I have a 3 year own occupation and I am coming up to 2 years, so still a bit of time before I get to the any occupation stage. I was asked at the 1 year mark by my insurer to apply for CPPD. They did say the CPPD test is a harder test than LTD which we all know it is. I applied for CPPD on my own following the advice given from David’s books. I was approved on my first application. Before CPPD approval I would get a call from my insurer after every psychiatrist appointment which was every month. Since I have been approved for CPPD, it been about 4-5 months and I haven’t heard from them which has been a nice change as my anxiety level just go through the roof when dealing with my LTD insurer. My LTD payment has been almost reduced in half due to my CPPD approval. I have been approved for DTC as well. I have the full support of my psychiatrist, psychologist and GP who are all in the position that I should not be returning to work due to my severe mental health issues and I have a supportive employer as well. Large 1000 employee in an union environment. Has anybody else noticed a change from the LTD insurer after you have been approved for CPPD?
Yes. Absolutely. Since I got approved for CPP-D I have only heard from my LTD company once a year asking me to fill out a couple of questions basically “Are you still disabled?” and get my doctor to sign it. That’s it. Being approved for CPP-D is huge for two reasons: 1) It reduces the money your LTD company has to pay you, and 2) You meet a much stricter definition for disability than your LTD requires.
LTD companies have limited resources, especially now. Every hour a case manager spends on a file costs them money. I think you will find they will leave you alone now and you won’t have any issue when you hit the 3 year any-occ, they will probably transition you to it fairly seamlessly.
Adam at what stage did you get approved for CPPD, before or after any occupation?
Thanks.
Things didn’t slow down or change for me. It probably depends in part on whether or not there’s any chance of improvement in your condition…
Mine is for mental illness (invisible illness) and I also thought nothing would change with the updates but it has been refreshing not to have been dealing with the LTD insurer the last few months but I still always feel they will call the next day. I have the full support of my psychiatrist, psychologist and GP so they gives me a bit of relief when it comes to my anxiety when dealing with the insurer. I had almost a weird feeling the insurer was going to let up on me a bit. I switched over from a counsellor or a psychologist around the time I told them I got approved for CPPD and the insurer didn’t even want the psychologist info/contact details. Even said a psychologist is quite costly compared to a counsellor and I interpreted that they were almost saying you don’t need to spend so much money.
This is great news. Glad to hear the LTD has backed off. LTD insurers don’t always back off once someone is approved for CPP disability and DTC. But it certainly does help. And more likely to be an experience like. you are having. I expect they will still review your case closely in the lead up to the change of definition of disability to “any” occupation. They will likely ask for updated medical records or reports from your treatment providers. They may arrange for a vocational expert to review your situation and do a transferrable skills assessment. You should know soon enough as you get into the 12 months leading up to the change of definition.
David Brannen
Disability Lawyer with Resolute Legal
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