Eligibility for a disability pension
To be declared disabled by the Régie, a person must:
- have a severe and permanent disability recognized by the Régie's medical advisors
- have contributed sufficiently to the Québec Pension Plan
- be under age 65
The person must also not be receiving an unreduced income replacement indemnity from the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) granted after 31 December 1985.
Criteria used to determine whether a person has contributed sufficiently to the Québec Pension Plan
To be considered to have contributed sufficiently to the Québec Pension Plan a person must have:
- contributed for at least 2 of the last 3 years in his or her contributory period
- contributed for at least 5 of the last 10 years in his or her contributory period
- contributed for at least half of the years in his or her contributory period, but not less than 2 years
Important ...
As of 1 January 2013, a person 60 to 65 years of age will be entitled to a disability pension, provided he or she contributed to the Plan for at least 4 of the last 6 years in the contributory period and the Régie has deemed the person to be disabled because the person is unable to do his or her usual work.
Note that...
If a person has contributed to the Canada Pension Plan, the Régie takes those contributions into account when determining entitlement to benefits and calculating the amount of his or her pension.
The contributions to the pension plan of a country with which Québec has a social security agreement can also be taken into account. Those years can be added to one's participation in the Québec Pension Plan, possibly giving entitlement to a disability pension.
The Statement of Participation provides information on whether one has contributed sufficiently.
What is the "contributory period"?
The contributory period begins at age 18 or in 1966 (the date on which the Plan came into effect) and ends in the month as of which the Régie deems you to be disabled. The contributory period begins at the same time for everybody, regardless of whether you are working.
Note that...
Certain months may be excluded from the contributory period; this could make you eligible for benefits.
Criteria used by the Régie's medical advisors to determine whether a disability can be deemed to be severe and permanent
What is a severe disability?
A person is considered to have a severe disability if, because of his or her state of health, he or she is unable to do work that, in 2012, would pay him or her more than 14 225 $ a year.
A disability is not considered to be severe if a person can do work that takes into account his or her limitations and pays him or her more than that amount.
A disability is not considered to be severe if a person:
- is able to do some type of gainful work
- is under age 60 and is able to do paid work other than the work he or she did before becoming disabled
- can do light or sedentary work (which does not require much movement) that is substantially gainful and that takes into account the person's limitations
Is the severe disability permanent?
A severe disability is permanent if it is likely to be of indefinite duration, without any possibility of improvement.
Note that...
Factors such as language, education, work experience or job availability are not taken into consideration in the medical assessment of one's ability to work. The Régie takes into account only one's state of health.
Temporary disability
A temporary disability (or a temporary inability to work) is not covered under the Act respecting the Québec Pension Plan.
Important...
The fact that an insurance company or other agency or government department considers a person to be disabled does not automatically mean that he or she will be entitled to a disability pension under the Québec Pension Plan since the eligibility requirements may be different.
Eligibility rules after age 60
- A person between the ages of 60 and 65 is eligible if he or she has to stop his or her usual work because of his or her state of health and can no longer do that work on a regular basis.
- A person over age 65 cannot receive a disability pension. However, he or she can receive a retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan and the Canada Old Age Security pension. The person can immediately file an Application for a Retirement Pension.
- A person who is receiving a retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan and whose state of health worsens during the first 6 months of his or her retirement could be eligible for a disability pension. However, certain conditions apply. The Régie can provide more information in that regard.
Filing an application...
Application for Disability Benefits