Should I even bother, anxiety, depression, years long

I had first breakdown 2006, put myself in hospital, 2 months, couldn’t stop crying, didnt know why. I asked to apply for cpp disability. My therapist said no, the plan is to get me better. Spent months at home bed ridden and crying. I tried to work, was crying and shaking at work, I couldn’t do it. 2009 put myself back in hospital, same thing again. This time I applied, filled forms out myself, shaking and crying, I was denied cppd, i appealed, and because of something i said on application i was denied. I have worked a little since then, never works out, had another breakdown, same thing again. Anyways, was thinking about using one of those companies that fight to appeal but I dont know if I should or maybe its been too long. I cant work, just left a volunteer position I did occasionally for years. I cant fight this alone. My memory is really bad, my anxiety is through the roof and fighting this would cause extreme stress that might cause another breakdown.

Find a really good doctor that really cares about you, and who can fill up forms that the insurance company requires.

Your situation seems complicated. Call Resolute Legal for a free consultation +1 888-480-9050

Hi,

You should call in for a free consultation, or send our firm an email and I would be glad to talk more about your situation and see what we could do to help!

Sorry to hear about your situation. We are one of those companies and as Jen mentioned you should feel free to reach out. Our current record is helping a client win a CPP case that was somewhere between 10-15 years late, so anything is possible.


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.

YES! YOU SHOULD ABSOLUTELY BOTHER! I’m 49 years old. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (Clinical Depression) when I was 25 years old. I’ve been on antidepressants since being diagnosed. I started working full-time in my profession in 1997. I worked hard at my career and was exceptional at what I did. In 2010, my depressive symptoms started to worsen. I pushed myself to work, on and off, until 2015 when I couldn’t handle it anymore. I went on short-term disability at first which led to long-term disability. I managed to stay on LTD well beyond the 24 month change of definition. In 2018, my insurance company sent me to a “specialist” of their choice for an Independent Medical Exam. This “specialist” determined, after two days of assessments, that I was a “malingerer”… that I was basically lying about my condition. The “specialist” wrote a 25 page report that invalidated my diagnosis (Major Depressive Disorder) and stated that I was “fit” to go back to work. In October 2019, my insurance company ended my LTD benefits. I had also applied for CPP disability benefits and was denied. WELL, let me tell you that I “bothered”… I bothered my insurance company and I bothered CPP disability by disproving and countering every reason why they were denying my claim in their denial letter! I also had a great team of doctors (my physician, my psychiatrist and my psychologist) that supported me every step of the way. To make a long story short, I “bothered” and fought until my LTD claim was reinstated and my CPP disability was approved…both in February 2020. I also recently applied for the Disability Tax Credit in June and was approved last week (beginning of August).

So, Candytuff, bother and keep on bothering and bothering and bothering…don’t give up… that’s what the insurance company and the federal government want you to do! If you find that you need assistance, do not hesitate to retain a lawyer…there is no shame in doing that. Hope this advice helps and I wish you all the best my friend.

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Would you mind sharing how you were accepted for the DTC? I want to apply, but am unsure of how to complete it for acceptance. Same issues as you.

Hi MarilynM,

It would be so much easier if there was a way to give you a copy of my DTC application but I don’t think it’s allowed on here. Nonetheless, I will try to explain to the best of my ability what I did in order to receive eligibility for the disability tax credit.

First and foremost, your specialist should be completely on board, and should be extremely supportive, in helping you complete the form. If you have a specialist that is skeptical of your condition or, for some strange reason, is apprehensive about completing the form, then the likelihood of you having any chance of being accepted for the DTC is slim to none.

I have Major Depressive Disorder as well as a chronic medical condition. My psychologist has been a blessing in my life from the moment she started treating me. From day one, she has always shown empathy, patience and genuine concern for what I was going through mentally. She was never judgmental. She always willingly filled out any forms for my LTD and for CPP disability and wrote letters in support of my mental health disability. And even though I told her how bad I felt that she had to go through all the trouble of filling out forms and writing letters, her response was always, “it’s part of my job.”

Anyway, my psychologist completed the DTC form but also attached a letter explaining my symptoms and how they affected my daily life. She used descriptive language with supporting examples.

I, too, wrote a letter about how my chronic condition exacerbated my depressive symptoms. In the letter, I provided the contact info of the specialist who has been treating my chronic medical condition. I also used descriptive language and provided many supporting examples. I explained and proved how my mental illness along with my chronic condition CUMULATIVELY affected my daily life.

My psychologist mailed the completed DTC form, her letter of support and my letter to the Canada Revenue Agency. After two weeks, I called the CRA and asked the agent what the status of my application was…he told me that they had received my application and that I would have to wait. I kindly asked him if there was any way the CRA could speed up the process in coming to a decision. He told me I had to be patient and wait. Well, I’m not sure if the phone call made a difference but within a matter of 3-4 weeks after that call I received a letter stating that I was eligible to receive the disability tax credit up until 2025. The CRA reassessed my taxes going back 10 years and I received a huge retroactive payment.

In closing, I think that if you follow the advice I have given above you will have a higher chance of achieving a successful outcome. And, even if they deny your application, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS appeal their decision and keep fighting. PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES MUST PERSEVERE AND BE RESILIENT IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY. The insurance companies and federal government will always try to take advantage of people with disabilities by either denying benefits outright or threatening cessation of current benefits. They do this in hopes that people with disabilities will be too “weak” to appeal or fight back. It’s disgusting to hear that they would treat us this way but unfortunately this is the reality! It is up to us to continue fighting for our rights to be treated with the dignity we deserve.

I hope my reply helps you. In the meantime, I wish you all the best.

2 Likes

Good for you for challenging what’s right. Cppd makes it difficult to get
Approved so fighting is the alternative every single reason why they
Disapproved is challenged right back to them as to why you are approved.
I heard that the more channels involved make your chances better which does not make sense I cannot wrap my head around their treatment plan reason to deny ( what if nothing works!) it’s a terrible
System yet some who can work one day a week with cppd are approved… what about the ones that cannot at all.

This is the real key to success with DTC. Many doctors and applicants don’t appreciate the cumulative effect provisions of the DTC. Basically, you can show that even though your disability isn’t serious in any ONE area to qualify for DTC, the cumulative effect of your disability in 2 or more categories is enough to to meet the requirements.


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.

Thanks for that.
That’s exactly how I approached my CPP-D application. @Steve1959 helped me immensely, and I followed the advice here from the articles. I have a supportive psychologist and he won’t have any issues completing the DTC application and writing a supporting letter.

1 Like