I’m going to assume you’re asking about Canada Pension Disability, I had my CPP Disability approved for Fibro last July and it was a trial! How your doctor fills out their portion of the application is key and I still remember being contacted the May before that for additional medical information from my doctor before they would approve it. Bloodmoon is right, have your doctor in your corner before you apply or else you will have a difficult time. I read somewhere they deny 60% of applications on first try on average so don’t be discouraged if you get an initial “no”, you can appeal their decision! There are also lawyers that specialize in disability claims so that’s a resource too, they’ll often consult for free to let you know if you have a case they’re willing to take.

Private/work insurance usually have their own criteria to qualify for disability, usually depending on what was put in your group policy. First 6 months are usually easier to get LTD, then they start to try to push you back to work. They’ll try to cut you off and you can appeal that decision, this appeal is also usually fairly easy to win. At 2 and a half years on LTD they’ll tell you they’ve changed the definition of your ability to work and you’ll be able to work a sedentary (sitting, office-type) position and no longer qualify as “totally disabled” so you no longer qualify for LTD. Here is where they become nasty to deal with. They almost always deny the appeal, then you have the option to go before an Appeal Board (neutral 3rd party) or you can take legal action. Usually there’s a clause in the appeal paperwork that states if you decide to go to the Board you forfeit your ability to take legal action if the Board decides against you. You can always talk to a lawyer, they’ll consult for free and give good advice as to whether you had a better case before the Board or before a Judge. The Board will have a doctor who actually understands the medical details so it’s not always a bad route to go. (I’m going before an Appeal Board in May because my work insurance are ba..... um, not nice people). Insurance companies aren’t your friends. The people from the Insurance company you talk to record everything you say and will use anything they can against your case, so be warned. I hope this helps.

Ooohhh, don’t forget you can also apply for the disability tax credit, it’s separate from the CPP disability, has a separate application and separate approval criteria so it’s way easier to get!

Make sure you have your doctor in your corner and the proper evidence to prove your case before moving forward.
https://www.alberta.ca/aish-eligibility.aspx

https://www.alberta.ca/aish.aspx