The What and Why of Canadian Pension Plan Disability

Feedback: navigatingdisabilitywithme@gmail.com

Links:

1. Government of Canada webpage for Canadian Pension Plan Disability Benefit: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp-disability-benefit.html

Tips:

1. CPP-D is for Canadians who have contributed to The Canadian Pension Plan and have a severe and prolonged disability.
2. As of 2025 you are limited to earning $7100 (gross before tax) before you have to notify CPP of your earnings, at which point they will assess if you are capable of doing regular work. This limit goes up with inflation (2026 it's $7400).
3. Benefits may be impacted once you pass $7100 in income. Once you go over $20 153 it's likely you'll be cut off CPP-D. (2026 it's $20 971).
4. Yes, it's mainly employment income that the CRA is looking at here. From googling we've learned that the CRA of course knows about your investment income anyway, from your taxes.
5. CPP-D does not fully replace your income. It's a small percentage. The average CPP-D income per Canada.com is $1192/month.
6. ⅙ of Canadians with disabilities live below the poverty line.
7. If you're on Long Term Disability that insurance company will likely claw back all of your CPP-D (or will drop what they're paying you by exactly what you get from CPP-D).
8. So why apply for CPP-D?
   1. CPP-D is often the key to getting into other programs and benefits.
   2. CPP-D tells insurance companies that provide LTD that you are recognized as a severely disabled person, making it harder for them to deny you your LTD benefit (this is what's been experienced by doctors and patients, but is not any sort of official rule).
   3. CPP-D tells the government you aren't choosing not to work and therefore the government protects your CPP (the actual pension), allowing you to get the full pension when you retire.
9. CPP-D pays on the third to last day of the month.
10. CPP-D is calculated as: a base amount that everyone gets, plus a portion that's income based ("CPP pensionable earnings").
11. If you had to take time off for child rearing they will adjust the calculation so that it isn't punitive.
12. CPP-D benefit goes up a (very) small amount every year.
13. There's an additional benefit in CPP-D for your children.
14. You will speak to CRA workers during the application process, they will give you time frames and phone numbers to watch for.
15. The application processing will take longer than they say it will.
16. Application requires you and your doctor/primary care provider's input. You will need names of medications, tests, symptoms etc., along with amounts, dates, places etc.
17. Only 40% of applicants to CPP-D are approved the first try. Be thorough when filling in the forms!

A discussion with Laura, who has two points of view on going through the disability process as she is both an insurance executive and currently on disability while fighting cancer.

Guest: Laura, who works as a group benefits account executive for a national broker. Insta:@alilcoffee

Feedback: navigatingdisabilitywithme@gmail.com

Links:

1. Screening mammogram information:
   1. Ontario: https://www.cancercareontario.ca/en/types-of-cancer/breast-cancer/screening
   2. B.C.: https://www.bccancer.bc.ca/screening/health-professionals/breast
2. What is Lymphedema, per The Mayo Clinic:
   1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lymphedema/symptoms-causes/syc-20374682
3. BC Lymphedema Association
   1. http://www.bclymph.org

Tips:

1. Rules around screening mammograms and self referring differ between provinces and territories.
2. In many provinces you can start screening mammograms at age 40.
3. The younger you are when you develop breast cancer, the higher the mortality risk (see SEER, Canadian Studies - Seely et.al, and The Young Women's Breast Cancer Study).
4. Increase in mortality risk at a younger age is due to tumour biology, delayed diagnosis and socioeconomic factors.
5. You may get called back after your mammogram for further follow up. Do not panic as these can often be due to non cancer findings/errors/etc.
6. If there are suspicious findings on your screening mammogram you may then receive further mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies, etc.
7. Surgery to remove a tumour may also include removing some or all of your surrounding lymph nodes.
8. Other tests could include CT scans, bone scans and MRIs to look for spread of the cancer.
9. Treatment plans for breast cancer can include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone blockers and more.
10. Consider where your best family/community support is, when undergoing cancer treatment.
11. Different surgeons in different provinces may have different surgical techniques.
12. Lyphedema is a known side effect of having lymph nodes removed.
13. Lymphovascular reconstruction helps reduce the risk of lymphedema.
14. If you're planning a move it can be very difficult to coordinate care in the receiving province before you have actually moved.
15. Laura found a BC doctor who she could see virtually to get the referral going before she moved to BC.
16. There is a waiting period to transition to the new province's medical plan. For BC it was 2 months plus the remaining portion of the month you arrived in. Your original province's plan would still be covering you for that time.
17. Immediately apply for the new province's medical plan when you arrive.
18. Delay of care is a risk if you plan to move provinces during any health crisis.
19. A breast cancer diagnosis means so much of your time is taken up with medical calls/appointments/etc. that working was no longer possible.
20. In Laura's case she received sick time for a week, then Medical E.I, then Long Term Disability.
21. Don't forget about waiting periods to qualify for Medical E.I., Long Term Disability etc.
22. Benefits can also overlap, depending on the wording of the policy.
23. CPP Disability is for someone who is anticipated to never return to work.
24. Can your LTD company cut you off? Not as long as you meet the criteria of disability. Most plans go to age 65. The risk is getting cut off of the rest of the plan (health and dental etc.)
25. Most LTD policies have a clause that, at the 1-2 year mark of disability, changes from you being able to work your own occupation to being able to work ANY occupation.
26. Each insurance policy has different rules around extended health benefits plans, and you may be required to pay partially or in full for these benefits when on LTD.
27. CPP Disability may help signal to the insurance company that you are profoundly disabled.
28. When going through breast cancer treatment it is largely scheduled by the care team.
29. From Laura: choose your chemo day of the week carefully as you must get bloodwork done ahead of time. "Tuesday is a bad day for chemotherapy!".