Other disability benefits

Can I also receive disability benefits from other programs?

You may be eligible to receive a number of disability benefits.

The Government of Canada offers short-term sickness benefits under Employment Insurance. It also offers disability benefits from Veterans Affairs Canada for those who have served in the armed forces.

All Canadian provinces and territories have workers’ compensation benefits for work-related illness or injury.

Provinces and territories offer social assistance to people with disabilities who have a low income.

You may also qualify for benefits from private insurance or through your employer, union, or professional association.

If you lived or worked in a country with which Canada has an international social security agreement, you may be eligible for disability benefits from that country as well. Please contact us  for information on countries with which Canada has such agreements.

The Government has also introduced a number of tax measures, including the Working Income Tax Benefit, the disability tax credit, as well as other tax credits and benefits, that recognize the additional costs faced by people with disabilities. For more information, visit the Persons with disabilities section of the Canada Revenue Agency Web site or call 1‑800‑959‑8281 (TTY: 1‑800‑665‑0354).

There are other programs that offer health care assistance and disability support to specific groups with special needs, such as people with disabilities. If you have not already done so, you may want to contact your provincial or territorial government to determine whether you qualify for benefits.

The following Web sites provide links to a number of sites of interest:

Do my CPP disability benefits affect the amount I receive from other programs?

Yes, they may. Family income-based benefits from programs such as the War Veterans Allowance, Employment Insurance, the Allowance, the Allowance for the Survivor, and provincial/territorial social assistance all take your CPP disability income into account.

Some insurance plans and provincial/territorial programs, including social assistance, will pay you benefits while the CPP considers your disability application. These other payments may decrease or stop once your CPP disability benefits begin.

If you receive disability payments covering the same period of time from both the CPP and another program, you may be asked to pay back some or all of your CPP disability benefits to the other program for that period.

If you have questions about how your CPP benefits might affect other benefits you are receiving, you should contact these other programs.