Contributed by Tony Lafazanis – Personal Injury Lawyer — Ontarians and indeed all Canadians are learning to live life impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. New workplace procedures and the challenges of working from home are two major changes, and many people have been temporarily laid-off or lost their jobs entirely. A claim for Disability insurance benefits may be appropriate in certain circumstances.
Employees who contract COVID-19 or whose mental and/or physical health is affected by it may be eligible to claim benefits under a Short Term Disability (STD) policy and if the mental and/or physical health challenges continue, may be eligible to claim benefits under a Long Term Disability (LTD) policy.
Qualifications for Short Term Disability Benefits
If you have been infected with COVID-19 and have disability insurance, you should be able to submit a claim for STD benefits. With the recommendation from the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA), many insurance companies are making the following adjustments to allow people with the virus or who are adhering to a medically-directed quarantine, to receive their benefits as quickly and easily as possible:
- waiving the standard waiting period for STD policies (ranging from 1 to 10 days) to start receiving benefits on the first day of diagnosis, separate from sick days which do not fall under the health insurance benefit and are managed by your employer.
- waiving lab tests and doctor’s notes requirements in favour of self-declarations.
At any point in the application process, your claim could be denied. Tony Lafazanis provides a free evaluation of your policy and how it may apply to your disability.
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Personal Injury & Disability Insurance Law
