How To Be Eligible For Long-Term Disability
Are you looking for everything you need to know about how to be eligible for long-term disability insurance? You came to the right place – Check out our five-step guide to see if you qualify for long-term disability.
Are you are unable to work due to a medical condition or an injury? You may need to consider disability insurance.
You may find yourself wondering where the long-term disability insurance is that you hear so much about. This type of insurance is meant to help you if you cannot work.
The misconception that most people have is that they are simply going to get accepted. That is not always the case. You will have to fight to get your insurance. You will need to prove that you are deserving of it and plead your case.
For those who are ready to claim long-term disability insurance, there are several steps that you are going to have to complete. Remember, the sooner you start acting, the sooner you can get it. It will take time for the decision to be made.
First Step
The first step is to find out what benefit plan/programs you may qualify for. There are several types of programs that are available in Canada for those who have a disability.
Each one of these plans has its own requirements that you must meet in order to qualify.
Here are some of the most common sources of disability income that a person can qualify for:
- Sick pay: Sick pay is given to those employees who become sick while on the job. While most people think that this is only a few days, these days can be saved for when they are needed. Those who have been on the job for a while may have weeks or months’ worth of sick days that they can use when they are too ill to work.
- Short-Term Disability: Many employers offer a short-term disability benefit. This is meant to cover an employee for a short term of one to three months. It should be noted that not every employer has this type of plan to offer. This is something that you will have to double check with your employer.
- Employer Insurance Sickness Benefits: This is a temporary program that is only available to eligible workers. There are several qualification requirements that must be met:
- Your income must be reduced by 40%.
- Your employer must be from a qualified employer.
- You must have worked with the employer and earned 600 hours of employment.
This program provides 15 weeks of replacement benefits if a person qualifies.
Long-Term Disability Insurance Benefits: This benefit is available to those who are disabled and unable to earn income. In most cases, it will cover a person up to the age of 65 years old.
To be eligible, you have to work with an employer that has this group insurance policy. You could also purchase it yourself to be eligible. You often qualify for this insurance when you have an illness or an accident that causes you to be unable to work.
There are several other programs that are available to those residents in Ontario and other areas of Canada as well.
Step Two
Once you have decided on which plan works best for you, you need to take the next step. It’s time to visit your doctor. Your doctor must support you when you are applying to get disability benefits.
What the doctor says can either make or break your case. How can you gain your doctor’s support? You need to have an open discussion with him or her about the issues that you are having.
If the illness or injury is something that they can see, this makes it easier. However, mental conditions that prevent you from working are often harder to diagnose.
There are times in which a person switches doctors to find one that is more supportive. However, the good news is that this is rare. Doctors can often see the struggles that patients are having and are on board with their decision to seek disability.
Step Three
Your next step is to figure out the plan for transitioning from your employment to being on leave. The key to this transition is that you do not want to simply just quit your job. If you were to quit your job, you may be signing off on being able to take any type of disability claim.
Many employers will try to get you to take a severance package rather than keeping you on as a worker if you are not going to be present. Try to avoid taking this package as this is a one-time payment rather than a disability payment. It is meant to sustain you for longer.
Also, be sure that you are not retiring early as most disability insurance plans have a clause. It states if the person takes early retirement, they forfeit any right to these insurance plans.
Once your doctor is on board they can be helpful in navigating this plan. They can provide written documentation that you need in order to take a leave of absence from work.
Employers are going to be much more accepting of this if you have a doctor backing up this decision.
Step Four
The application forms are going to be your next step. These applications forms can be lengthy. You need to fill these out as soon as you want to get access to this long-term disability insurance.
Remember, this paperwork is going to be one of the main deciders in your case. Make sure to answer these questions honestly.
In most cases, there will be two to three forms. One form you will fill out personally, while one may be a medical form that is filled out by your doctor. There may also be a form that your employer has to fill out in order to prove that you are eligible.
This is a vital step. Many denials that are given are due to this paperwork being improperly filled out.
For example, the employer does not give an accurate view of what you do, or the doctor forgets to mention a major medical issue that you may have. This is why you will want to look over these forms and ensure they are accurate.
Step 5
Wait for your decision! This can be time-consuming. It normally takes 30 days to receive some sort of communication about what will happen next.
If you have not heard anything within these 30 days, start to question what is going on. There are certain cases that may take longer than 30 days, which is something that you may be notified of.
When that decision comes, if it is positive, that is great. For those who are denied, this does not mean that all is lost. An experienced attorney who has dealt with these issues before can help.
There are situations in which a lawyer has been able to get these papers pushed through for those who are denied the first time. If you follow the steps properly, your chances of being denied are lessened when the paperwork is in order.
Long-Term Disability Claim Denied? Conte Jaswal Can help
You may be frustrated upon receiving your claim denial letter, but it’s not over just yet! We want to get you the policy you deserve.
An experienced insurance policy claim lawyer can help get you the benefits you are legally entitled to.
At Conte Jaswal, we are empathetic to your situation. We’ll fight for you and be your advocate when you go up against the big insurance companies. You do not have to do this alone.
Book a FREE, no-obligation consultation with us to discuss your options. Accidents happen, but we can help you get the compensation you need to recover.
Contact Conte Jaswal now to start getting your life back on track!
