Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefits

Receiving CPP disability benefits

When will my disability benefits start?

Your benefits start four months after the date you become eligible. You may be entitled to benefits dating back a maximum of one year from the date you apply.

Can I volunteer, go to school or work while receiving CPP disability benefits?

Yes, you can:

• volunteer or attend school, participate in training or upgrade your skills without affecting your CPP disability benefits;
• work and earn up to $4,400 gross income before taxes for 2008 (this figure is adjusted annually) without having to report these earnings to Service Canada. However, you can contact Service Canada at any point to learn more about our return to work support and services.
• Once you have earned $4,400 (or the limit for the current year), you need to contact Service Canada. This amount is not a point at which benefits are stopped; it is an opportunity to see if you would benefit from some additional support that may help you return to work on a regular basis.

In consultation with Service Canada, you can also:

• plan an individualized return to work program through the CPP Vocational Rehabilitation program;
• receive support during the transition to work period for a minimum of three months during which your CPP disability payments continue. This gives you an opportunity to test your ability to work on a regular basis.

At what point would my disability benefits stop?

Benefits are stopped if you are:

• capable of working on a regular basis;
• meeting the performance expectations of your job; and
• making enough money from your job for it to be considered as substantially gainful employment.

What if my disability recurs?

A provision in the Canada Pension Plan called automatic reinstatement provides a financial safety net for clients whose benefits stopped because they returned to regular employment. If your disability recurs within two years and you can’t continue working, your CPP disability benefits will be quickly reinstated upon request; you will not have to re-qualify. Note: automatic reinstatement is available only to clients who inform us when they go back to work and whose benefits were stopped after January 31, 2005.

There is also a fast-track re-application available for up to five years after your benefits stop if you have been contributing to the CPP. However, you must reapply within one year of stopping work due to the recurrence of the same or a related disability. To obtain a re-application form, please contact us.

Children's benefits

What benefits are available for my children?

The CPP provides monthly benefits for dependent children of parents who are receiving CPP disability benefits. If both parents are receiving CPP disability benefits, their dependent children may receive two children’s benefits - one for each parent. Children may also be eligible for two benefits if one parent has died (if the deceased was a CPP contributor).

Please note that, like all CPP benefits, children’s benefits must be applied for in writing. Don’t forget to let us know if your family situation changes while you are receiving benefits. You must inform us if children are added to the family or are no longer in your custody. We need to know so that we can offer additional benefits, or cancel existing ones to prevent an overpayment that would have to be repaid later.

Who is considered to be "my dependent child"?

Your child is your natural or adopted child, or a child in your care and control. To be considered dependent, your child must be either under the age of 18 or between 18 and 25 and attending a recognized school or university full-time.

When do children's benefits stop?

Children’s benefits stop if:

• the parent stops receiving a CPP disability benefit;
• the child is no longer dependent;
• the child is between 18 and 25 and no longer attends school full time;
• the child turns 25; or
• the child dies.

Other disability benefits

Can I also get disability benefits from other programs?

There are a number of disability benefits you may be eligible for.

The federal government offers short-term illness 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 persons with a disability 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 of Canada has also introduced a number of tax measures that recognize the additional costs faced by people with disabilities. You may wish to contact the Canada Revenue Agency at 1 800 959-8281 to see whether any of these might be of help to you.

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

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

• Canada Benefits provides information on provincial as well as federal benefits.
• Persons with Disabilities Online provides information about programs and benefits for people with disabilities.

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

Yes, they may. Family income-based benefits from programs such as War Veterans Allowances, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the Allowance and the Allowance for the survivor, and provincial/ territorial social assistance all take your CPP income into account.

Some insurance plans and provincial/territorial programs, including social assistance, will pay you benefits while 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.

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

Please note that CPP benefits are taxable. You can ask us to deduct income tax from your monthly payment so you won’t have to pay a lump sum at tax time.

Am I eligible for any other kind of benefits?

You may be. If you are over 65, you may be eligible for a pension under the Old Age Security Act. If you have a low income, you may also qualify for the income-based Guaranteed Income Supplement.

If you are between 60 and 64, are the spouse or common-law partner of an OAS pensioner and have a low income, you may qualify for the Allowance, an additional OAS benefit. If your spouse or common-law partner has died, you may be eligible for the Allowance for the survivor.

You may also be eligible for benefits under the War Veterans Allowances Act, administered by Veterans Affairs Canada, or for Employment Insurance benefits and other provincial/territorial and municipal income assistance and services.

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