Disability tax credit

Hi Deena‍ 
Good question, and good to see you being proactive about this.  I have not had experience with this particular tax credit, but I found this information on Govt of Canada website. Tax Credits and Deductions for Persons With Disabilities

Last year, I attended a session at my cancer centre on the Financial Matters of cancer. It was put on by the centre's Social Workers, and it was great. 
They are a great resource as they typically know what financial assistance resources are available and they keep pretty up to date on what forms need to be filled out, what eligibility criteria must be met, etc.
I would recommend that you check out the Social Workers at your cancer centre to see what assistance they can provide to you.

Is this for yourself, as a patient, or for yourself as a caregiver of someone with cancer?

Deena‍ 

Print off the Tax Credit Application. See the link ashcon‍ provided in her response.

You need to make an appointment with your doctor (I used my GP) and go over the various areas of your health that may qualify for the tax credit. Your doctor will verify the areas identified that you qualify for. Then he or she will sigh off on the document and verify you are entitled and qualify for the tax credit.

Be aware that you need to meet the criteria identified in multiple areas of the form to qualify. Read it over and you will understand what I mean. See if you meet the criteria yourself, and tell the doctor where you believe you qualify. They may not be aware of the level of disability unless you indicate this to them during your consult.

Also - if your doctor is approving treatment and medical disability that occurred in the past during your treatments and disability - indicate the applicable dates from the past, and check the portion that indicates you are seeking retroactive payment as well. Payments can be paid retroactively back to those dates (2 - 3 years) as described on the form.

Good luck.

ACH2015 - Andy.



 

If someone is approved for Disability Tax Credit, does that also mean their GP or specialist is then mandated to report same to the Ministry of Transportation for revocation of a driver's license?  I guess it would depend on the disability?  I used to transcribe medical transcription for large downtown hospitals and very often I would hear that a form was being sent to the Ministry of Transport because the patient suffered from x, y, or z.  Anyone have more information on being approved for the Disability Tax Credit and then losing their license in the process? 

 

MommaBear‍ - the Ontario Highway Traffic Act lists the conditions which a doctor must report to the MTO (I assume other provinces are similar but I can't say for sure). I've copied the list below, but it's mostly things that impair vision, things like seizure disorders where someone could be unexpectedly incapacitated while driving, or cognitive issues that would impact judgment. So if someone's cancer or treatment causes them to suffer these types of issue, the doctor would likely report it. That's certainly not the case for all disabilities though, and would really depend on the specific symptoms that a person is experiencing. 

The DTC application itself certainly wouldn't automatically trigger a doctor's report, and if someone is already being treated by their doctor for this type of symptom, it would follow that the doctor would have likely already made the report. 

HTA list of mandatory conditions that must be reported to the MTO:

(3) For the purposes of subsection 203 (1) of the Act, the following are the prescribed medical conditions, functional impairments and visual impairments that a prescribed person under subsection (1) shall report:

1. Cognitive impairment: a disorder resulting in cognitive impairment that,

i. affects attention, judgment and problem solving, planning and sequencing, memory, insight, reaction time or visuospatial perception, and

ii. results in substantial limitation of the person’s ability to perform activities of daily living.

2. Sudden incapacitation: a disorder that has a moderate or high risk of sudden incapacitation, or that has resulted in sudden incapacitation and that has a moderate or high risk of recurrence.

3. Motor or sensory impairment: a condition or disorder resulting in severe motor impairment that affects co-ordination, muscle strength and control, flexibility, motor planning, touch or positional sense.

4. Visual impairment:

i. A best corrected visual acuity that is below 20/50 with both eyes open and examined together.

ii. A visual field that is less than 120 continuous degrees along the horizontal meridian, or less than 15 continuous degrees above and below fixation, or less than 60 degrees to either side of the vertical midline, including hemianopia.

iii. Diplopia that is within 40 degrees of fixation point (in all directions) of primary position, that cannot be corrected using prism lenses or patching.

5. Substance use disorder: a diagnosis of an uncontrolled substance use disorder, excluding caffeine and nicotine, and the person is non-compliant with treatment recommendations.

6. Psychiatric illness: a condition or disorder that currently involves acute psychosis or severe abnormalities of perception such as those present in schizophrenia or in other psychotic disorders, bipolar disorders, trauma or stressor-related disorders, dissociative disorders or neurocognitive disorders, or the person has a suicidal plan involving a vehicle or an intent to use a vehicle to harm others. 

I agree it depends on the type of disability. My husbands receives this credit but more for his severe peripheral arterial disease than his cancer. It does not affect his vision, attention or cognitive ability to drive.

jennifer_m‍  and jorola‍ 

Thank you both very much for your replies.  We live in Ontario, so the information is very helpful. 

Hubby's issues are related to hearing (hears with modern hearing aids) and some urinary incontinence (needs to wear pads round the clock, but has moderate control).  After reading the Application for Disability, it seems his issues may not be as severe as stipulated.  I suppose it's worth a chat with our GP.  Do you think GPs themselves know much about the government's requirements for this credit? Our GP is in his late 50's, so maybe he's seen a lot of these applications.   How long would the application process take, do you think?  (weeks, months?  Did it take long for you?)  This GP is so busy with such a full practice, I hate to take up his time and even with an appointment, his waiting room time is close to 1 1/2 hours (sigh)!

Thanks for your advice here.  

The test for the DTC is more of a legal test than a medical one so unfortunately a lot of family doctors aren't always familiar with how to prepare the application in such a way that it meets the government's test for qualifying. There are some companies that will help with a DTC application however a lot of them are shady so be careful if you go that route, as you don't want to get ripped off. I'm not sure how long the process takes - I think if you're approved right away, it won't be long, but if you get denied and have to appeal the process it would be a longer, more drawn out process. It's certainly worth having another talk with your family doctor anyway before you do anything else.

Our family doc was very familiar with the process MommaBear‍ . I should add were are in Alberta, not that I think that makes a difference really. I think the only way to truly know if your husband qualifies is to just take the plunge and go. I very much agree with jennifer_m‍ about any company that says they will help you with completing the forms. They take a cut in any money you get. The forms are not hard. Just time consuming. Make sure if the doc completes one for your husband that you get a copy of it. It will help you in completing the forms you have to complete. The key is to be as detailed as possible when explaining how your husband is affected in each of the areas he is disabled in. Do not be shy in attaching extra pages if you need more room to write. Also the focus is on what he CAN'T do. Not telling you to lie or exaggerate but if you minimize or downplay his disabilities he will likely be rejected.
If you have not gone onto the government website regarding this benefit I have provided the links here. Be sure to read through it all as it is helpful.
Eligibility Criteria
Step by Step Instructions of how to apply
I hope this helps. If you have other questions, please ask. Someone may be able to help.
Jodie

jennifer_m‍  and jorola‍,

Thank you for your very helpful advice and your links, @Jorola.

We may as well check this all out and see the family doc about it all as a first step.

I appreciate the savvy posts.

Does anyone know if I can make a claim for the credit as my husband already gets it so can we both get the credit ?

Sorry no one has replied to your post yet bevcavanagh‍ 
To be honest I don't really know but I believe it is an individual benefit so I do not see why you could not also apply if you  meet the criteria. If you do not, any amount of the credit that your husband does not use is transferable to you.

bevcavanagh:
Hi, bevcavanagh I just applied for my husbands disability tax credit and the tax office said that he could transfer his credit to me or he claims himself but it can only be claimed by one of us not both. I hope this helps you.

That really helps thanks so much