If you're unable to work owing to an accident or illness, your disability insurance may compensate you for loss of wages. Here are nine questions you should ask yourself about disability insurance.

1. What does “disability” mean?

Being disabled means being unable to work or do your usual activities owing to illness or injury.

However, how “disability” is defined depends on the insurance contract. For example, here are two definitions with significantly different consequences for persons living with an illness or injury:

• Being unable to perform all the duties of your regular occupation.
• You are unable to perform the duties of any occupation for which you are, or may reasonably become, qualified by education, training and experience.

To better understand your insurance coverage, talk to your insurer.

2. What is a waiting period?

Your disability insurance contract probably includes a waiting periodThe waiting period is the period during which an insured is not eligible for insurance benefits, even though the covered risk may have occurred. For example, in disability insurance, an insured may be disabled but not receive money from their insurer during the first two weeks of a disability., which means you will need to wait a certain number of days following the start of your disability before you begin receiving any insurance money, known as benefitsA benefit, or insurance benefit, is an amount of money that an insurance company pays a person further to a loss against which they were insured..

The waiting period depends on the contract. To find out the duration and conditions of the waiting period that applies to you, talk to your insurer.

If your employer offers sick leave, you’re usually entitled to take it during the waiting period.

3. Short-term or long-term insurance?

We often talk about short-term insurance and long-term insurance, but what are they exactly?

4. Group or individual insurance?

There are two types of disability insurance, group and individual.

5. Taxable or non-taxable?

You may have to pay income tax on the money you receive from your insurer.

• If your employer, union or professional association pays a portion of the insurance premiums, you usually have to pay income tax on the money you receive while disabled.
• If, however, you are responsible for paying all the insurance premiums, the money received during your disability period usually is not taxable.

If you’re not sure, talk to your employer or insurer.

6. Who decides whether you are entitled to the money from your insurance?

Contrary to what you may think, your physician doesn’t decide whether your disability is covered by your insurance. That decision is made by your insurer on the basis of your situation and contract.

7. Are you entitled to benefits under public disability plans?

Whether you have disability insurance or not, you may be entitled to benefits under the public plans.

• Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité au travail (CNESST)
  If your disability is due to an industrial accident, you could receive benefits from the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) This link will open in a new window.
• Société de lʼassurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ)
  All Quebeckers are automatically covered for injury or death resulting from a traffic accident. This insurance is valid whether or not you are responsible for the accident. For more information, consult the website of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec This link will open in a new window.
• Retraite Québec
  If you have a serious permanent health issue that is preventing you from engaging in any type of employment, you may be entitled to a disability pension from Retraite Québec. However, you must have already contributed to the Québec Pension Plan (QPP). You can find an estimate of your disability pension on your statement of participation. For more information, refer to Retraite Québec’s website This link will open in a new window.

Your insurer may coordinate benefits with these plans, in which case it will limit the amounts it will pay you based on the benefits you’re already receiving under another plan.

8. How to reduce the risks of dispute and dissatisfaction

9. What to do if you’re not satisfied?

If your insurer refuses to pay the amounts you believe you’re entitled to, try to resolve the issue directly with your insurer first.

If you think your insurer is in the wrong and it refuses to correct the situation, you can file a complaint with the AMF by contacting the Information Centre.