Disability Tax Credit

Letter looks good to me johnny.

Well the rules can change if there is political will to do so. If the Ministers tell the ADM's and CoS's to do it, they have to. As long as they amend the income tax act to reflect the special consideration, the bureaucrats have little to no say.

Below is part of my DTC appeal. This wording was written by a Vet, and used by others, and it worked. But if the MVA could discuss with CRA on how physical and mental disabilities affect our lives that may help. Feel free to use any of this if you are doing up a DTC. VVV...

Please keep in mind that each of us affected by PTSD/OSI has many different variances and unusual reactions to Operational Stress Injuries that may be considered a “disability” for the purpose of the Canada Revenue Disability Income Tax.
The tax credit form defines that the mental illness refers to,
“Mental functions necessary for everyday life… all or substantially all of the time (at least 90% of the time)… even with appropriate therapy, medication and devices.”
Form T2201 goes on to ask specific questions about your abilities to socially interact, remember simple instructions, or know your name and address, solve problems, make decisions, complete simple transactions, etc. It also asks if you can express needs or anticipate the consequences of your behaviour.
As can be noted, most of these questions refer to one’s intellectual abilities rather than focusing on how PTSD/OSI are mentally disabling to living a normal life. Since I am not intellectually challenged, I was therefore prohibited from this tax credit on my initial application. It made no difference to Revenue Canada that I was affected by other aspects of PTSD including hyper vigilance that greatly interferes with my normal living.
I asked the Revenue Canada representative for a detailed written denial to my claim, stating that I would present this matter too Canada Human Rights. This human rights complaint hopefully does not have to happen, but is another route for all Vets like myself, with this life changing disorder. I believed the criteria for the federal tax credit discriminated against me from an intellectual capacity vs. mental disability. I explained my situation to the RC spokesperson. There is the fact that others have seen that the claim format is clearly restricted to intellect capabilities rather than anything pertaining to other disabilities created by a mental illness. After presenting my disability application earlier this year and signed by psych, I am now resubmitting my application requesting that my doctor’s comments, along with my TPI designation from DVA be considered on how PTSD has greatly reduced my quality of living.
Kindest regards,

bigrex I agree as well saves a lot of paperwork and while they are at it sort out the ELB / SISIP paperwork . one medical form for continuation of benefits THATS ALL !!!

got back from the doc,s office the other day where he did up my ELB paperwork . checked the mail my fracking SISIP medical forms were in so I had to call and make another appointment for that . THATS JUST FRACKIN STUPID!!

propat

trooper would be nice if he had that info he would share it butt.....

I really think he was a little stumped for whatever reason and just kind of passed the buck .

don't think its any more than that.

propat

Well this has been discussed alot with various ADM's, DM's, CoS's and Ministers and the constant takeaway from the conversations is always each department's definiton of disabled is "tailored" for the population they are dealing with.

Crappy answer yes but they have never swayed from that answer. So maybe something will be done by VAC to help vets with either mental health/physical health/amputation/or all at tax time I'd take it.

Absolutely Rex...I agree with that !

There should be special consideration for the DTC, for anyone who is already deemed disabled by the Federal Government, be it VAC or CPP. After all, even though they are different departments, they are all still part of a single government, and therefor should all have the same definition of what a disability is.

With regard to the question asked to our MVA ...the Veteran was wondering why is was so hard that a Veteran with " Mental Health Conditions " have such difficulty in getting approved for the Disability Tax Credit.
The key words here is ( Mental Health Conditions )

So teen is correct...if our Minister knows something about aiding Veterans in getting approved for the DTC with respect to ( Mental Health Conditions ) it would be nice to share that info with all Veterans.

I just hope he makes a statement about the DTC and that VAC has zero influence with Revenue Canada when it comes to the DTC.

I had to go in for an interview for my DTC application and I was informed it doesn't matter if VAC see's me as disabled and has no influence at all with Rev Canada.

That said if he can 'talk' to the minions at Rev Canada to take some of VAC's appraisal into their decision it might be helpful. But like I said he needs to make his intentions known to the vet community.

teen I talked to a lot of disabled guys that had NO IDEA that this actually existed . yup most here have been informed about this over the years but their are guys out there that still don't know about this I bet .

even thou he is disabled maybe it was the first time he is herring about this ?

didn't know what this was maybe a DVA benefit he didn't know about and didn't have an answer so asked for the email that way someone in his office that actually knows what's going on would answer it ?

maybe he never heard about this and it sounded like a good CRA benefit HE could take advantage of and wanted more info on it ?

who knows?

propat

Don't know why Hehr wants the info. It's two departments with different definitions of disabled. That is a weird email address for the Minister, never seen it before.

Well Johnny I think the wording from your doctor means a lot...not saying that's the case for you but I know the wording an the levels your doctor checks off for each category is key to the board reading your application.

Anyway good luck with your appeal !

trooper - Great info. I applied and was turned down, and now have a appeal in. It seems like a crap shoot. I am TPI, CPPD, and cant work, and still did not get it. Something to do with that 90% fracked thing of theres. But will see what happens this time. VVV...

Thought I would post some info here about the Disability Tax Credit.

The info is meant for those who have not yet applied for the DTC - or have applied in the past an were denied.

I have read today a question asked to our MVA asking...why is it so hard for some one with a mental health condition to get the disability tax credit?
Answer by our MVA .... send me an email at minister_ministre@vac-acc.gc.ca about the tax credit.
Does our Minister know something about applying for the DTC that we don't ?
Can he help us with giving us some useful info as it pertains to Veterans with regards to the DTC ?

I know many members of CSAT have been successful in their application for the DTC ..I would encourage anyone who has not yet applied for whatever reasons to consider applying as it is certainly worth it.
Here is a real good article explaining in some detail how to go about applying for the DTC ;

How do you apply for the Disability Tax Credit?

There are four steps in applying for the DTC.

1. Obtain the CRA forms T2201.

2. Have your doctor fill out the form , ask how much if any amount of cost is associated with filling out the forms.

3. Once your doctor has filled out the forms , an signed it , ensure you get the forms back from your doctor so you can go over the forms seeing what your doctor wrote , or you can be with your doctor as the forms are being filled out , you yourself should send out the forms to the CRA.
If your not satisfied with what was written by your doctor you can return to discuss this with your doctor an if your doctor refuses to alter what they wrote , you should consider seeking another practitioner to get the forms filled out.

4. Send the signed forms to the CRA.

Talking to your health practitioner.

Your practitioner has an important job to do. They must fill the form out right for you to get the DTC. If they don’t include enough information, or miss anything, this could be a problem. If you are unsure about your practitioner or do not know them very well, you may want to get professional help to apply for your DTC—such professionals will help the practitioners to fill the forms out correctly.

When you see your practitioner, make sure your practitioner understands what your challenges are. Also, tell your practitioner how important the DTC is for your future. Many practitioners will not know about the RDSP and the difference it will make to your life. If they know more about it, they may take extra care in filling out your form. We have included a brief outline of the RDSP that you can give to your practitioner, so they can learn more about it.

What happens after you submit the Form T2201?
You wait. On average, it takes 6-8 weeks to hear back from the government. If you are rejected, you will get a letter explaining why you were turned down. You can either send the form in again with another practitioner, or make a formal objection. If you would like to launch a formal objection, look at the CRA website on how to do this or ask a professional DTC provider for assistance.

Note to families & friends: Getting the DTC form filled out by a doctor is the most important step. If at all possible, attend the appointment with your friend or relative to help explain the importance of the RDSP and getting the DTC. If the practitioner does not seem receptive, do not submit the form. Also, be sure to take the form with you when you leave (do not have the practitioner send it into the CRA directly) so you can double-check what was written and confirm that the details of the disability was captured correctly. If you see mistakes, you can have the practitioner revise it, or go to another practitioner. A rejected application can be difficult to re-do.

http://www.rdsp.com/tutorial/how-do-you-apply-for-the-disability-tax-credit/