10 Tips To Up Your Chances of Getting Long Term Disability Benefits

Are you applying for Long Term Disability Benefits because you are unable to work?  These 10 pro tips will increase your chances of being approved on the first application.

1. Meet all the deadlines in your LTD policy.  If you don’t know the deadlines to complete certain paperwork, speak to someone in your human resources department or the insurance broker who sold you the policy.
2. Get your hands on the ACTUAL policy.  It is important to know the exact test for disability in your situation.  Although most policies have similar wording, they are not all the same.
3. Share the wording of your disability test with the doctors and other health care providers who are completing forms or writing letters on your behalf.  If they know what the test is, they are more likely to provide the information needed to meet it.  DON’T ASSUME YOUR DOCTORS KNOW THE TEST!
4. Don’t complain to your doctor or other health care provider about paying for forms or letters.  They are entitled to be paid for their work.  Plus, you will feel more comfortable returning to them with the next round of forms if they are happy and have been treated fairly.
5. Return the insurance company’s calls and open their letters.  If they tell you they are missing information from your application, take action to complete the application.  Don’t assume that your employer and health care team will just take care of it.  Insurance forms often fall through the cracks.  Be nice, but follow up.
6. If you are a federal public servant, it is especially important that you follow up with your employer to ensure that all info sought by the insurance company is provided.  The insurer will often need info from BOTH the substantive employer and the HR department.
7. Be very careful about meeting all deadlines in the policy and in other legislation if your initial application is denied.  There are limitation periods that apply.  Miss them, and you could be out of luck.
8. Apply for Canada Pension Plan- Disability (CPP-D).  If you have contributed to CPP-D while working, you may be eligible for a federally funded disability pension even if you are not retirement age.  Getting CPP-D is a helpful piece of evidence in support of your LTD claim.
9. Similarly, you may be able to apply for Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).  This is a provincial disability pension that is available to disabled people of limited financial means.
10. At the first whiff of trouble, call an experienced LTD lawyer.  The lawyers at Auger Hollingsworth have had great success getting early approval for denied or ignored LTD claims.  Waiting until you are financially desperate to get legal advice increases your vulnerability and makes it harder for you to make sound decisions about your case.

If you would like to speak with a lawyer about your denied application for LTD, call Auger Hollingsworth Professional Corporation at 613 233-4529.