mkdisability's articles WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ‘HOLIDAY BLUES’ DON’T GET BETTER If holiday melodies are to be believed, this should be the most wonderful time of the year. Holiday festivities are abundant, families are arranging seasonal get-togethers, and retail merchandisers want everyone to be full of holiday joy. Yet this rosy picture is certainly not everyone’s reality. For many, the December holiday season can instead be […] August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked MK DISABILITY LAWYERS WELCOMES NEW PARTNER LEANNE GOLDSTEIN MK Disability Lawyers is pleased to announce that Leanne Goldstein has joined the firm as Partner. Leanne has been a practicing lawyer for 20 years. For 16 years she has been tirelessly advocating for individuals whose short term and long-term disability benefits have been wrongfully denied by insurance companies. Leanne has extensive experience litigating every […] August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked SHOULD I STOP PAYING INTO MY LTD PLAN WHILE ON MATERNITY LEAVE? It is not uncommon for employers to provide employees with the option of cancelling coverage for long term disability benefits when they go on maternity leave. While it might seem like a financial relief not to have to pay premiums for benefits while off on maternity leave, failing to pay those premiums comes with several […] August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked WHAT IF I CAN’T WORK DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)? With all the recent media attention dedicated to the spread of coronavirus, you may be concerned that you or your loved ones could fall ill or be quarantined due to this widespread illness. If that should happen, you may wonder what impact that would have on your income and your ability to meet your personal […] August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ACCESS TO ASSISTED DYING PROGRAM EXPANDING. IS THAT REALLY WISE? MK Disability Lawyers partner Leanne Goldstein was honoured to be featured in a recent article by Legal Matters. Please see an excerpt reprinted below, and visit the Legal Matters website to read the full article. With some people considering medical assistance in dying (MAiD) because of the financial burdens of living with a physical or mental disability, Toronto and […] August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked ACCOMMODATIONS FOR TEACHERS WITH UNDERLYING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES With nearly 1,000 school staff at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and hundreds more from other school districts seeking vaccination exemptions, there exists substantial risk that many staff, including teachers, will be placed on administrative unpaid leave in the coming weeks if their exemption requests are denied and they do not get vaccinated. Over […] August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR CANCER AFTER TREATMENT ENDS “I have just completed my chemotherapy and radiation treatments and the insurance company is saying I am ready to go back to work – I do not feel well enough to work – what can I do?“ Although there is a wide-spread belief that long-term disability benefits are available to protect you on an ongoing […] August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked MK DISABILITY LAWYERS IN THE NEWS: PROVING A DISABILITY CLAIM CAN BE DAUNTING EVEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS MK Disability Lawyers partner Leanne Goldstein was honoured to be featured in an article recently by Legal Matters about how substance abuse should be seen from a place of empathy. Please see an excerpt reprinted below, and visit the Legal Matters website to read the full article. Having a diagnosis in a disability claim does not automatically lead to benefits nor […] August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked MK DISABILITY LAWYERS IN THE NEWS: RESEARCH SHOWS THE BENEFIT OF PSYCHEDELIC DRUG THERAPY MK Disability Lawyers partner Rupa Karyampudi was honoured to be featured in a recent article by Legal Matters about research into the benefits of psychedelic drug therapy. Please see an excerpt reprinted below, and visit the Legal Matters website to read the full article. Psychedelic drug-assisted therapy is proving to be effective in treating mental health issues but getting […] August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked MK DISABILITY LAWYERS IN THE NEWS: SURVEILLANCE AN INEFFECTIVE WAY TO DISPROVE A DISABILITY CLAIM MK Disability Lawyers partner Courtney Mulqueen was honoured to be featured in a recent article by Legal Matters. Please see an excerpt reprinted below, and visit the Legal Matters website to read the full article. “It is occurring on almost every teacher file I am handling. Suddenly there is surveillance on them. That is really unusual,” says Mulqueen, a […] August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked TO WORK OR NOT – THAT IS THE QUESTION So that body check at the pick-up hockey game on Sunday evening has left you with headaches, ringing in your ears and blurry vision. It’s Monday morning and you have a big project to complete at work. You attend work but find that looking at a computer screen significantly aggravates your headaches and causes visual […] August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked LTD & COVID-19 PART 4: APPLYING FOR DISABILITY & OTHER ASSISTANCE DURING COVID-19 In Part 2 of our series on LTD & COVID-19, we wrote a post about applying for disability benefits during COVID-19 and provided some helpful tips with respect to understanding your disability coverage depending on your type of employment. Today, we are continuing to provide tips and information on how to apply for coverage, as well as […] August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked WHEN RETURNING TO WORK IS A RISKY PROPOSITION As workplaces slowly begin to reopen over the next several weeks and months, many of us might feel anxious about returning to work and the possibility of being exposed to COVID-19. However, if you are someone who has a medical condition that puts you at an increased risk for serious complications from COVID-19, you might decide that […] August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked HOW DO I FIND A DISABILITY LAWYER? If your Short-Term Disability (STD) or Long-Term Disability (LTD) insurance claim has been denied or your disability benefits have been terminated and you are still not well enough to return to work, you may be looking for a lawyer to help you take over your fight with the insurance company. If you search the internet […] August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked WHAT IF I CAN’T WORK DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)? With all the recent media attention dedicated to the spread of coronavirus, you may be concerned that you or your loved ones could fall ill or be quarantined due to this widespread illness. If that should happen, you may wonder what impact that would have on your income and your ability to meet your personal […] August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Should I Stop Paying Into My LTD Plan While on Maternity Leave? It is not uncommon for employers to provide employees with the option of cancelling coverage for long term disability benefits when they go on maternity leave. While it might seem like a financial relief not to have to pay premiums for benefits while off on maternity leave, failing to pay those premiums comes with several […] December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Long-Term Disability Claims for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder When you hear the term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) you may think about a condition that affects war veterans or people who work in emergency services or those who have suffered abuse, disasters or major illnesses and accidents. However, the condition can also result from highly personal traumatic events like losing a job or a […] December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Struggling to be Seen & Believed: Making an LTD Claim for an “Invisible Condition” You are exhausted. You are in pain. You can hardly concentrate. Your memory is shot and you are feeling depressed and anxious. You may still not (and may never) know what is causing you to feel the way that you do. The one thing you do know is that there is no way that you […] December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked What is Long-Term Disability Examination? The IME is an independent medical assessment that is arranged by the insurance company. The long-term disability insurance carrier will appoint a physician to conduct the exam. The doctor will evaluate the physical and psychological issues that are cited as the cause of your claim. For this reason, you should bring any medical records you […] December 7, 2021December 7, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked What do you do if your Disability Claim has been denied or terminated? You have spent months providing the insurance company with forms and medical records and letters from your doctors, all saying the same thing: You are disabled and can’t work. Yet, the insurance company does not or will not believe you. Perhaps you feel as though you have been hitting your head against a brick wall. […] December 3, 2021December 3, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Can I Be Fired If I’m Collecting Disability Benefits? The answer to this question is yes. And no. If you have made a claim for disability benefits, you may be curious as to whether your employment can be terminated by your employer. Many claimants believe that making a claim for disability benefits automatically protects them from a termination of their employment. It is not […] December 3, 2021December 3, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked My LTD Case Manager is Out to Get Me. What Can I Do? to suffer financially and emotionally. In these circumstances, our clients may tell us that their case manager was aware of their medical condition and of their financial circumstances and despite knowing their vulnerable state, proceeded to conduct themselves in a way that caused our clients extreme stress; often terminating their benefits (with little or no […] December 3, 2021December 3, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Battling Back-to-School Blues: Making an OTIP LTD Claim for a Mental Health Condition Teachers, we know you have been under significant stress for many months, now. First, there were the contract disputes and rotating strike days, and then when it seemed as though things were finally looking up and settling down, the pandemic hit. You worked hard, scrambling to support our children online for months with little preparation […] December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Helping Ontario Teachers Prepare for the Unknown Dear Ontario Teachers, These are unprecedented and uncertain times for your profession. Over the past few weeks, we have paid close attention to your response to the province’s back-to-school plans. We have heard you express your desire to return to the classroom, as well as your concerns for the health and safety of your students, […] December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked COVID Long-Haulers Face Hurdles in LTD Benefit Claims: Tips for Applications Based on information from the World Health Organization which has been repeated to us time and time again through the media, we have come to understand that 80 percent of those infected with COVID-19 will experience only mild symptoms or be entirely asymptomatic and will recover after only two weeks, while the elderly and those […] December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Surveillance in Mental Health Long-Term Disability (LTD) Claims A while back we wrote an article about the use of surveillance by insurance companies in Long-Term Disability (LTD) claims (“Surveillance and LTD Claims: Are They Watching Me and Why?”). The article provided disabled individuals with useful information to help them understand how surveillance may be used in their LTD claims and lawsuits. Since then, […] November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked COVID-19 Burnout & Disability Claims: When Doctors Need Lawyers As a medical professional you have likely spent many hours assisting patients applying for disability benefits, but what happens when you are the one that needs to make a claim for disability benefits? The COVID-19 pandemic has placed inordinate levels of stress on healthcare professionals. Many medical professionals are suffering from burnout and are experiencing […] November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked CPP Disability Benefits – the What, Why, When and How of Applying The Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit (CPPD) is a federally funded long-term disability benefit program available to disabled individuals (and their dependent children) who have contributed to the plan through the course of their employment. In addition to having made sufficient contributions to CPP, you must also demonstrate that you are suffering from a […] November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked Long Term Disability Legal Support For Veterinarians Recently, while researching the veterinary industry, I came across the acronym “NOMV” which stands for “Not One More Vet”. NOMV is an organization that was established in 2014 following the tragic suicide of Dr. Sophia Yin. Dr. Yin was a highly regarded veterinarian, author and international expert on animal behaviour who took her own life […] November 17, 2021November 17, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked What are your rights if your OTIP Long-Term Disability Claim has been Denied? As teachers, you have been paying 100% of the cost of your LTD coverage with OTIP. You expect LTD benefits to be available to you if and when you need them. Unfortunately, OTIP, like other insurers, often deny legitimate claims, leaving teachers wondering what to do and where to turn. Teachers tell us of conflicting […] November 17, 2021November 17, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE ‘HOLIDAY BLUES’ DON’T GET BETTER If holiday melodies are to be believed, this should be the most wonderful time of the year. Holiday festivities are abundant, families are arranging seasonal get-togethers, and retail merchandisers want everyone to be full of holiday joy. Yet this rosy picture is certainly not everyone’s reality. For many, the December holiday season can instead be […] August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
MK DISABILITY LAWYERS WELCOMES NEW PARTNER LEANNE GOLDSTEIN MK Disability Lawyers is pleased to announce that Leanne Goldstein has joined the firm as Partner. Leanne has been a practicing lawyer for 20 years. For 16 years she has been tirelessly advocating for individuals whose short term and long-term disability benefits have been wrongfully denied by insurance companies. Leanne has extensive experience litigating every […] August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
SHOULD I STOP PAYING INTO MY LTD PLAN WHILE ON MATERNITY LEAVE? It is not uncommon for employers to provide employees with the option of cancelling coverage for long term disability benefits when they go on maternity leave. While it might seem like a financial relief not to have to pay premiums for benefits while off on maternity leave, failing to pay those premiums comes with several […] August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
WHAT IF I CAN’T WORK DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)? With all the recent media attention dedicated to the spread of coronavirus, you may be concerned that you or your loved ones could fall ill or be quarantined due to this widespread illness. If that should happen, you may wonder what impact that would have on your income and your ability to meet your personal […] August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ACCESS TO ASSISTED DYING PROGRAM EXPANDING. IS THAT REALLY WISE? MK Disability Lawyers partner Leanne Goldstein was honoured to be featured in a recent article by Legal Matters. Please see an excerpt reprinted below, and visit the Legal Matters website to read the full article. With some people considering medical assistance in dying (MAiD) because of the financial burdens of living with a physical or mental disability, Toronto and […] August 17, 2022August 17, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR TEACHERS WITH UNDERLYING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES With nearly 1,000 school staff at the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and hundreds more from other school districts seeking vaccination exemptions, there exists substantial risk that many staff, including teachers, will be placed on administrative unpaid leave in the coming weeks if their exemption requests are denied and they do not get vaccinated. Over […] August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR CANCER AFTER TREATMENT ENDS “I have just completed my chemotherapy and radiation treatments and the insurance company is saying I am ready to go back to work – I do not feel well enough to work – what can I do?“ Although there is a wide-spread belief that long-term disability benefits are available to protect you on an ongoing […] August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
MK DISABILITY LAWYERS IN THE NEWS: PROVING A DISABILITY CLAIM CAN BE DAUNTING EVEN WITH A DIAGNOSIS MK Disability Lawyers partner Leanne Goldstein was honoured to be featured in an article recently by Legal Matters about how substance abuse should be seen from a place of empathy. Please see an excerpt reprinted below, and visit the Legal Matters website to read the full article. Having a diagnosis in a disability claim does not automatically lead to benefits nor […] August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
MK DISABILITY LAWYERS IN THE NEWS: RESEARCH SHOWS THE BENEFIT OF PSYCHEDELIC DRUG THERAPY MK Disability Lawyers partner Rupa Karyampudi was honoured to be featured in a recent article by Legal Matters about research into the benefits of psychedelic drug therapy. Please see an excerpt reprinted below, and visit the Legal Matters website to read the full article. Psychedelic drug-assisted therapy is proving to be effective in treating mental health issues but getting […] August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
MK DISABILITY LAWYERS IN THE NEWS: SURVEILLANCE AN INEFFECTIVE WAY TO DISPROVE A DISABILITY CLAIM MK Disability Lawyers partner Courtney Mulqueen was honoured to be featured in a recent article by Legal Matters. Please see an excerpt reprinted below, and visit the Legal Matters website to read the full article. “It is occurring on almost every teacher file I am handling. Suddenly there is surveillance on them. That is really unusual,” says Mulqueen, a […] August 11, 2022August 11, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
TO WORK OR NOT – THAT IS THE QUESTION So that body check at the pick-up hockey game on Sunday evening has left you with headaches, ringing in your ears and blurry vision. It’s Monday morning and you have a big project to complete at work. You attend work but find that looking at a computer screen significantly aggravates your headaches and causes visual […] August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
LTD & COVID-19 PART 4: APPLYING FOR DISABILITY & OTHER ASSISTANCE DURING COVID-19 In Part 2 of our series on LTD & COVID-19, we wrote a post about applying for disability benefits during COVID-19 and provided some helpful tips with respect to understanding your disability coverage depending on your type of employment. Today, we are continuing to provide tips and information on how to apply for coverage, as well as […] August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
WHEN RETURNING TO WORK IS A RISKY PROPOSITION As workplaces slowly begin to reopen over the next several weeks and months, many of us might feel anxious about returning to work and the possibility of being exposed to COVID-19. However, if you are someone who has a medical condition that puts you at an increased risk for serious complications from COVID-19, you might decide that […] August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
HOW DO I FIND A DISABILITY LAWYER? If your Short-Term Disability (STD) or Long-Term Disability (LTD) insurance claim has been denied or your disability benefits have been terminated and you are still not well enough to return to work, you may be looking for a lawyer to help you take over your fight with the insurance company. If you search the internet […] August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
WHAT IF I CAN’T WORK DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)? With all the recent media attention dedicated to the spread of coronavirus, you may be concerned that you or your loved ones could fall ill or be quarantined due to this widespread illness. If that should happen, you may wonder what impact that would have on your income and your ability to meet your personal […] August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Should I Stop Paying Into My LTD Plan While on Maternity Leave? It is not uncommon for employers to provide employees with the option of cancelling coverage for long term disability benefits when they go on maternity leave. While it might seem like a financial relief not to have to pay premiums for benefits while off on maternity leave, failing to pay those premiums comes with several […] December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Long-Term Disability Claims for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder When you hear the term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) you may think about a condition that affects war veterans or people who work in emergency services or those who have suffered abuse, disasters or major illnesses and accidents. However, the condition can also result from highly personal traumatic events like losing a job or a […] December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Struggling to be Seen & Believed: Making an LTD Claim for an “Invisible Condition” You are exhausted. You are in pain. You can hardly concentrate. Your memory is shot and you are feeling depressed and anxious. You may still not (and may never) know what is causing you to feel the way that you do. The one thing you do know is that there is no way that you […] December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
What is Long-Term Disability Examination? The IME is an independent medical assessment that is arranged by the insurance company. The long-term disability insurance carrier will appoint a physician to conduct the exam. The doctor will evaluate the physical and psychological issues that are cited as the cause of your claim. For this reason, you should bring any medical records you […] December 7, 2021December 7, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
What do you do if your Disability Claim has been denied or terminated? You have spent months providing the insurance company with forms and medical records and letters from your doctors, all saying the same thing: You are disabled and can’t work. Yet, the insurance company does not or will not believe you. Perhaps you feel as though you have been hitting your head against a brick wall. […] December 3, 2021December 3, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Can I Be Fired If I’m Collecting Disability Benefits? The answer to this question is yes. And no. If you have made a claim for disability benefits, you may be curious as to whether your employment can be terminated by your employer. Many claimants believe that making a claim for disability benefits automatically protects them from a termination of their employment. It is not […] December 3, 2021December 3, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
My LTD Case Manager is Out to Get Me. What Can I Do? to suffer financially and emotionally. In these circumstances, our clients may tell us that their case manager was aware of their medical condition and of their financial circumstances and despite knowing their vulnerable state, proceeded to conduct themselves in a way that caused our clients extreme stress; often terminating their benefits (with little or no […] December 3, 2021December 3, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Battling Back-to-School Blues: Making an OTIP LTD Claim for a Mental Health Condition Teachers, we know you have been under significant stress for many months, now. First, there were the contract disputes and rotating strike days, and then when it seemed as though things were finally looking up and settling down, the pandemic hit. You worked hard, scrambling to support our children online for months with little preparation […] December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Helping Ontario Teachers Prepare for the Unknown Dear Ontario Teachers, These are unprecedented and uncertain times for your profession. Over the past few weeks, we have paid close attention to your response to the province’s back-to-school plans. We have heard you express your desire to return to the classroom, as well as your concerns for the health and safety of your students, […] December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
COVID Long-Haulers Face Hurdles in LTD Benefit Claims: Tips for Applications Based on information from the World Health Organization which has been repeated to us time and time again through the media, we have come to understand that 80 percent of those infected with COVID-19 will experience only mild symptoms or be entirely asymptomatic and will recover after only two weeks, while the elderly and those […] December 1, 2021December 1, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Surveillance in Mental Health Long-Term Disability (LTD) Claims A while back we wrote an article about the use of surveillance by insurance companies in Long-Term Disability (LTD) claims (“Surveillance and LTD Claims: Are They Watching Me and Why?”). The article provided disabled individuals with useful information to help them understand how surveillance may be used in their LTD claims and lawsuits. Since then, […] November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
COVID-19 Burnout & Disability Claims: When Doctors Need Lawyers As a medical professional you have likely spent many hours assisting patients applying for disability benefits, but what happens when you are the one that needs to make a claim for disability benefits? The COVID-19 pandemic has placed inordinate levels of stress on healthcare professionals. Many medical professionals are suffering from burnout and are experiencing […] November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
CPP Disability Benefits – the What, Why, When and How of Applying The Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit (CPPD) is a federally funded long-term disability benefit program available to disabled individuals (and their dependent children) who have contributed to the plan through the course of their employment. In addition to having made sufficient contributions to CPP, you must also demonstrate that you are suffering from a […] November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
Long Term Disability Legal Support For Veterinarians Recently, while researching the veterinary industry, I came across the acronym “NOMV” which stands for “Not One More Vet”. NOMV is an organization that was established in 2014 following the tragic suicide of Dr. Sophia Yin. Dr. Yin was a highly regarded veterinarian, author and international expert on animal behaviour who took her own life […] November 17, 2021November 17, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
What are your rights if your OTIP Long-Term Disability Claim has been Denied? As teachers, you have been paying 100% of the cost of your LTD coverage with OTIP. You expect LTD benefits to be available to you if and when you need them. Unfortunately, OTIP, like other insurers, often deny legitimate claims, leaving teachers wondering what to do and where to turn. Teachers tell us of conflicting […] November 17, 2021November 17, 2021 Saving Bookmark this article Bookmarked
