If a self-employed resident of Ontario has been paying taxes to the government, then if the same resident becomes disabled, he or she may qualify for benefits from one or more programs.
EI benefits
Those are Employment Insurance benefits. A disabled worker may qualify for 15 weeks of such emergency funds. First, the same worker needs to obtain a signed medical certificate from his or her doctor.
CPP disability benefits
Those come from the Canadian Pension Program. In order to qualify for those funds, a self-employed worker needs to have contributed to the CPP program. The same worker must be under the age of 65, and must have a disability that keeps him or her from working. The above sources of financial help for someone with a disability get their funding from the Canadian government. In Ontario, there are additional programs that can offer help to a self-employed and disabled worker.
Assistive devices program
This program was designed to help any residents of Ontario that required assistance with obtaining a needed device.
Connex Ontario
This program helps residents of Ontario that have an addiction problem, including those that might be addicted to gambling. In addition, the Connex program offers assistance to residents of the Canadian Province, those facing the challenges associated with a mental health issue.
Lived or Living Outside Canada—Pension Benefits
This program arranges for the delivery of disability or survivors’ benefits to those that have lived or worked in another country.
Ontario Disability Support Program
This program helps those with a disability, if any of them find that they are in need of financial assistance. Almost every one of the above programs has established eligibility requirements. That fact underscores the reason that someone with a disability should think seriously about hiring a lawyer. An attorney’s help could prove valuable, if a disabled applicant wanted to qualify for a specific program.
An applicant of one of the above programs might have a rather rare medical condition. In that case, it might be difficult to convince authorities in a specific program to see the effects of that condition as a disability. A Personal Injury Lawyer in Burlington could help to convince such authorities of that fact.
If the disabled applicant’s case proceeded to trial, it might become necessary to contact a medical expert. It would be difficult for a plaintiff without an injury lawyer to find and contact such an expert.
Yet a lawyer’s experience would prove of value, if such a contact had to be made. Lawyers learn how to keep a list of professionals that can be contacted, whenever a client could use the testimony that has been offered by an expert. Lawyers are not knowledgeable in the fields that experts have studied.
