My previous advisor last spring said it was ok for me to go on vacation to see family. He didn’t even need the letter I obtained from my Doctor. It was no problem.
We have a trip planned again to see family. My new advisor said she had to check to see if I could travel and they may stop payment while I am gone. She has to check on my policy. Has this happened to anyone else? I was surprised with her response.
I am not enrolled in a specific Canada Life rehab plan/program but does this also refer to my overall treatment plan with my own docs and physio etc?
Here is what my benefit policy says.
Exclusions and Limitations
any period of vacation time taken while participating or cooperating in a rehabilitation plan that has been recommended or approved by the Insurer, unless the vacation time has been approved by the insurer.
This is an area where I disagree with the advice given on this forum RE: notifying your LTD provider of vacation.
I personally do not feel it is necessary to notify your LTD company of your every move, including leaving the country, unless it is part of your policy. In this case, it specifically says (implies) that vacations are not an exclusion unless you are in a rehab program. So since you are not in a rehab program, you don’t need to notify them. I think doing so as a “courtesy” is a bad idea, because it opens a potential can of worms and I also just am not a big fan of providing “courtesies” to my LTD company when they wouldn’t do the same for me.
Also, it feels like a violation of my human rights to have to notify them of my every move when normal people don’t need to do that. A person working for a company doesn’t need to notify their employer when they go on vacation, so I don’t see why someone on LTD that isn’t actively in a rehab program should have to either.
But this is apparently not the advice that @David_Brannen gives, so take my advice for whatever it is worth to you from a random internet stranger versus a lawyer, but me personally I do not notify my LTD company of any of my movements at all, including vacations.
I agree if it vacation for a short time and it depends on your specific situation.
If it is for a week, your doctor approves, you won’t be doing anything that you said you can’t do, you’re not at risk of being under surveillance then go on vacation.
Less contact with them the better. -)
I couldn’t just not show up to work and go on vacation.
If you are in receipt of CPPD it is a requirement to inform Service Canada of your intention to leave the country prior to your departure, regardless of reason.
Personally, I send my case worker a notification. Something to the effect of; “With medical approval, I will be out of country as of “date””.
Be honest, keep it minimal and as straightforward as possible; my advice
I believe the information about being required to notify Service Canada when leaving the country was on a letter that I received from SC after approval for CPPD.
Here is a link to information about leaving the country, published by @David_Brannen:
I do not believe this is correct. I have never seen any documentation telling me or asking me to notify Service Canada if I leave the country. How would you even notify them? Phone call? It’s a 4 hour wait to even talk to someone, assuming you get through. I am not going to phone Service Canada if I plan to go shopping for a day in Blaine. I think people get CPP-D confused with EI. When you are on EI you need to notify Service Canada, because you are not eligible for EI benefits if you are not able to work, and you can’t work if you are out of the country. The same logic doesn’t apply to CPP-D. Whether you are in Canada or the US has no effect on whether you are disabled. Perhaps @David_Brannen could explain the logic behind his suggestion that we let Service Canada know about our where abouts? Is there any actual precedent behind it, or is it just one of those “better to be safe” type things? I mean, let’s say I just take off tomorrow and got to Florida for 5 months, and live the same exact life down there as I am up here, just to get away from the cold, like a snowbird. Let’s say I don’t notify CPP and they find out I left. What then? Send me a letter asking why I left? “To be warm”. What recourse would they have? Ask me to fill out all the doctors stuff again? Requalify? I don’t think Service Canada has that kind of budget to be harassing disabled snowbirds. They can’t even process EI applications!
Here’s Service Canada’s information about what you have to tell them:
Your responsibilities
You need to tell Service Canada when:
you have earned $6,600 (before tax) in 2023 and you should call when you return to work (including self-employment)
you are attending school and/or volunteering for 15 hours or more per week for 4 months or more
your medical condition improves enough that you may be able to return to work
your mailing address, telephone number, or bank account used for direct deposit changes, and/or
your custody and control of dependent children starts or ends (including by birth, adoption, marriage, common-law relationship, or death)
Reporting a return to work, school, or volunteer activities does not necessarily mean your benefits will stop. Instead, it is an opportunity for Service Canada to support you with information about our work-related supports and services.
Upon approval of CPPD, I was provided with contact details for the case manager at Service Canada. When I leave the country, I call and leave a message.
Back in 2019 I called CPP-D and asked about leaving the country. They guy said I don’t have to inform them.
LTD forms wants to know if I left the province.
My policy states I have to get permission to leave the country. My former case manager said I need to inform LTD if I am planning to leave the country and for how long. CM also said maximum one week.
This is why you get the letter form your doctor saying that the vacation or trip will NOT impact your treatment and that any necessary arrangements have been made to ensure no impact on your treatment.
@Adam brings up good points as always. He comes at it from a different perspective and that was the point of me creating the forum as I don’t think lawyers are the only source for solutions or answers. Sometimes its better to get advice from people who are going through same thing as you.
The idea is if you are enrolled in a physio program that is for 6 weeks and you are attending 3x per week, that is not the time to take a trip. The travel restriction is meant to prevent people from stopping critical treatment that requires their in person attendance. Outside of this, getting a letter form your doctor confirming no issues with treatment will be enough to cover your situation. Makes you look responsible and open, which will help later on wiht a judge if your claim gets denied for other reasons and you are fighting them in court.
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 1-877-917-7050 to speak with a member with our disability claim support team.
