I’ve been on LTD through my employer which Manulife pays my monthly income! I’ve inquired about the cost of living allowance benefit however it was never included in my LTD file when I went on disability! I’ve been on the same amount for 10 years now and wonder why I didn’t have the cost-of-living included in my file? is there not a way to have it included as I cannot afford most of my medications because I’ve been at the same amount for the past 10 years? could it be that they had forgotten to put it in my file when I first went on LTD?.
Welcome to the forum.
I think some policies include a cost of living increase each year but some policies don’t.
I’m not positive though.
If you don’t have a copy, you should get a copy of the benefit booklet from your employer or insurer (I think I can download mine from my insurance company website but I saved it when I started with my employer).
It details all the insurance coverage (in my case, dental, drug, LTD).
Have you looked into CPPD?
It has a cost of living increase each year.
If your LTD is taxed the getting the disability tax credit might help.
Good luck.
Yes in the Manulife booklet there is a COLA however it’s never been applied to my file ? I think it could be an error on my employers part when I first when on LTD ! Is there anyway to fight for this ?
I think that is probably the insurance company and not the employer.
I would talk to the insurance company and point out the benefit booklet says there should be a COLA and it was never applied to your file.
I had a similar issue that they corrected.
The short answer is yes, if there was an error in them forgetting to apply the COLA, and you were legally entitled to it, then you can get all the back pay plus interest. You can start by asking the insurer to do this. If you aren’t satisfied with their answer, I would suggest you seek a legal opinion from a disability lawyer – many law firms, including ours can review your situation and documents for a fixed fee to let you know if there is a case. This type of thing would typically go beyond a free consultation because it involves the need for very specific legal advice.
David Brannen
Disability Lawyer with Resolute Legal
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