How Hard Is It To Get CPP Disability Benefits: An Overview

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Life’s harsh turns are mostly unexpected, and sometimes, an injury can cause a disability to you, leaving you unable to do your work properly. If you’re facing the same kind of issues in your life and thinking about applying for CPP, then you’re at the right place. 

The problem arises when you are faced with the harsh reality of applying for the CPP benefits. According to a 2016 CPP disability audit done by Service Canada, 57% of the initial applicants were denied the CPP disability benefits. That’s a big number, and roughly six out of every ten applicants’ claims were rejected. 

In this article, you’ll know about how difficult it is to get CPP disability benefits along with some followable tips to ease the process. So, let’s begin!

Eligibility for getting CPP disability benefits

Are you thinking about which medical conditions can qualify as disabilities under CPP? If you are approaching it in such a way, then that’s not how it works. Any medical condition can come under CPP disability if you can prove that the condition is extreme and has long-term repercussions for you. Furthermore, you should be able to prove that the medical issue has rendered you unable to work properly and earn your livelihood. 

When you want to get the benefits of the CPP benefits, you must have also made enough contributions to the CPP over a long time. You should also know about the maximum age to apply for CPP benefits which is 65 years. 

To know about the listed medical conditions that qualify for CPP disability, you can go through the list given below. If your medical issue isn’t listed down below, don’t worry. This doesn’t mean that you can’t qualify for the CPP benefits. 

Here are the physical medical issues that come under CPP disabilities:-

  • Visual issues
  • Sleep problems
  • Neck and cervical impairments
  • Lyme disease
  • Lupus
  • COVID
  • Knee problems
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS)
  • Severe headaches
  • Heart problems
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Chronic pain
  • Chronic fatigue syndrome

Some mental disorders that are listed in the CPP disabilities are as follows:-

  • Schizophrenia
  • OCD
  • Bipolar disorders
  • Anxiety issues
  • Depression

Note: The above-given list of medical conditions for CPP disability doesn’t include all the medical issues. The final approval by the authorities will depend on your case. If you have found your medical condition on the list, that doesn’t mean that your CPP disability case will get approved. 

Applying for CPP disability

Did you know that applying for CPP disability is a task in itself? There are two forms that you will have to fill out if you want to get the associated benefits. 

These two CCP disability application forms are as follows:-

  • CPP application form

There’s an official application form available for CPP disability provided by Service Canada. Remember to use a current one to get all the benefits. You can either fill out the paper version or the online version. 

The paper version is a 19-page form that you have to fill out and mail to Service Canada. 

With the online version, you can fill out the form in the “My Service Canada” portal. Once you’re done, just submit the form and your application will be submitted.

  • CPP disability application medical form

The second part of the application is to fill out the CPP disability medical form. This form will be filled out by your doctor or nurse. This form will be analyzed by Service Canada to decide if you have a serious disability or not. The doctor treating you needs to fill out a paper form and mail it to Service Canada for your application approval. So, give a printed copy of the form to your doctor. 

The long wait for your application to get approved

If you thought that just applying for the CPP disability was all that it takes, then you’re absolutely wrong. The process has just started. Now, you have to wait for a long time to get your application approved by the authorities. 

Overall, the average time a CPP disability application takes to get approved is 6 to 18 months. This time frame also includes the time you’ll take to prepare the whole application, along with the preliminary decisions regarding your application. Along with this, it also includes the appeals from your side. Remember that the total time to get CPP disability benefits depends on how much time it can take to present your case in the most appropriate way. 

If you don’t present your case properly, chances are Service Canada will deny your claim again and again. It will just lead to reapplying only to get your claim rejected. The denials and reapplying form the major part of the time that the whole application process will take. 

Here are some tips to go through the difficult CPP disability claim application process:-

  1. Be as patient as you can be. The whole CPP disability application process takes several months, so be ready to wait for a long time.
  2. Have a positive mindset to go through the challenges of the whole process. If you have to reapply or oblige to additional documentation requests, be prepared for that as well. 
  3. Don’t apply when your case isn’t that strong enough and when you know it’s bound to get rejected. Apply only when you have a strong case that has a strong winning chance. 
  4. Make sure that you’ve met the minimum qualifying time frame and have sufficient medical records to back your CPP disability claim. 
  5. Without your doctor’s support, the whole application process will become a nightmare. So, ensure strong support from your doctor. If your existing doctor isn’t supporting you enough, look for a different one that can help you with all the important documents. 

Final Words

The CPP disability application process is quite difficult for almost all applicants. While the benefits of CPP are immense for those who get them, that percentage is quite small if compared with the total number of applicants. You can again apply to get CPP benefits, but you should know that 65% of the applicants who reapplied were denied again. So, you should consult the experts in this field if you are serious about getting your CPP disability benefits claim to be approved.

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