Greetings and thank you all - Question about Resolute lawyers for severe anxiety disorder and severe depression

CPP Disability Claim Answers
#1

Hello,

Thank you for having this forum and to the posters here that have been so supportive. It has eased some of the massive anxiety that I am suffering from.

I filed for CPP-D in March for severe depression and a severe anxiety disorder which has debilitated me and prevented me from working enough to support myself. I have been struggling since my early teens (39 now) but this disability has progressed to severe and has detrimentally affected my quality of life, even with ongoing help and support from my doctor.

I did not hear anything back until a couple of weeks ago after speaking with a medical adjudicator. Service Canada lost all of my medical forms and requested my very busy doctor to re-send them all.

I explained my disability and situation in detail, as best as I could, including frequent suicidal thoughts due to the disability. She said she will await the medical report, but I qualify in all other aspects.

On Friday, the application status on the Service Canada website says “complete” but under estimated CPP monthly benefits, it says “Apply for CPP-D”.

I’m going to assume that means my claim is denied and that I will be needing help from Resolute. My question is: Are there any lawyers that this forum can recommend when dealing with severe anxiety disorders and severe depression claims? Invisible disabilities are hard to provide proof of how debilitating they are, but they are nonetheless VERY real. How many people fall through the cracks and end up taking their own lives?

Also, I am concerned about my privacy as Service Canada should NOT be “losing” confidential medical reports.

If Resolute can help me successfully, I am willing to pay handsomely with the little I have left that I have been surviving on.

Cheers all and thank you.

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#2

Hi, if my memory is working right, then “complete” just means that they have received all the paperwork that they need to assess your claim. The next step will be them reviewing the paperwork to assess your claim. Hang tight until you actually hear back from them.

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#3

Hi disawinter,

I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder at 25 years of age. I am now 50. When I applied to CPP-D, I made sure I made photocopies of all the medical documentation supporting my mental illness because I didn’t trust them nor my LTD provider. In any case, I would call every 2 weeks and spoke to an agent who provided me with an update on the status of my application. That’s what I would advise you to do. Call and ask for an update. They eventually denied my claim. That’s where I began the long and painstaking task of picking apart, countering and disproving every sentence and paragraph of their denial letter. When I submitted my personal letter of appeal with additional medical documentation, I waited 2 weeks and called to get an update on the status of my appeal. I told the agent that I was experiencing financial difficulties and the agent told me that he would escalate my appeal in order to expedite a decision. I called religiously every 2 weeks until I eventually received the great news that my appeal was successful and that I was going to receive CPP disability benefits.

You’ve struggled with this debilitating mental illness since your early teens. If you find out that your claim has been denied, you should try to write your own letter of appeal with additional supporting medical documentation. Make sure you include letters from a loved one as well as a friend who can confirm and support how they’ve witnessed this debilitating illness negatively affect your life. I would advise you take this route before retaining the services of a disability lawyer.

Hope this makes sense. I wish you all the best.

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#4

Give it a few days and call. I was told over the phone and it took a week for the dollar figures to show up online under Payment.
My application was for PTSD, Major Depression and Major Anxiety. It was successful.

It absolutely sucks they lost your file. It isn’t lost in the sense it’s walked out the door. It’s lost because they are short staffed, Covid happened and it has probably been shuffled into a pile on someone’s desk or mis-filed. They are appealing to your doctor so you don’t have to. Take that worry off your plate.

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#5

Thank you for your reply and input. It is much appreciated.

#6

This makes sense. Thank you so kindly for your reply. It is certainly a struggle and very frustrating. I’m not sure what other documentation they require short of admitting myself into the hospital - at a time when Covid is tearing our health system apart - I’d sooner die alone in my home.

Thank you for your support from another that understands how severe and serious it can be. People tend to not believe and say "it’s all in your head. Well, I’ve been unemployed now for 14 months because of it.

I didn’t even consider having a loved one write a letter, that is a great idea. Thank you.

Thank goodness this forum exists.

#7

Thank you - it says they have completed my application and a decision has been made. Just waiting for the letter. However, under “estimated cpp-d amounts” I have the option to re-apply for CPP-D so that is not a good sign.

Thanks again-

#8

I don’t have any personal experience with appeals except they don’t seem to read all the applications anymore to discourage people from appealing.

Hang in there, best of luck.

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#9

LTD providers and the government want people with disabilities to wave the white flag. Their strategy is to subject people with disabilities to the point of exhaustion and fatigue by denying disability benefits in hopes that the majority will give up. DON’T EVER GIVE UP. KEEP FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT!

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#10

Thank you for the motivation and support. I will NOT give up fighting for this. This is the exact reason why this program is in place and why I have paid into it for over 25 years, to use when I absolutely need it.

I’m planning on documenting my entire experience here from start to finish for others to read through in the hopes maybe it can help someone else in their journey.

#11

Thanks Jammer. Your posts on the forum have been very helpful and beneficial. You are helping many people with lots of questions.

#12

I will echo the comments of others here! Don’t assume you have been denied. It sounds like they are getting the information replaced. It is unfortunate when these things happen, but it does happen from time to time.

I would recommend waiting to see what the decision is before hiring us or any other advocate or firm. Any experienced disability lawyer or advocate would have experience with anxiety and depression. This is one of the most common causes of disability claims for CPP disability and Long-term disability.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you get a denial or have other questions you would like to ask in private!

David Brannen

Disability Lawyer with Resolute Legal

The response posted above is based on the limited factual information made available and is not intended as a full and complete response to the question. The only reliable manner to obtain complete and adequate legal advice is to consult with a lawyer, fully explain your situation, and allow the lawyer enough time to research the applicable law and facts required to give an adequate opinion. The basic information provided above is intended as a public service only, a full one-on-one discussion with a lawyer should be done before taking any any action. The information posted on this forum is available to the viewing public and is not intended to create a lawyer client relationship with any person. If you want one-on-one advice, please click here to request a free consultation or call toll free 1-877-282-5188 to speak with a member with our disability claim support team.

#13

Thank you Mr. Brannen. I will certainly be calling your office for further advice if my application is denied. Truly, thank you for reading my post and replying.

I’m astounded by the support here. It’s great.

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#14

If you neednhelpni would call your member of parliament and tell them whats going on. They are really good with helping in situations like this. Not many get approved the first time from cppd.
Good luck. If you are on TLD they should also have lawyers to do this appeal for you.

#15

Is there any update? Did you get approved?
Do you need help in appealing?