Summary of the Evaluation of the Canada Pension Plan Disability – Reassessment Element

About the program

Introduced in 1966, the Canada Pension Plan Disability program is currently the largest public long-term disability insurance benefit in Canada, supporting an average of 401,131 beneficiaries a year between 2010 and 2011 to 2017 and 2018. This pension is one of eight supports provided under the Canada Pension Plan and is delivered by Service Canada. The Program exists within a context of other private and public programs designed to support persons with disabilities including other earnings replacement and income support programs, and tax systems. The Program provides partial income replacement to individuals who meet established criteria; and is administered throughout Canada, except Quebec where the Quebec Pension Plan provides similar supports.

The purpose of the reassessment element of the pension is to maintain the program integrity by ensuring the pension is delivered only to those who continue to be eligible and ceasing benefits for those who are no longer eligible. Reassessment can also identify clients with potential work capacity who might benefit from assistance to return to work.

Key findings

1. The reassessment process was usually timely for those who were reassessed due to a self-reported return to work. However, pre-scheduled reassessments and those resulting from earnings not reported directly to the Program were often delayed.
2. A lack of consistency and comprehensive guidance in the reassessment process continued to remain an issue. There were regional variations in training staff, prioritization of reassessment workloads, and the decision-making process.
3. Beneficiaries had different levels of awareness during the reassessment process and different levels of knowledge about return-to-work supports, suggesting a need for more effective and clear communications regarding program requirements.

Recommendations

1. Ensure consistent decision-making processes and appropriate alignment of resources (for example, training, staffing, work clarity, etc.) to bring further efficiency to the reassessment process.
2. Improve communication with beneficiaries so they are better aware of their responsibilities, program provisions, and available supports.
3. Have a more timely approach to the pre-scheduled reassessments and those resulting from earnings not reported directly to the Program.
4. Determine the effectiveness of support(s) to those who want to return to the workforce.
5. Currently, Medical Adjudicators make decisions on self-reported return to work, despite there being no (or minimal) medical components to most of those decisions. To facilitate more timely completion of reassessments, medical adjudicators should be assigned to cases that require a medical decision, leaving non-medical cases for other program officials.

The full Evaluation of the Canada Pension Plan Disability – Reassessment Element is now available.