My CPP Disability application was denied due to financial reasons. It has been acknowledged that I am disabled and unable to work as of 2021 but I needed to qualify further back to 2019 when I would have qualified financially (due to the “having worked 3 of the last 6 years” rule)
The problem is that I had a different doctor, I’ve been through several. The doctors did not take my issues seriously and pawned me off with iron supplements and antidepressants from what was later diagnosed as IBS then CFS. Is there a way to appeal based on the fact that diagnosis was late due to doctors not taking me seriously?
I am curious about your statement CPPD was denied financially, but it has been acknowledged I am disabled and unable to work since 2021.
The first step in the CPP approval process is determining whether you met the minimum qualification for CPPD based on contributions. Clearly you did not meet the minimum contributions unless there is an exception. Your application never went to medical adjudication to see if you qualified medically, so CPPD did not “acknowledge” you were disabled and unable to work since 2021.
CPPD’s medical adjudication is not based on diagnosis so the fact your doctors did not take you seriously, despite seeing several doctors, doesn’t impact things. CPPD is looking for evidence that you were unable to work, not a medical diagnosis. It is entirely possible there is no medical diagnosis, or differing diagnoses, but there is solid evidence you cannot work in the most basic job. If you have that evidence, then you can be medically approved.
Am I missing something?
Are you relying on somebody else’s opinion you were disabled and unable to work since 2021? The only medical adjudication that matters is CPPD’s opinion. It is a very high bar to pass, and it sounds like your application was rejected before that stage.
Are you saying you were unable to work in 2019 but didn’t have a doctors support to not be able to work and prescribed iron supplements and antidepressants and a different doctor in 2021 says you’re unable to work?
I should have been more clear. I would financially qualify if I had of worked until properly diagnosed and my symptoms became significantly worse in 2021 or if I had of provided more proof of my inability to work when I last financially qualified in 2019. My case did make it to the medical adjudicator after the financial department approved me up until 2019, that was the last time met the rule of having worked 4 (or is it 3?) of the last 6 years.
No, in 2019 I was misdiagnosed as depressed, anemic, and having IBS. In 2021 when my symptoms became significantly worse I started pushing harder for proper diagnosis and was sent to see many specialists. It wasn’t until early 2024 that I received proper diagnosis and acknowledgement that I’m unable to work.
My non-technical term, basic job, is illustrated best by asking the question “could you work as a parking lot attendant?” That job is now obsolete! In reality they look at whether you can be substantially gainfully employed (approximately $20K in 2025). I think there’s a lot more that goes into that evaluation including age and education, etc. but you get the drift. Can you work and earn even a low income?
Did you speak with the medical adjudicator? The letter you received would have been from the medical adjudicator who rejected your claim. She might be able to help you with your questions. She might be able to tell you what you need to prove medically about your symptoms back in 2019 that made it impossible (my words) to work.
David would have better advice on this than me as I am not a lawyer and your case sounds a little complex. It seems you might be a late applicant too.
Diagnosis is only a data point. The disabling symptoms are the issue. The disabling symptoms from your old and new diagnoses overlap significantly, so pursuing a line of thinking that you were misdiagnosed and that is an issue may be a red herring. You need evidence medically that you meet the criteria back in 2019.
Lots of people are approved for CPPD if they have treatment resistant severe depression.
I don’t think it is a hard number.
I think it is any job that pays 60% of your previous salary so it is not any job.
There has been a lot of discussion on this site about COD and “any job” (which is not ANY job).
The hard number is precisely $20,153.09 in 2025. It is not a percentage of your last job. The rules are embodied in legislation and regulations. The adjudicators are medical professionals and receive training.
Any job isn’t that literal and I didn’t say it was. Life and laws are quite nuanced which is why people adjudicate things and sometimes they get it wrong and we end up in disputes.
They do take into consideration things like age, ability to read and write, education, physical and medical limitations, adaptability, etc. when determining whether somebody can be substantially, gainfully employed in the foreseeable future and their eligibility for CPPD.
I should also note that CPPD is not automatically denied for every claim the first time around without anyone bothering to look at any of the documentation or details. Anyone who submits a claim can request their full file. They will see all of the detailed notes and analysis of their claim and why it was accepted or rejected.
I don’t work for Service Canada. I am not a medical professional or a lawyer so you should take my comments with a grain of salt. You may have much better information or insight than me.
In the context of LTD the definition of gainful employment is often specified in the LTD contract itself. It can be specified as several numbers 50%, 60%, 66%, 70%, 75% or perhaps something else. This is why you really need to obtain at least the applicable pages from your employer’s LTD contract to see what it says. The gainful level is not always in the employee booklet and the claims manager will not go out of their way to tell you this gainful level. It’s not always helpful anyway, because the selection of a suitable alternate occupation and its salary are subjective.
I recall David commenting the gainful level could be 60% if something is not specified in the LTD contract. This percentage is often based on the salary used in calculating your LTD amount when you initially went on disability. These days, I hope that general guideline would not apply since inflation has been very high and could knock somebody down a few levels from their previous occupation.