General Topics Requirements for work disability

[Brian]

I was looking online for the answer to this question 'requirements for work disability due to mental illness' and I wasn’t able to find anything definite I imagine this is as each policy is unique. But perhaps some of you can shed some light on the requirements for me.

Much appreciated to each who responds, thank you.

[AJ]

Are you looking for requirements for disability paid from your work? Or something like CPP disability?

[Brian]

Work. I can find the forms and policy but they don't define what it means 'inability to work' and I do not understand what this means. My theory is that in the mental health context when you reach a certain probability of death due to work you are defined as unable to work.

To allay any confusion by ‘requirements’ I mean symptom requirements. Sorry.

[AJ]

I used to work for a company that had short term and long term disability. The forms my doctor had to fill out was a long questionnaire about my ability to function and in what areas. She filled out the questionnaire and at the end of it put down that in her professional opinion I was unable to work in any job function. After a certain period of time I would no longer be covered IF there was a job function in the company that I was capable of doing. The questions ranged from how much I could lift to how well I could concentrate and multitask.

I don't know if any of this helps or not but that was my experience with disability.

[Brian]

Thank you for trying AJ, much appreciated.

[paul m]

Hello Brian.The best article that I have read on disability is the guide to LTD put out by the Mood Disorder Assoc of Ont .

http://www.mooddisorders.ca/guide/guide-to-long-term-disability

It doesn't cover eveything, but it does have snippets of info like "While there is no uniform definition of the phrase "total disability," and those words can be defined differently from policy to policy, the words "totally disabled" mean, in essence, reasonably unable to work. In a leading case, the Supreme Court of Canada had this to say on what is meant by "total disability":

And then it goes on to say what the supreme court has to say about it.

There are a couple of other factors involved. 1) is how does the medication that you take affect your ability to work. Many med affect our concentration or make us less than alert. A person taking lorazepam may be a bad bet to have driving a truck as lorazepam can make you sleepy, a graphic artist may be unable to work due to the side effects of lithium(it gives you tremours) and a person who takes antipsychotics, may end up unable to work due to tardive dsyknesia(a serious side effect that some people develop).

Plus as you will read in the guide a lot depends on what you do. If you were an airline pilot,you will permantently lose your license as soon as you are diagnosed with bipolar. Another example, many people who are blind work, but someone who works as a cab driver may become fully disabled if they lose their sight. Take Care. paul m

[Fighting back]

I spent my last working year on and off STD and LTD benefits. The arrangement was that the employer covered STD benefits with the insurer adjudicating. LTD benefits were coveredby the insurer and believe me, they did not want you on LTD. It has everything to do with money and the insurance company has a vested interest in remaining profitable, which means not paying out claims. In my case, I was close enough to retirement that I was able to make an early retirement. Chances are I may have to return to something part time in the future, but I am not yet well enough to consider that.

As to qualifying for benefits, your doctors opinion in writing is essential although in my case, an on the job incident got the attention of the occupational health department. Not my choice, but it got the ball rolling. In hindsight, it was for the best as my job was safety sensitive and I had lost the ability to keep myself and my employees safe.

[Brian]

Thank you Paul that was an informative link. Much appreciated, thank you. I found the supreme courts definition of total disability interesting when it is required ‘in order to effect a cure or prolongation of life’.

Thanks for sharing your story ‘Fighting Back’.