Matthew was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD when he was a child, and is now 32 years-old. He is married, has two children, and is working full-time. He was on medication when he was younger but found that the medication made him feel very groggy and “not himself”, so he stopped taking medication years ago. He reported that he is able to carry out his daily responsibilities associated with working and his family, but generally struggles each day, refraining from social interactions when he can, having some difficulty with his memory and his decision making. He has adapted to staying focused and on task but reports that he has to really focus on doing so, and that he still finds it hard to get through each day. He clarified that he is not “disabled” or “unable” to function, but that he takes more time and effort to stay on track and achieve his goals. Matthew’s brother had similar daily restrictions with his ADD/ADHD and had asked his doctor about applying for the DTC, but his doctor did not feel he was restricted enough to qualify. Matthew had applied for the DTC a few years ago, where his current doctor tried to help him with his case, though cautioned Matthew that he may not get approved, where his claim was denied. He asked us to assess his case and help determine whether he qualifies.
We assessed his case. Specifically, we asked him to describe how he performed in all social interactions, whether he avoided them more often (where he could), found them stressful, or if he would limit social interactions to a small specific group of family and/or friends. We asked if he tended to be forgetful, would rely on memory tools, others to remind him of things, or if others needed to be more patient of his forgetfulness. We asked whether he found his problem solving, goal setting, and judgement (decision making) was less successful or difficult for him, such as staying on track, achieving goals, and staying focused. We assessed that Matthew qualified for the DTC for the maximum 10 past years, and for future years, and that he would receive up to $2,000 per year for past years, and about that annual amount for each year forward, at tax filing time. We explained further that doctors struggle especially with moderate mental function claims for the DTC because the DTC Certificate (first application form) does not clearly explain that patients who are “slowed” in mental functioning can also qualify for the DTC, and that not just those who are “unable” to carry out mental functions (adaptive, memory, decision making) can qualify. Also, mental health professionals do not normally quantify and measure mental functions based on “three times” slowed, as defined in the DTC, making it an apples-to-oranges type of problem for medical practitioners. Also, the second DTC application form, mailed direct to doctors about 2 months after the first application form (DTC Certificate) is submitted to Canada Revenue Agency, creates other difficulties for doctors, where much more detailed questions are asked about the patient, often not providing enough information to doctors on how to complete these forms accurately and comprehensively. In spite of these challenges, we helped Matthew to apply and his claim was approved for the full 10-years, and for future years. He received $22,897 in a lump sum income tax credit/refund direct deposit payment from CRA.
Sheila is a 25 year-old with diagnosed depression and anxiety. Her condition was so restrictive that she had to stop working, and is now on Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) due to her illness. Although one does not have to be unable to work or on CPPD to qualify for the DTC, she was denied when she applied. She had asked her doctor why her DTC claim was denied, yet her CPPD claim was approved. Her doctor felt that patients need to be unable to work in order to qualify for CPPD, whereas they need to be unable to live independently in order to qualify for the DTC. In other words, he felt patients needed to be worse off, or more restricted, to qualify for the DTC compared to CPPD. So, although he tried to help with he application, he felt that she just wasn’t severely restricted enough to qualify for the DTC.
Sheila came to us for an accurate DTC assessment of her case. She confirmed that her depression and anxiety caused her to limit her social interactions, and to avoid them, as well as to cause her to feel very stressed in social interaction settings. She struggled with her memory and with her decision making as well. Based on her daily restrictions, we assessed that she qualified for the DTC for the past 5 years. We helped her explain the “inordinate” restrictions DTC rules, as well as her applicable daily symptoms and how she qualified over the past 5 years to her doctor. We also helped her to guide her doctor on how to complete her DTC application forms. Her claim was approved for one year only. We helped increase her approval to the full 5 years (and future years) that she was due. She received just over $9,000 in a lump-sum DTC payment.
Common medical conditions that can cause slowed mental functioning and qualify for the DTC: ADD/ADHD, General Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety, Depression, PTSD, Learning Disorders, Personality Disorders, Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Bipolar, Dementia, Eating Disorders, Autism, Addiction, Phobias, Separation Anxiety Disorder, Sleep Disorders, Fatigue, Pain Disorder, and many, many, more. Be sure to take our Free Instant Online DTC Assessment to determine whether you may qualify, for which number of years, and the benefit amount available for your specific case, for past and future years. Remember it absolutely FREE! CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE DTC ASSESSMENT.
