Disability Pension

Disability Pension

Disability pension is a type of pension that is given to people who are temporarily or permanently not capable to work due to disability; a great percentage more or less comes from veterans who have served their country in one way or another. In Canada, the Veterans Affairs Disability Pension Program is one such form of disability pension program that caters to medical disability related to veteran service.

Those who are qualified for this disability pension includes veterans with medical disability that is associated to their service as Canadian Forces Veteran or Merchant Navy Veteran of the First and Second World War or the Korean War; an existing or former member of the Regular or Reserve Force; or a civilian who served in close support of the Armed Forces during wartime.

If you are a disability pensioner who has a spouse or common-law partner or other qualified dependents, additional benefits may be awarded. The Pension Act presents coverage under two standards: the Insurance Principle which gives pension coverage twenty-four hours a day for war time or SDA; or the Compensation Principle which give pension coverage for disability or death which is directly associated to, or permanently worsened by peacetime, service factors, non-SDA, or events.

The process of determining eligibility starts with the application which includes obtaining and completing VAC disability pension application; then applications should be submitted to Veterans Affair Canada or a veteran's organization such as The Royal Canadian Legion supplying the following information: name, address and phone number, service number, current medical diagnosis of the condition for which you are claiming pension, medical reports from civilian doctors, if applicable, and a statement outlining the applicant's perception about the cause of his disability and how it is related to military service.

A VAC Pension Officer or a Service Officer of the Royal Canadian Legion or a representative of another veteran's organization will assist the applicant by ordering and reviewing service documents including medical documents from Public Archives and DND to find evidence to support the application including injury reports. Then they submit the claim to VAC Head Office for adjudication.

Once the application has been submitted adjudicator reviews the pension application and accompanying documents, then rule on the eligibility for the pension entitlement and the assessment of the applicant's disability, and mail the decision.

The disability pension entitlement is based solely on the relationship between disability and service; awarded in fifths from one-fifth if service played a small role in the cause or worsening of the disability, to five-fifths if the disability was caused entirely by military service or was incurred during the military service; entitlement awarding for disability which is a result of a pensioned service-related disability; and guided by the Entitlement Eligibility Guidelines policy statements used in finding out the relationship of the applicants medical condition or disability to military service.