Disability Alliance BC - Sample Letter for Your Doctor

Dear Doctor, I am writing to ask you to complete a Medical Report for my application for Canada Pension Plan disability benefits.

[Date]

[Name of doctor]

[Doctor’s address]

Dear Doctor,

I am writing to ask you to complete a medical report for my application for Canada Pension Plan disability benefits. I am enclosing the medical report form.

To qualify for CPP disability benefits, I must provide medical evidence to show the following:

Ever since I last worked [give date you last worked], my disabilities have prevented me from regularly having “substantially gainful” employment in any job (not just my previous job).
My condition is not likely to improve enough for me to return to substantially gainful employment.

If you can complete the medical report for me, please include the following:

The date you began treating me. If this is after the date I last worked, please mention any medical documents you have from my previous doctors (Section 3).
A Section 5 sheet for each of my medical conditions. The form only comes with three sheets, but you can photocopy a sheet and add pages if you need to describe more conditions that I have.
A list of my impairments and functional limitations that prevent me from working.

Giving my prognosis (health outlook) for the purposes of this application

My prognosis does not have to be written in stone. In deciding whether I will get CPP- Disability, Service Canada is looking at whether my condition is going to improve, deteriorate, stay the same, or whether this is unknown. The strongest application will be one where my condition meets the definition of ‘severe’ and will likely get worse or stay the same.

Many doctors like to say “unknown,” but that results in a weaker application. It does not mean an automatic denial, but it is something the medical adjudicators do reference in some of their denials. They see it as evidence that a person’s condition may improve with treatment, and that they will probably be able to go back to some type of work.

If you can focus on “likely” instead of “absolutely,” hopefully we can create a stronger application that will show if I am expected to see dramatic improvements or not.

Expected duration: This should be more than 1 year for Service Canada to consider the condition ‘prolonged’.

Frequency of symptoms if recurrent/episodic: If my symptoms are unpredictable, please make a note of that.

List of the medications I am taking and have taken: There is not a great deal of space. You can include attachments such as Pharmacare records.

Types of treatments we have tried: If we have attempted more than 3 treatments, you can include an attachment that lists them all.

My employment situation (Section 6)

Question 1: If you did not recommend that I stop working but you agree with me that I could not work when I did stop, please include a note giving that context.
Question 2: I believe it is unlikely that I will be able to return to work in the future. If you agree it is unlikely, please say so.

Supporting documentation (Section 8)

When you submit documents to support my application, please keep in mind that Service Canada is assessing my employability. Please attach all reports or notes that you think would be relevant to my application.

Thank you for your help with my application. If possible, please show me the form when you have completed it, so that we can go over it together before it is submitted.

Sincerely,

[Your signature]

[Print your name]

Adapted from: Disability Alliance British Columbia CPP-D Self Help Guide-Application Guide

Resources

Definitions of Arthritis and Depression

Below are definitions of Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis and Depression which can help describe these medical conditions when you and/or your medical professional complete the medical forms in benefit applications.

How do I get a Social Insurance Number?

Find your birth certificate, Certificate of Canadian citizenship or permanent residence card. These are called primary documents.

How do I set up a My Self Serve (MySS) account

My Self Serve (MySS) provides online access to income and disability assistance for residents of British Columbia.

How to find a doctor or nurse practitioner who will work with you

How you can help your medical practitioner complete the DTC medical form

I need help with my Disability Tax Credit

You can ask for support before, during and after applying for your DTC.

If you are unable to open an RDSP

If you have trouble opening an RDSP, even if you meet all the eligibility criteria, it is usually because your financial institution is missing some information.

If your CPP-D application is denied

You will get a decision letter from Service Canada. It will explain why your application was denied.

If your DTC application is denied

If your Disability Tax Credit application is denied, you will get a ‘notice of determination’ letter from Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Impact on daily living activities

Here are some examples of how you might describe the impact on daily living activities.

Questions to ask when deciding which financial institution to choose to open your RDSP.

Is the financial institution convenient for me to reach?

There are three ways to file income taxes

You can file your taxes electronically (online) using NETFILE (an electronic tax-filing service that sends your tax return directly to the Canada Revenue Agency.