Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Disability Insurance Claims

by Share Lawyers Share Lawyers

Ariane is a single mom of two, and she has always been fully responsible for taking care of her kids. As her household relies on one income, she takes her job as a government vaccine coordinator very seriously. She also takes pride in the position, and likes helping people stay safe and healthy.

Being a single mom comes with a certain level of stress. While Ariane had always lived with symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Anxiety and Depression, the stressful nature of her professional and home life exacerbated her condition, causing constant worrying over seemingly simple tasks, such as packing her kids’ school lunches.

Last year, Ariane’s symptoms suddenly became worse. Until this point, her work life had not been affected by her OCD, but this was no longer the case. Her fixations on germs and random patterns in her work became more apparent to her supervisor, who had also started to notice a decline in Ariane’s work performance. Ariane found herself needing more breaks during the day and ultimately just couldn’t concentrate on her tasks.

She knew it was in her best interests to take some time off work. It would be tough, but she and her kids would at least be able to rely on her benefits while she was on long-term disability and tending to her health. She had already spoken to her physician about taking time off and whether her condition would qualify as a disability. The doctor was very supportive and encouraged Ariane to take some time off. She had been playing out the different scenarios in her head when she was called into her supervisor’s office for an impromptu meeting.

In the meeting, Ariane was terminated from her job. Her supervisor cited her recent decline in performance and lack of focus at work as reasons. Her supervisor, who had been on good terms with Ariane during her employment, encouraged her to get the treatments she needed and even implied that there could be a position for her again in the future.

After the initial shock and sadness, Ariane picked herself up and decided to plan her next steps. She got all the necessary documents together, made a claim for EI disability benefits for the short term and made a claim to start receiving her long term benefits. To her surprise, the insurance company declined her claim saying she wasn’t eligible because she had been fired.

Ariane’s parents saw a brochure for Share Lawyers at their doctors office and advised Ariane to set up a consultation. After her consultation, she and the Share Lawyers team got ready to fight to substantiate her claim, based on the fact that Ariane had already consulted her doctor who had noted her date of disability before she was terminated. She felt motivated!

Share Lawyers won Ariane the case and got her the benefits that she deserved. She would now receive her long-term disability benefits which would help take care of her family while she focused on getting treatment for OCD. Ariane felt like she had a new lease on life. the benefits that she deserved. She would now receive her long-term disability benefits which would help take care of her family while she focused on getting treatment for OCD. Ariane felt like she had a new lease on life.

This information is brought to you by Share Lawyers, Ontario's Leading Disability Insurance Lawyers.

[All names and identifying details have been changed to protect the confidentiality of all involved.]