Disability tax credit for long term illness

@jammer This will be very handy. Thank you so much!!!

What was the reason given by CRA in there denial letter to you? Thatā€™s what you have to appeal.
Whatever reason is used for the denial is what you have to disprove.

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I donā€™t know if it is a bad move.
Thatā€™s what I did and it worked for me. :slight_smile:
I would probably leave the naturopath out of it just because some people have a bias.
Good luck.

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@Vicki It states that although they donā€™t question the seriousness of my medical condition but based on info from doctor they do not deem my impairment of elimination or mental functions to be severe. The cumulative effects of my restrictions is not equivalent to a marked restriction in one basic activity of daily living. Iā€™m not sure how to plead my case. How am I suppose to show my disabilities/pain to people who clearly donā€™t see me on a daily basis? The only significant pieces of paper I have is my Lyme disease diagnosis and the letter of disability from my old doctor. Iā€™m sure these were not sent along with my Disability Tax Credit application forms. I wish I had more of a paper trail but I barely left the house in almost a decade.

@jammer I figured just as much about the bias. Itā€™s the most tests results I have accumulated in the last year because my health was so deteriorated. Now itā€™s basically useless in this case.

I sympathize but I donā€™t have any suggestions, sorry.
Maybe contact Resolute?

CRA does not approve by diagnosis.

Itā€™s about how your diagnosis affects your ā€œBasic Activity of Daily Livingā€.
Drā€™s are not required to submit medical test results or any documents to support what they have written on the Disability Tax Credit form T2201.

In an appeal you can provide documentation and test results that may indicate the seriousness, or any additional medical information you feel supports your appeal.
Also, it gives you the ability to say how it affects your daily life. Because youā€™re rightā€¦they dont know how your affected in your daily living. This is your opportunity to defend your claim and to elaborate on what needs clarity.

CRA are written/mailed appeals to your case. Also, there is a time frame on the appeal which is indicated near the end of your initial denial letter from CRA.

Thank you for all the help that is offered here. Canā€™t be grateful enough. Sorry for the late reply but itā€™s been a lot of back and forth with offices and waiting and more waiting. Iā€™m now at a point where there is more clarity.

@jammer I was able to get my doctor to sign a letter for me. So that was a relief.

@Vicki Your explanation is very helpful and I am understanding the process better now. Though I am confused about the medical tests. I assume they arenā€™t looking for basic blood results but more test results that confirm a certain condition. Tests such as MRIs/scans/diagnostic tests or any conclusive test that states a diagnosis or supports my claim? I will be sending this information in via the Submit Documents link in the MyAccount page. A rep on the phone told me to mail it in but then another refuted that saying that it will take a while for them to sort/file in office, so best to send in electronically.

Youā€™re very welcome. Glad to help and educate.

So your appeal is to prove that it is ā€œsevereā€ under CRA ellibility criteria.

When CRA has contacted a doctor for additional information about,your T2201 application form, that means CRA has sent what is called a "Clarification Letter ".
You need a copy of this letter, from Dr or CRA because the answers provided is what they are denying your application on.

@Vicki It states that although they donā€™t question the seriousness of my medical condition but based on info from doctor they do not deem my impairment of elimination or mental functions to be severe. The cumulative effects of my restrictions is not equivalent to a marked restriction in one basic activity of daily living. Iā€™m not sure how to plead my case. How am I suppose to show my disabilities/pain to people who clearly donā€™t see me on a daily basis? The only significant pieces of paper I have is my Lyme disease diagnosis and the letter of disability from my old doctor. Iā€™m sure these were not sent along with my Disability Tax Credit application forms. I wish I had more of a paper trail but I barely left the house in almost a decade.

@jammer I figured just as much about the bias. Itā€™s the most tests results I have accumulated in the last year because my health was so deteriorated. Now itā€™s basically useless in this case.
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[quote=ā€œJwu29, post:24, topic:2692, full:trueā€]
@Vicki It states that although they donā€™t question the seriousness of my medical condition but based on info from doctor they do not deem my impairment of elimination or mental functions to be severe. The cumulative effects of my restrictions is not equivalent to a marked restriction in one basic activity of daily living. Iā€™m not sure how to plead my case. How am I suppose to show my disabilities/pain to people who clearly donā€™t see me on a daily basis? The only significant pieces of paper I have is my Lyme disease diagnosis and the letter of disability from my old doctor. Iā€™m sure these were not sent along with my Disability Tax Credit application forms. I wish I had more of a paper trail but I barely left the house in almost a decade.

@jammer I figured just as much about the bias. Itā€™s the most tests results I have accumulated in the last year because my health was so deteriorated. Now itā€™s basically useless in this case.

With all the help I received here by every knowledgeable personā€¦I WAS APPROVED!! Iā€™m just grateful that I had substantial proof from various other therapies to use as evidence, since the naturopathic doctor was not working in my favour. It took some brainstorming but I gathered as much as I could. I called CRA to inquire about what happens next and they mentioned something along the lines of being eligible for around $8000 per year. But then added that I will not receive that total amount depending on my taxes. I was approved for 2010-2027. Iā€™ve been out of work since 2008 and then was approved for ODSP in 2013. I donā€™t owe taxes, so how do they calculate the amount I receive? Also, is this deposited in my bank account as a lump sum or is it in increments? Much gratitude!

Upon more research, Iā€™m starting to glean that this DTC may not be as beneficial to me as I thought. I was in a brain foggy haze when someone made me aware of it and I thought I had nothing to lose. Now Iā€™m wondering how I can benefit from this as I am someone who has been out of work since 2008. Iā€™ve been on ODSP for the last decade and it is not enough to sustain all the medical expenses and pay for the essentials of living. What are my other options? I caught a glimpse of CPP-D but Iā€™m sure Iā€™m well past the time period to apply for it. Iā€™m stumped.

A Naturopath is not a qualified medical doctor to sign the form T2201 ā€œDISABILITY TAX CREDIT APPLICATIONā€.
CRA has very strict guidelines on which qualified practitioners are able to certify the form.
A diagnosis does not qualify you. Itā€™s the effects of the impairment on your everyday life, and it does not include the ability to work.

The RC4064 Disability-Related Information Guide
and the form
T2201-fill-18e.pdf can be found here https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/forms/t2201.html

@Vicki thank you for that information. But I am already approved by my regular general practitioner. My original story above is the challenge I had to go through to look for someone who would sign my papers, who wasnā€™t my naturopath (he was most involved in my medical treatment). Eventually my regular medical doctor agreed. So now I am approved and eligible for DTC and need to wait another 8 weeks to hear back, except Iā€™m not sure how the DTC benefits me since I havenā€™t worked since 2007, therefore, havenā€™t paid any taxes. I have been on ODSP since 2013 but I think that is not taxable. So what other options do I have? CPP-D? I have read that they decrease ODSP if I applied, and that is not helpful in my situation.

Look into RDSPs if you are young enough to get the grants and bonds still.

@Caro I will definitely do so. But is there anything else in the meantime, to help cover costs of living? Iā€™m barely getting by on ODSP.

Not that I know of other than things like subsidized housing and food banks. In BC the utilities also have some supports for some people

You can transfer the DTC amount to a caregiver.
I donā€™t know anything about it but maybe if you get financial help from someone you can transfer the DTC amount to them.
Open an RDSP and get the free grant money (that is locked in that). :slight_smile:

@Caroā€¦that is very helpful. Iā€™ll look into subsidized housing.

@jammer I was just going to ask about transferring the DTC to caregiver. What happens if that person owes a lot of taxes. I noticed that CRA is now calculating the refunds on my DTC and it is really minimal. Is it possible I transfer to the caregiver and they get no refund back at all? Does it technically mean it just gives them a bit of support on the taxes they owe? Do you know if applying for CPP-D would be worthwhile?

I am definitely inquiring about that RDSP. Wouldnā€™t want to miss out on that!

It reduces taxes owed so someone might still owe.
I have no idea if you can apply CPP-D, I think you said you are over the time limit.
It is worth talking to Service Canada about.

@jammer. I figured that would be the case with the taxes owed =(. Iā€™m not 100% sure about my time limit with CPP-D but lets say Iā€™m not, would it be more beneficial compared to being solely on ODSP? If anyone else can add to this, if you are not sure about CPP-D. I will also make a call to Service Canada but I love to hear personal accounts.