Canada’s Disability Claims Lawyer Referral Service

IFA Magazine just reported that the federal government is raising the eligibility level for disability benefits. James Farmer describes that the government is reducing state support and benefits. In his article he quotes Paul Avis of Canada Life Group Insurance, “Disability living allowance is only one component of support that is available from the State, yet this move alongside welfare reform on core benefits such as the Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and those in the Work Related Activity Group has significant implications”.

This represents a continent-wide move away for state supported disability benefits. In the United States headlines decry, “U.S. Workforce Unprepared for New Reality of Workplace Benefits, Survey on Long-Term Disability Reveals” revealing that even people working in the public sector are in danger of finding their disability claims at risk or denied.

And it doesn’t stop there. United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter told reporters on a visit to Ottawa that “800,000 Canadian households are “food insecure”, because social assistance benefits and minimum wages have not kept up with the rising costs of basic necessities, such as food and housing”. CTV later indicated federal ministers as “dismissing” these findings.

If you are injured or need to make a disability claim for whatever reason, can you be sure your private insurance policy will cover you even as public disability coverage is being eroded at every level. If your claim has been denied, don’t put yourself at the mercy of public or private adjudicators—get a lawyer with experience in long-term disability claims in your province.