COVID-19 Restricted Access to Healthcare / Late App Provision / Latest Possible Date of Onset

First of all, I would like to give my gratitude to Mr. David Brannen of Resolute Legal for an exemplary job at putting together the most comprehensive learning curve package aimed to take the confusion out of navigating CPP-Disability claims. David u r a RockStar, Man… my potential appeal case is going straight to your office.

I am in Ontario. My most recent CPP-D contribution year is 2019 and I have a long History of cervical spine Myelopathy and multiple spine surgeries from 2008-2020 . I am finally filling out my online CPP-D forms and I am writing my (Date of Onset /last day working) as an independent contractor April 15, 2020. I haven’t regained the limited functions I had prior to my surgery in July 2020, so my disability continues.

In July, 2020, the Medical system was shut down here while my symptoms became so severe I was unable to feed myself independently. I had to fly during the COVID lock-downs to EU, to get multilevel Lumbar spine disc replacement. Recovery lasted about 18 Months. In December, 2021 (2 days before the Federal and Provincial appointed/unelected “Health” dictators shut down Healthcare system AGAIN. I received total shoulder replacement due to severe Arthritis. So now having just completed physio for shoulder replacement, I am working on my CPP-D app. I have reviewed everything Mr. Brannen discussed about “Date of Onset” and about what is identified in the “CPP-D Adjudication Framework”… regarding Date of Onset, Latest Possible Date of Onset, Late Application Provision and Date of Application. Considering my most recent CPP-D contribution is 2019 Tax year, and I totally broke down physically by April, 2020, where I couldn’t even warm up a sandwich in a microwave independently. Am I screwed out of eligibility for CPP-D? Even though I had sustained more nerve damage after the recent operation and that I am still having more operations and treatments?

  1. Does the CPP-D adjudicating staff have any special provisional considerations that the COVID-19 Provincial healthcare policies made it extremely difficult to get medical care and treatments in Ontario. In my observation of the word “FAIRNESS” in the context of the “CPP Disability Adjudication Framework” definitions, it seems reasonable to allow for some extensions of time and flexibility to consider since the restricted access to Healthcare for Canadians during the COVID-19 policy implementations has suspended treatments, diagnostics, and surgeries for hundreds of thousands of Canadians. Have the CPP-D Adjudicators accounted for this reality? It would be “fair” to relax some of the time-line restrictions surrounding applying for CPP-D for those applicants who were caught in the dragnet of COVID-19, and forced to wait on the sidelines indefinitely before they could access treatments. Many of them have succumb to their terminal illnesses due to a total lack of Healthcare access.
    Or are the Adjudicators restricted to operate only within their own bubble of their outdated policy framework that was written before all hell broke loose for chronic illness patients’ ability to access healthcare?

  2. …and the other part of my question is, do I still qualify under the existing (Pre-COVID written) policy framework? Considering my most recent contribution year is 2019 and my date of onset is April 15, 2020 and I am sending my personal info forms and medical documents online this week April 10, 2022?

I would be looking forward to an intelligent discussion on the matter…

I have no idea.
I think you had to contribute to CPP in 4 out of the last 6 years.
I think there is late provision for applying but I don’t remember the reasons.

Thanx for the reply jammer.
I worked the math and I still qualify…
Just trying to finish up my application is so much work because my case History dates back 15 Years…

Great. Good luck with the application.