Imagine this: You’ve submitted your application for CPP disability benefits and are anxiously waiting to hear if your claim is approved. One day, the phone rings. It’s a CPP adjudicator wanting to talk. You are completely caught off guard by their questions and worry that your answers may lead to a CPP disability claim denial.
Sounds stressful, right? You can avoid that extra stress by being prepared for the possibility of a CPP disability interview. Read on for tips on how to prepare for—and ace—a CPP disability interview.
What is a CPP Disability Interview?
Once you’ve sent your completed CPP application package, it’s reviewed by a medical adjudicator at Service Canada. The medical adjudicator reviews your full application package, your medical records, and any other documents you submitted to determine if you meet the CPP eligibility criteria.
The adjudicator may contact you after they’ve reviewed all the paperwork to ask questions or gather more information, which they then use in deciding whether to approve or reject your CPP disability claim. Phone interviews of this sort are used in both the CPP disability claims process and by long-term disability insurers to determine if LTD qualifications have been met.
You should approach a CPP disability claim phone interview with a high level of caution. While the adjudicator may simply be looking for an update on your condition or to clarify certain facts, it’s also possible that the adjudicator identified red flags in your application and is looking for admissions from you that make it easier for them to deny your CPP disability claim.
CPP Disability Interview Tips
It’s a mistake to not prepare for the possibility of a CPP disability adjudicator’s call. It may not happen, but you should prepare as if it will. If you overshare information or fail to mention relevant information, it can hurt your claim. If you handle the interview well, it will strengthen your case and make it tougher for the adjudicator to deny your CPP claim.
Here are top tips for being well-prepared for a CPP disability interview:
Ask for a call back if you are not prepared to proceed with an interview at that time.
Remember that written records of interactions with a CPP disability adjudicator are kept; what you say in a CPP disability interview will stay in your file.
Get familiar with how a CPP medical adjudicator determines eligibility. When you know the eligibility criteria and understand what “disability” means in the CPP context, you will:
be better able to advocate for yourself,
be less likely to say something unhelpful, and
understand the point behind the questions asked.
Take the phone interview seriously. If you are nervous, avoid joking around or using humour.
If you are stressed or anxious, take deep breaths and slow down. Listen carefully to the questions being asked before you give answers.
Only answer what was asked, and let the adjudicator ask a follow up question if needed.
Be honest and do your best to fully describe your limitations without exaggerating (e.g., your job duties and why you can’t do them).
What kinds of questions will the adjudicator ask?
Questions may be about your medical condition, or about how your medical condition is impacting your life (e.g., has your condition changed or improved lately?). Other questions may not seem like “medical” questions at all (e.g., efforts to return to work/failed back-to-work attempts; whether you expect to return to work).
That ties into the tip above about being familiar with CPP eligibility criteria in advance of the phone interview. Eligibility for CPP disability benefits does not depend solely on your medical condition or diagnosis (unless you have a terminal medical condition which is expected to result in your death within six months). The key is whether your mental or physical condition regularly stops you from doing any type of substantially gainful work. It must be a long-term condition that cannot be corrected or whose recovery timeline is indefinite or can’t be predicted. You must show that you’ve tried all medical treatments available to you. You should be prepared for questions that centre around each of those issues.
Dedicated CPP Disability Attorney Alberta and Saskatchewan
CPP disability attorney James Ludwar is here to help if you need support applying for CPP disability benefits. Mr. Ludwar can help you successfully navigate the CPP disability claim process or guide you through the appeal process if you’ve been met with an unjust CPP disability claim denial.
Check out our website to learn more about how we can help you with your CPP disability claim or other disability claims. Aside from being an experienced CPP disability law firm, we also provide other legal services for matters such as long-term disability claims to clients throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan.
If you’re ready to work with a professional CPP disability attorney, we welcome you to contact us. Your first consultation with our CPP and LTD attorney is free and can be done at your convenience in Calgary, Edmonton, all of Alberta, Saskatoon, Regina, or all of Saskatchewan. Request your appointment today.
Comments