Rehabilitation isn’t all fun and games and exciting video clips of Marc walking and doing other brilliant things. Some days are more mundane.
Today was one of those days.
Today was about paperwork for Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) Disability Benefits. I started the process over a week ago with the help of Janet, the social worker on Marc’s floor. We had to wait until the doctor finally finished his portion of the paperwork. He did his part and we are just finalizing the last of the forms.
Just when you think you are done, you realize that you have to also apply for the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and you wonder how life brought you here.
If there is one thing I could recommend to people in the wake of this, I would say, “Be prepared.” Marc and I thought we were. We have great insurance in case one of us dies. We were all over that.
What we failed to recognize is that neither of us is invincible. Accidents happen. Illness happens. Strokes happen. Even to people like us.
We didn’t prepare for disability.
Imagine not having disability insurance and having both partners being self employed. One of you goes into the hospital for an extended period of time and the other is left trying to figure out how to pay the bills and the mortgage in the interim, all while trying to be there for their partner in the hospital. You’re trying to cope with the situation at hand and wonder if you are going to be able to pay your bills next month.
It’s scary.
So if we can pass on anything from this experience our advice is, be prepared. It’s never too early to think about this kind of thing. You owe it to yourself and your family to make sure you have disability insurance. Sit down with your insurance agent and discuss your options.
We wish we had.
Poignant but savvy advisce.
ReplyDeleteIt's also cheaper to get good coverage before you experience a health event, so if you're healthy, now is truly the time to get insured.
As an HR professional, I see too many people struggle even with coverage. It's got to be very tough going through all this without insurance.
Sandy, this makes me think that you haven't had a health event (that I know of). Are you investigating LTD coverage for yourself? If there's an association of real estate agents, there may be a group plan somewhere that is not as expensive as going with an individual plan.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought.
Hi sandy, I have some experience dealing with ODSP and CPP (disability).
ReplyDeletePlease note even though Marc's case seems clear cut, he may not get accepted for CPP...as approximately 85 - 90% of cases don't get accepted on the first application. Please don't get discouraged if this happens and appeal it right away. Submit as much medical information with your application as possible. If you need any information with your portion of the form, let me know.