Does anyone from Canada know how hard it is to get any kind of disability benefit for depression?

I went back to work in March after almost a year off. I did not have any trouble getting disability benefits from the insurance company. My short term disability rolled over into long term without any problems. I did work with a Rehabilitation Consultant who was a great advocate for me however. My doctor completed two forms in that entire time, and they never phoned him for further information. Having said that, I have heard of people in Canada who have had a terrible time getting disability benefits. I think it depends on the insurance company and the information provided to them by you and your doctor. That seems to make a difference. And I must say that I have never applied for disability from either EI or CPP so I cant' comment on that.

I was off work for months. I had insurance through work and it took a long time. When the Doctor fills out your form and has that depression could be contributed to work, than the insurance co. takes a little longer in working through all the paperwork, as they are more interested in if there is another job you could do, etc. I was once told to never put work down as a cause of depression, as they really take their time to investigate all the other options. Also, when the insuracne lady phoned me at home, to do a kind of interview after she rec'd my Dr's letter and all the forms, she then went on to tell me that the interview had been taped and they would be forwarding on to their Dr. for review. I was really pi**ed off with the insurance by that point - she should have told me at the start of the "interview", that it would be taped and forwarded to their dr. Anyway, I did manage to get insurace with no problems after that. We have very good insurance at work and it was all tax free money. I just came back to work before it was to roll over to "long term diability", and I was really not looking forward to all those forms and interviews again. It is very frustrating, as you are obviously sick and those insurace companies drill you. I actually wrote a letter to the insurance co. telling them in the future they should inform patients of any taped conversations BEFORE they do it. I also spoke to my employer about it, and he also contacted them.

Once my insurace did start coming, it came every week without fail. I never had to deal with EI, although I did go talk to them about my options if I was not able to return to work. There was only so many weeks they would cover you for, and if you couldn't do that specific kind of work anymore, they would keep at you, until you found work you could do.

All that paperwork, rules, etc. all very upsetting, when you are feeling terrible to begin with.

It depends on where you live for Provincial support. If you live in Ontario it is pretty hard to get on ODSP for depression but you can. You really need a doctor that supports it. Like REALLY.

I was just wondering if there are any Canadians out there who are on disablity through a private insurance company (like Green Sheild, Great West Life, Blue Cross, etc.,) and what their relationship with their disability case manager is like...I am working with someone who I find very misinformed...I am now getting "heat" to return to work or come up with a plan, even though my doctor says it is out of the question at the moment. Don't these guys need input and an ok from your doctor before you return to work? I was on STD, now am on LTD with an end date of November...my current doctor hasn't even filled out forms for this manager (my old doc did), so basically this manager has no up to date info since June of this year. Alot has changed...If my doctor refuses to clear me to go back to work, what can they do....And, another question, what is a Vocational Counsellor and what is their role......

Dee Dee

Hi,
I am from Toronto, and was on ODSP for awhile for depression. I had a really good p-doctor who knew HOW and WHAT to put on the forms. It took awhile, gotta go on Welfare first then ODSP. But when you do get on, they back pay you.

If they deny you the first time, APPEAL IT. THen it is more than likely that you will get on. DO NOT GIVE UP. On ODSP if you really need it. Sometimes they say no at first to see if you really need it. I know that sucks, but that is what I heard. THere are also lawyers that deal with getting people on it. THey, I think are called ODSP lawyers. My p-doc at the time, gave me a number for that kind of lawyer, but didn't need it and thru out the number a while back....

Good luck with it! Remember, KEEP AT IT. IT WILL PAY OFF!

I am no longer on it, I got married and my husband didn't want to go thru all the paper work and them checking into his personal stuff and fortunately, he makes enough to support both of us. Not in luxury, but enough to get a Starbuck's once in a while

-Nefret

Oh, I also worked for a very mis-informed company. Awful, which only ads to the depression/aniety/stress. They did not believe I was attending dr's appointments. They sent a letter to my doctor and gave me a copy (very nice letter), but...when i got to the dr's he showed me the letter he got, completely different from the one I was given. Well, I got a copy of that letter and marched into work livid. Needless to say, I got a bunch of nothing out of that, but I kept fighting. They also sent me to their (company's) doctor in Winnipeg (I live in Brandon). As soon as I got back from Winnipeg I phoned my company and told them exactly that you could tell who was paying their bill. My psych in Brandon says he has been asked to do those company assessments and refuses. Anyway, the company thought it was like having a broken arm and I would come back healed in six weeks. They had no idea! Keep in mind this is a company with 200 employees in Brandon and many locations across the country, so they do have human resource people that unfortunately know how to read a book about what should happen, but have no idea how to deal with people. So, after this long rant, I had no problem with insurance, but lots with the company. I had letters from my doctor, threatened to contact the labour board and printed off so much information on depression, how hard it is to find the right meds, etc. I gave them so much information, and I believe they added so much more to my stress, but hope it helps the next person.

If I can be of any help...

I work for Service Canada as an Employment Insurance Agent. I process dozens of claims everyday. Do not wait for an answer from your Personal Insurance claim before applying for illness benefits! All we do is send you a reimbursment statement letter that you have to sign and return to us (you can also go to your nearest local center and hand in your letter to one of our agents). As soon as we receive your letter, you are approved for illness benefits and your claim will go through shortly. A few things you need to qualify for illness benefits:

- Have a minimum of 600 hours worked
- The reason for separation on your Record of Employment has to be "D" for Illness/Injury. (If the reason for separation is different, you must have a medical certificate to support your claim)
- Always make sure to let EI know if you have been paid sick leave(s) after your last day physically worked. (this will waive your 2 weeks waiting period!)

EI will pay a maximum of 15 weeks of illness benefits. It's not that much but hey it's almost 4 months! For faster service and a chance of receiving the maximum time of illness benefits, have your doctor sign a medical certificate with a date of recovery (if the recovery date shows : Indefinite, you will AUTOMATICALLY receive the maximum 15 weeks of illness benefits). If there is no medical certificate but the Record of Employment shows "D" for Illness/Injury, then EI will automatically grant 8 weeks of illness benefits.

I hope this helped!

Good luck to you all!

Izzy

Bumpy de bump!

I went through this last time (filed all the EI work) after my disability carrier could not make a decision on extending my STD...to make a long story short, they ended up accepting my STD and so all the work of filing the EI was pointless..the agent called me etc., and I had to explain that coverage had been extended. As my claims manager that works with the disability carrier is not stating that I will not be extended past Nov 15th, I do not want to start the EI papers all over again (how many times can you do this within a year...ie. keep filing and then recending your application). Until I hear for sure, 100 percent that I am not extended on LTD I will just wait. I can't understand how my case manager can discontinue my claim, eventhough my doctor says I cannot work. My case manager seems to be very misinformed about my condition and part of the problem is my old pdoc but this is awhole other situation. Thanks for your suggestion, I will file if I am not extending on LTD, but keeping my fingers crossed that my new doctor provides enough information that warrants an extension. I've been told by a couple of people that the disability carriers agents basically determine if your claim goes smoothly or not. I was on LTD about 6 years ago and never had any issues with being off (mind you it was also a medical condition) I know insurance companies have tables and timelines but often people don't fit neatly into these timelines, so some adjustments have to be made. Thanks again...if anyone has any suggestions on how to deal with these disability case managers with the insurance companies, I'd love to hear from you.

Having worked with people who had disabilities or applying for (I'll leave it at that, due to the senstive nature of my former employment) it depends on the policies that govern that particular agency.

It could be something internal, and I don't agree with some of these policies.

I am curious, theblondegirl, if you have considered applying for CPP Disability benefits?

It can take a long time if you are eligible, but if you were eligible, at least you would have guarenteed income and not have to worry about your insurer.