Disability claims: CPP benefits can restart if disability returns

Ontario victims of debilitating injuries or illnesses who miss time from the job might improve sufficiently to return to work. If Canada Pension Plan disability benefits were stopped upon the person’s return to his or her job, and the disability reappears, there is an option to reactivate disability claims. The same CPP benefits can be obtained if the same disability starts again, but a new application for benefits will have to be filed if it is a different debilitating condition.

Although the number of times the CPP benefits can be restarted is unlimited, specific criteria must be met. The period since the person’s return to work and stoppage of benefits must not exceed two years, and continued working is impossible due to the return of the previous disability or the development of a related handicap. The person must be under the age of 65 and not a recipient of CPP retirement pension benefits.

The CPP must also be notified of the return of the disability within a one year period from the month in which employment stopped due to the condition. At the time when the benefit payments stopped, the CPP provides two forms with respect to any subsequent application to restart benefits. The applicant must fill out one of the forms, stating the need for resuming benefits, and the doctor who must confirm the return of the disability must fill out the second form.

The emotional and physical trauma experienced upon the return of a condition may be overwhelming. This might be exacerbated by the prospect of navigating the administrative and legal proceedings of re-establishing disability claims for benefits. Fortunately, the process can be simplified by obtaining the support and guidance of an Ontario lawyer who has experience in dealing with the CPP disability benefits program.