, chronic asthma, or sleep apnea
There are actually thousands of medical conditions that qualify for the Disability Tax Credit, and you can view a fuller list of conditions at the Benefits for Medical Disabilities website. That said, you will also want to know how to appeal long-term disability denial should your case not turn out as you had hoped.
How Can You Increase Your Chances of Getting Approved?
You might be wondering how to get your application for long-term disability benefits approved. The thing to keep in mind with disability benefits in Canada is that your impairment has to be totally disabling meaning that the condition prevents you from doing the work you were previously doing before its onset. Generally after 2 years the disability must also prevent you from further gainful employment for which you are reasonably suited by your education, training or prior work experience.
Keeping in mind the requirement that you must be totally disabled; the disability is likely to last an extended, unknown amount of time or will eventually cause your death. It also means that you are not able to work regularly and can only earn a very small amount or are not able to work at all. You will increase your chances of being approved by documenting your medical condition and how it prevents you from working.
When an insurance company receives your application, a nurse practitioner may examine what medical condition you have and how severe it is, how your condition or its treatment affects your ability to work, and how likely you are to recover or get worse.
How Can Derek Wilson Help?
Derek Wilson is an experienced long-term disability lawyer who fights to ensure that all of his clients get every dollar of compensation they are entitled to. He has more than a quarter-century of experience and never delegates his cases to any junior associates, so you can be confident that he will be handling your case himself.
An additional benefit of working with Derek Wilson is that he has experience working for insurance companies, so he knows how they think and he effectively negotiates the best outcome for your claim.
You can either call us at 289-274-9567 or fill out an online contact form so we can fully assess the ways in which we can help. We will then schedule a free consultation that will allow us to review the details of your case and explain how our long-term disability claim denial lawyer may be able to help.
