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Articles Posted in Fibromyalgia

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A Long Term Disability policy of insurance (LTD Policy), is a policy designed to cover the insured for a monthly benefit in the event that person becomes disabled.

These policies are often offered by employers, to employees as a part of their benefits package. It’s a common perk of employment. Like saying that you work at Google, and they offer a generous benefits package. That package includes LTD Benefits. The nice thing about this is that the employee has a benefits package. The bad thing about it is that the employee doesn’t have much say about what goes in to that benefits package, how much those benefits are worth, and the benefits will likely cease when the employee ends his/her employment relationship with the employer. No longer an employee of Google? Then no more LTD benefits are available to you.

Other times, LTD Benefits are purchased privately through an insurance broker. In this instance, the policy holder (that’s you) gets to pick the right amount of coverage which best suits their lifestyle and financial situation. The LTD benefits are NOT tied down to a specific employer. They follow the insured person from job to job. These benefits are great for contractors, self-employed persons, people who don’t have benefits offered through their employer, or even people who have benefits offered through their employer, but just want additional coverage because the coverage offered through their employer isn’t necessarily the best.

Some of the large companies who offer LTD benefits (both group and individual policies) are Great West Life, Canada Life, Sun Life, Standard Life, Manulife, RBC Insurance, Industrial Alliance, Co-Operators Insurance, Desjardins, SSQ and Equitable Life just to name a few.

As you can see, there are quite a few LTD Insurers out there to chose from. It’s important to note that each policy is different. What’s most important to the insured, is how the policy works to get you paid in the event of disability.

The term “disability” is a VERY broad term. Don’t believe me? Here are a few insurance examples from car insurance policies, and LTD policies which define what it means to be “disabled” to receive benefits under their policies.

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The term Fibromyalgia is becoming dated, although doctors, insurance companies and disability claimants still use it.

The preferred term according to the Arthritis Society of Canada is “Chronic Widespread Pain“.

Many of our clients deal with Fibromylagia/Chronic Widespread Pain. We often see it associated with many other symptoms including but not limited to depression, anxiety, fatigue, impaired memory, impaired concentration, shortness of breath, and irregular sleep patterns/habits.

Some doctors believe in Fibromyalgia. Other simply don’t.

Firbromyalgia and Chronic Widepread Pain have been recognized and National Guidelines have been endorsed by the Canadian Pain Society and the Canadian Rheumatology Association.

But for many large, deep pocketed insurance companies, those endorsements aren’t enough to prove an injury or a disability under a Long Term Disability Policy with an insurer like Manulife, Great West Life, SunLife, Desjardins, SSQ, RBC Insurance or Industrial Alliance just to name a few of the big ones.
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