Disability pension...

Canada Disability Pension: Canada offers a disability pension plan for those who are disabled to work at any job on a regular basis. The disability must be both severe and prolonged. This plan is called as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).  It gives a monthly payment to people who have contributed to the Canada Pension Plan while they worked and later became disabled and are unable to work at any job on a regular basis. A person is eligible for the CPP disability benefit only if the SDC (Social Development Canada) medical adjudicators approve the applicant based on the application, supporting documents and the visible accidental disability which is severe and prolonged. According to the law, the severity of disability is one which prevents one from doing any job on a regular basis and the prolonged disability is one which is expected to last for at least one year or is likely to result in death. The Canada Pension Plan covers the costs through the interest earned on the investment of the money which are paid as contributions to the CPP by employees, their employers and self-employed people. According to the Canadian Law, every person in Canada over the age of 18 who earns a salary must pay to the CPP. The employee and the employer each pay half of the contributions and if the person is self-employed, he has to pay both the portions. Another requirement of the CPP is that the person must have earned an amount higher than ,200 in 2006 and has made contributions in four of the last six years. Under CPP legislation, the disability payment starts four months after the date SDC approves the disability of the applicant. The monthly payment will usually arrive in the last three banking days of each month. There is another plan called the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) which is similar to CPP. It helps the people with disabilities and also Ontarians of 65 years or older who are not eligible for Old Age Security. The two components of this plan are the income support and the employment supports.

Veteran Disability Pension: A veteran disability pension will be will be given to the person who is a

• Canadian Forces (CF) Veteran or a Merchant Navy Veteran of the First or Second World War or the Korean War;
• Current or former member of the Regular or Reserve Force; or
• Civilian who served in close support of the Armed Forces during wartime.

The Pension Act provides coverage under two principles:

• In the Insurance Principle, the pension coverage is given 24 hours a day for war time or SDA service; OR
• In the Compensation Principle, the pension coverage is given for disability or death which was directly related to, or permanently worsened by peacetime, non-SDA, service factors or events;

Disability Pension Information: The application for CPP disability pension benefits can be obtained from the Application for Disability Benefits. Or, it can be applied through cpp which will mail a kit. The kit includes the application forms, a questionnaire, medical report to be completed by the doctor, consent form, a child rearing dropout provision form and also a checklist. The Veteran disability pension can be applied through obtaining the application from the link VAC disability pension application. It can be applied through the Veterans’ organization such as the Royal Canadian Legion, Veterans Affairs Canada. The information to be supplied includes the Name, the address, the telephone number, the Service number(s), the current medical diagnosis of the condition(s) for which you are claiming a disability pension, the medical reports from civilian doctors (if applicable) and, the statement outlining what the candidate is perceived to be the cause of the disability and how he relate it to military service.

Disability Pension Benefits: All disability pension benefits are taxable. The CPP never pays short-term benefits or partial disability benefits. It is also not guaranteed to the whole life. If the condition of the applicant improves and he is able to work on regular basis or the applicant turns 65 or upon the applicant’s death, the CPP benefit ceases. There are also benefits for children if at least one parent is qualified for the CPP disability benefit. The approved applicant’s dependent child under 18 years of age or between 18 and 25 attending school full time, can receive 0.47 a month in 2006. The CPP provides a benefit to all eligible contributors, even when they are receiving disability income from other sources. The other payments can be adjusted once the applicant is approved for a CPP disability benefit.