approved for CPPD! but so confused...

[macduffy]

I was thrilled to receive my letter saying I was eligible for the CPP Disability Benefit today. Thrilled, but also dismayed, I expected a battle royal with an unhappy ending.

So now I have all these documents in front of me, my private insurance company is asking questions (benefit statements, kids birthdays, etc.) and my husband is trying to figure out if our income will be changing.

I'm super overwhelmed and my thoughts are spinning with questions and concerns (reminding me of reason #629 of why I can't handle working anymore) but I have no one to ask. I don't like to talk to my insurer unless absolutely necessary. So I come here.

I know insurer will deducted my CPPD amount but will they automatically deduct the Child benefit? I can't find anything in my policy except it saying I can't get over 80% of my original pay (which I'm no where close to).

I know none of the back pay is "mine" as Insurer will want their $$ back BUT there are 2 months I was deemed eligible for CPPD that I was NOT using my LTD/STD but my very own sick time at work. Are those 2 months of back pay mine?

Finally, how will I get this lump sum back pay? cheque? direct deposit? and how do I pay the Insurer back - money order? This is all so foreign. I'm sorry for these lame questions. I hope they can help some other people someday!

[AJ]

Macduffy that's great that you got approved! I'm afraid I can't answer your questions regarding your private insurance company policies. Perhaps someone else can chime in. Your questions are not lame! Is your policy under both your name and your husband's? Maybe he could phone the insurance company.

I'm in the process of applying for CPP disability. How long did the process take for you to hear back? I think Service Canada website said 4 months.

[macduffy]

Believe it or not it took exactly 4 months. My insurer asked me to call at about the 3 month 3 week mark to inquire on the status of the application. When I did they told me they required more information from my Pdoc. I thought, okay here we go! I told them I had just changed Doctors (they were a bit upset I did not tell them ASAP) and I gave them the new contact information. They said they would send the new doctor some documents that day via fax. About a week later CPPD called me but I was too scared to answer the phone (another problem I struggle with) and a couple days after that the letter arrived saying I was approved (yay new Pdoc!).

So at the 3 month 3 week mark my file was opened and they were working on it. Please let me know if I can be of anymore help.

Macduffy that's great that you got approved! I'm afraid I can't answer your questions regarding your private insurance company policies. Perhaps someone else can chime in. Your questions are not lame! Is your policy under both your name and your husband's? Maybe he could phone the insurance company.

I'm in the process of applying for CPP disability. How long did the process take for you to hear back? I think Service Canada website said 4 months.

[AJ]

Thanks Macduffy. I hope my Pdoc fills out her form soon. I might have to get after her.

[uni]

Hello macduffy. I'm pretty useless when it comes to the questions you ask, so I just want to encourage you to take one thing at a time, and you will get through the red tape. I hope someone here can give you some pointers. It will get sorted out, but the wheels do turn slowly.

[purgatory]

In regards to the government red tape, if you have any problems at the federal level find out who you MP is and phone the constituent office. If unsure about the info just google member of parliament Canada sorry I don't know how to get link on my messages. Anyways someone from that office will help regarding info about the 2 months, don't forget to follow up with a call a couple days later if they haven't responded.

Also the service canada site has a toll free number to help you with questions about form filling and how to expect your payments. I suggest that you ask them how to go about direct deposit since that goes in right away. If you already receive direct deposit from child benefit, income tax then that is how your federal payment will be deposit.

Check with insurance company about your policy and how they prefer payment (most likely cheque or credit card). I'm pretty sure they can't count child benefit since that is intended to support your child but then again have the list of questions for MP, insurer, service canada. That's what all of them are paid to do. However note that MPs office might be on skeleton crew or closed for christmas shut down but not the other two.

[macduffy]

So my insurer got back to me and I will let you know what I found out for anyone who may come across this thread in the future and have similar questions.

My Child Benefit was not deducted from my insurance/CPPD payment. This however was only the case because the CPPD payment, the Child Benefit and my insurance payment did not add up to be more than 80% of my original salary. If the amount had of been more than the 80%, the excess would have been taken from the Child Benefit amount. I have two kids so I was okay but if I had of have three a portion of my Child Benefit would have been taken.

There have been law suits, people argued that the benefit is for the child and that insurance companies have no right to take the money as it NOT for the policy holder but they lost the case in court.

The Government has been fantastic and prompt with all of their paperwork and providing tons of contact numbers and supporting documentation. So I have no reason to contact my MP. I do hope I don't have to wait too long for my payment as my insurer has already began to reduce my payments and it's Christmas :/

There is still some waiting and seeing but it's on the end of my employer. It's funny that when they need something from me it's all threatening letters and firings but when I need something from them I hear only crickets.....

[AJ]

Thanks for the update Macduffy. I'm glad your insurer got back to you.

[paul m]

Hello Macduffy. Thx for sharing. It helps us all to understand the system. In regards to the child benefit. I don't know how old your children are, but as long as you are collecting CPPD and they are in an approved school you are eligible to collect the child benefit.( I don't know about the claw back over 80%, I've never ran into that)

Once your kids turn 18 and assuming all of the above, the cheque is issued in the kids name and counted as income in the child annual income. The insurance company at that point definitely cannot make any claim on it. There is also the disability tax credit which you may be eligible for. As well there was a special disability savings account for those who were eligible for the disability tax credit. Unfortuantely the Gov't site isn't working well tonight so I cannot provide you with info. Take Care. paul m

Hello AJ and everyone else. Whether it be CPPD or the disability tax credit that someone is applying for it has been my experience that it is the level of the doctors form filling out skill that matters the most. The docs get paid by the gov't to fill out the CPPD forms, so they should do it carefully and properly. The most important thing that they have to say is that someone is suffering from a prolonged and severe illnesses and that they are not expected to work for at least a year. Some docs hedge and say that it is unknown when the person is going to be able to return to work. This will usually result in the form being bounced back or rejected. Don't hesitate to talk to your doc about what they are filling out. Take Care. paul m

[AJ]

I've talked to my Pdoc about what she is going to put on the forms but I intend to follow up with her on Monday before she sends in the forms. Thanks Paul.