I am currently on LTD from my employer but it runs out in September. I have crohns disease, diagnosed almost 30 yrs ago. I have been off work since June 2018 but went back in Jan 2019, after MRI showed improvement. I went on the GRTW program. I started at 2 days a week and got up to 4 days a week. I wasnt really medically ready to go back but I was dealing with depression, (I feel like I possibly just have low tolerance for pain and I just need to suck it up) and thought going back to work would help and I would just find a way to manage my disease as this is what I’ve done in the past. I continually told HR that i was fine even though i wasnt. In June my Dr took me off work again. I had ct scan in July and it showed the disease had progressed, along with report stating it is chronic and acute. Now my LTD runs out soon and I am nowhere near ready to go back to work if I ever will be. My Dr supports me not working but doesnt feel I would be approved for cppd because I just turned 50. Now I don’t know what to do, is there a chance I would be approved? HR is pushing my return to work but LTD (GWL)has been very supportive with me staying off work but they only pay for 1 year. Can I collect ei sick benefits even though I had to use my ei sick when I first went off last June?
I am not sure what your age has to do with it. The CPP criteria is severe and prolonged disability, not being old. You will need to be careful to tell your entire story and make sure you are following up with your doctor. See this guide too: Winning Disability Benefits for Crohn's Disease in Canada - Resolute Legal Disability Lawyers
I have no idea how often you can claim EI sickness benefits, sorry.
Does it run out just change to a different definition of disability (change of definition)?
I think a basic test is 4 days a week considered “meaningful employment” which I think is can you earn $15k.
Why did your doctor approve the return to work?
No, depression can be a debilitating mental illness.
I was under 50 when I got cpp-d.
It is not only the diagnosis.
How does it prevent you from working (rhetorical)?
It’s progressing to I would mention that.
As Caro suggested, read this:
I would look at the DTC (Disability Tax Credit):
If you get it back dated to when you were first diagnosed then your taxes can be adjusted.
I think you “bank” up time you have worked .
I would Service Canada and ask.
Ya, you should apply but it might take 6 months or more to get approved.
Good luck.
Hi Jammer, thanks for responding.
I will do my best to clarify.
Pjeffrey:
I am currently on LTD from my employer but it runs out in September.
Does it run out just change to a different definition of disability (change of definition)?
LTD is for 53 weeks total.
I started at 2 days a week and got up to 4 days a week.
I think a basic test is 4 days a week considered “meaningful employment” which I think is can you earn $15k.
When I went on GRTW I was sick but pushed myself because I felt I had no other option. I just wanted to get back to my normal. I was waking up at 3 am to feel well enough by 6 to start work. This is on top of waking once or twice to use washroom. Through my years of dealing with this disease I found not eating until I was finished work was what worked for me. This time that wasnt working. By the time I got up to working 4 days I was a mess. For some reason my managing skills weren’t working anymore. I was going days without eating just to get through work. I was losing weight rapidly thats when my Dr took me back off work.
Why did your doctor approve the return to work
He was skeptical of my return to work but I pushed him into letting me try. I was feeling depressed because of my health and how much it’s taken away from me over the years. I felt i could prove everyone wrong. Also, i love my job, it makes me happy so I thought it would help with my mental state. I have always found a way to make it work and believed I would this time too.
I feel like I should mention that up until this past 2 years I was an avid runner, running several half marathons a year. To now, where i can barely go for a walk without it exhausting me. This is so hard for me to accept, i have always been able to persevere. I have had 4 bowel surgeries over the years and never missed work leading up to them. Now this time, I just don’t have the strength to fight back. Which I don’t understand why.
No, depression can be a debilitating mental illness.
I don’t think I’m dealing with depression. I am just having a hard time dealing with my current situation. I have no quality of life. I am in constant pain, especially if I eat and spend half the day in the washroom.
I was under 50 when I got cpp-d.
That gives me some hope but I feel like I screwed myself by going back to work. I made things worse.
I would look at the DTC (Disability Tax Credit):
If you get it back dated to when you were first diagnosed then your taxes can be adjusted
Thanks for info, I do get DTC and have also took advantage of the RDSP.
Can I collect ei sick benefits even though I had to use my ei sick when I first went off last June?
I think you “bank” up time you have worked .
I would Service Canada and ask.
Ya, you should apply but it might take 6 months or more to get approved.
Good luck
Thank you for the info, i will call service Canada.
I hope I was able to answer your questions without dragging on too much. I think I have enough medical evidence to prove my case but how do I prove that this time its different and is preventing me from working?
Hi, I think you are looking at this wrongly:
“” I was under 50 when I got cpp-d."
That gives me some hope but I feel like I screwed myself by going back to work. I made things worse"
You didn’t make your case weaker, you strengthened it because you tried really hard to work, even over your doctor’s doubts/objections, and despite your best efforts you failed with quite a bit of objective evidence that your health was declining (the weight loss and scans). Like you, I loved my job, I tried to force through staying at work, I failed at multiple attempts to keep going, and I was approved for CPPD in my midforties. What you have described is pretty strong evidence that your disability is real, severe and prolonged. CPP won’t penalize you for trying to keep working, that’s what they want everyone to do and they have even set up a system to facilitate attempts to try working again by automatically restarting your CPPD if an attempt to return to work fails. If I were you I would definitely apply now. It’s possible that they might say it hasn’t been for long enough yet, but if you continue to be ill when you get their decision in a few months you just apply for the review when you get denied and then you will have been sick for longer.
What you need to do is ensure that all of that history comes through in your application. If you can swing it, I would get David’s team to help you fully express your case.
Make sure you say that in your application for CPP-D.
Definitely mention things you used to do before but had to give up due to illness in your application for CPP-D.
In your application for CPP-D, don’t downplay stuff, be honest.
I totally understand how it is hard to accept.
All the surgeries and symptoms took it’s toll and finally wore you down.
Say that in your application too.
It sounds like you can write a good story.
More stuff to go in your story.
You need the simple medical forms filled out by a doctor but this is how it affects your ability to work.
I’m not trying to make light of your symptoms, it all supports a CPP-D application IMO.
That’s awesome.
I wish more people knew about the DTC long before they leave work.
Mention you get those in your story.
It is not evidence for CPP-D but circumstantial I think.
In your story, write how it used to be and how it has progressed over x years (be descriptive).
I was going to say the same thing.
It is a positive thing.
Do you know how to access Service Canada online?
They show your CPP contributions and an estimate of what your CPP-D will be.
Thanks caro and jammer for your insight. I have read through the application and it is daunting. I’m not sure how to answer the questions about physical abilities as I am capable but limited only due to pain.
Also, my Dr said I don’t need copy of my file as he would send in necessary documentation but I don’t know exact dates of previous tests and surgeries. Is that ok?
I also have some issues that are undiagnosed but I know they are a concern for my Dr. I started having a low heart rate about 2 yrs ago, i believe due to a medication i was taking. EKG and holter test were done and showed everything was normal except hr. When I went back to work, it started going really high while at work but since stopping work it has went back to low. Now in the last few months while at the Drs, hes noticed my blood pressure continues to rise with hr remaining low. I saw cardiologist and hes sending me for more tests but theres a very good chance they wont find anything. I’m worried my Dr is going to focus on this more than my crohns but I wont know what he actually sends in. I’m concerned we will have completely different answers. Should I fill out forms how I think my dr will?
I have had this dr for a very long time and hes always been really supportive, he got me the DTC, but hes been difficult regarding the cppd. I feel like he doesnt believe I will be approved so he doesnt want to put in any effort.
I know it is daunting but the forms are focused on your functional abilities rather than on diagnosis. The fact is that the problems with your gut are making your body unable to function properly. Have you read the links we posted above yet? It’s very important to make sure that you understand how to explain what is happening to your body.
I tried to make it as easy on my doctor as possible. I got some post-it notes and started working my way through the forms, answering the questions I could and leaving the ones I wasn’t sure about blank with a post-it note marking the question. Most of my information didn’t fit on the form. In the form I wrote “see attached paper”, then I had a separate sheet of paper with the question number and the full details. That made it easy to add to my answers as I remembered things without having to redo the whole form. It took a couple of weeks for me to get through the whole thing but I did it bit by bit as I was able to. You should fill out the forms as completely and fully as possible with your experience of your disease.
Think about stuff like this:
Does it take you longer to do stuff, what stuff.
Are there things you delay until you’re in less pain, what things, how often.
Are there things you do differently than someone not in pain.
Read this:
https://www.resolutelegal.ca/blog/topic/cpp-disability
Write what things you used to do before chrons that you had to give up.
Write about things you do differently.
Read this:
Why can’t you get a copy of what he sends?
I think you should fill them out based on how your life is affected.
Maybe phone
And see if someone there can help.
David’s book is probably useful: