What the 55-0002 is for
Balance protection is creditor insurance sold with a credit card or loan, and Canada Life underwrites it for many Canadian lenders. When a borrower is disabled, it covers their payments under the terms of their certificate. The 55-0002 is the supplementary disability form: a one-page update that asks whether the person has returned to work and what the physician says now. The initial claim uses the longer Statement of Claim (55-0003).
Who completes it
The claimant fills in the claimant’s statement: name, unique client ID, any authorized user, address, phone, and whether they’ve returned to work or when they expect to. They also sign the authorization that lets Canada Life obtain information. The attending physician completes the attending physician’s statement below it.
Patients usually receive this form from Canada Life during a claim, fill in the top half, and drop it at the clinic for the physician’s part. In Medulla, you can send the claimant’s statement to the patient over a secure link instead. They fill it in and sign the authorization on the form, and their answers are already on the PDF when you complete your statement, so Canada Life receives one page with both parts.
How to fill in the attending physician’s statement
Diagnosis of present condition
Give the current diagnosis that keeps the patient from working. If it has changed since the initial claim, say so in the remarks.
Ability to work at their occupation
Answer whether, to the best of your knowledge, the patient can’t work at their occupation. If yes, give an approximate return-to-work date or the estimated number of weeks. If no, give the date they could have returned. Make sure your dates agree with the claimant’s statement, or explain the difference.
Remarks, signature and contact
Use the remarks for anything that helps the assessor, such as treatment underway, pending investigations or a graduated return. Add your name, address, phone, fax, signature and date.
Common reasons it’s delayed
- A diagnosis with no answer on ability to work.
- “Unable to work” with no return date or estimate of weeks.
- Return-to-work dates that contradict the claimant’s statement.
- An unsigned claimant authorization.
- A missing physician signature or date.
Submitting and who pays
The claimant or the clinic sends the form to Canada Life Creditor Insurance by mail, fax or email. Canada Life doesn’t pay for the physician’s statement, so the clinic bills the claimant.