Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Comité permanent des comptes publics

For immediate release

Ottawa, September 28, 2016 -

As people with disabilities tend to have lower incomes, it is likely that the shortcomings of the Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) program identified by the Auditor General of Canada could have a serious impact on their finances while they are waiting to be granted the benefit, according to a report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts tabled today in the House of Commons by the Hon. Kevin Sorenson, Chair of the Committee.

Introduced in 1966, the CPPD program is the largest public benefit program for long-term disability in Canada. The CPPD benefit provides partial earnings replacement to individuals who have made sufficient contributions to the Canada Pension Plan and who cannot work because of a severe and prolonged disability (mental or physical), as defined in Canada Pension Plan legislation. Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is responsible for reviewing applications and determining whether applicants are eligible while the Social Security Tribunal of Canada is responsible for making decisions on appeals.

According to Report 6—Canada Pension Plan Disability Program, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) found that ESDC assessed applications and reconsiderations for the CPPD benefit in a timely manner, as the Department met its service standards, but had not respected its guidelines for making faster decisions for applicants with terminal illnesses or grave conditions. The OAG also found that the Social Security Tribunal of Canada did not decide CPPD appeals in a timely manner, and that ESDC did not have a quality assurance framework to ensure that it assessed applications for the CPPD benefit in a consistent manner.

In this report, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts made nine recommendations to obtain the information it will need to closely monitor the implementation of the corrective measures proposed by ESDC and the Social Security Tribunal of Canada in their action plans to ensure that the shortcomings of the CPPD program are properly addressed.