Benefits you should know about

The two (2) year mark of collecting accident benefits is important as there should be enough assessments and information collected on you to determine if you can return to work or continue to collect accident benefits.

If it is determined that you are incapable of returning to work that means your injuries are more than simple and you should be forward looking, investigating some long-term income replacement.

Your lawyer will be following a structure used to put the pieces in place for a possible settlement but let’s be real, the lawyer would not have taken your case on unless they felt you would provide them a payday and planning for the future, outside of obtaining a settlement, is not part of their task.

What can you do to plan for the future?

1. You should be applying for CPP Disability Benefits. The form found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/publicpensions/cpp/cpp-disability-benefit/apply.html. This is a form you and your doctor complete, and you submit it either in paper form or through your Service Canada account.
   1. If approved, you will receive monthly benefits retroactive to your accident date. Bear in mind that for every dollar you receive from CPP Disability, the insurance company will deduct dollar for dollar from your accident benefits so your total amount received will not increase your income.
   2. This benefit will continue long after your lawyer has obtained a settlement and it means that you are still shown as contributing to your eventual CPP retirement.
   3. The insurance company would like you to be successful in collecting the CPP disability as it reduces their cost of providing for you. So, when completing the form, it wants you to supply medical documentation regarding your claim which is easy to accomplish. There is a box to check that indicates you are collecting accident benefits so you can designate the insurance company as the group that will submit your necessary medical documentation. Let them do the leg work to have you qualified.
2. At the same time, you have your doctor complete the above form, you should have a second form completed – The Disability Tax Credit: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/individuals/segments/tax-credits-deductions-persons-disabilities/disability-tax-credit.html#DTC.
   1. This form does not require you to be collecting CPP Disability and is completed by you and your doctor. This benefit is not openly advertised.
   2. If approved this gives you or the person supporting you, nonrefundable tax credits to reduce income and is retroactive to your accident date.
   3. Perhaps you have no income that would require these tax credits but what it does do is qualify you for the Retirement Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) which is going to create a retirement when you reach age 60.
   4. Once approved for the Disability Tax Credit you can sign up for the RDSP by visiting your local financial institution.
3. Retirement Disability Savings Plan can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/disability/savings.html
   1. You can contribute to this plan until you are 49 years of age and then wait 10 years before drawing funds from it without penalty.
   2. The government will match your contribution with grants and bonds more than what you put in. They even compensate for low income during the contribution period.
   3. Visit an authorized lender that deals in these plans to get the appropriate advice and information on how it works.
4. Then there is the Ontario Disability Support Program: https://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/odsp/income_support/IS_Eligibility.aspx
   1. You have the potential to top up your CPP Disability amounts to a maximum and can earn a certain amount of money before being penalized.
   2. You will need your doctor to be involved with the application and will fall into a prescribed class.
   3. If you are collecting accident benefits, then dollar for dollar will be deducted from your maximum accident benefits payable by your insurance company.
   4. This program includes various sorts of support for the basics in your life and should be reviewed to see what will suit your situation.
   5. You can use an online form the province has created to see what benefits are available to you: Find benefits and programs | ontario.ca
5. If you have low income and or on a disability pension, you can apply to the Ontario Energy Board to assist with your energy expenses: Bill assistance programs | Ontario Energy Board (oeb.ca), Each application is judged on the basis of information submitted.

All of the information provided in this session is for reference only and should be confirmed by the reader as to its accuracy and not intended as professional advice.