1.1.S.110 Severely disabled (DSP)
Definition
For the purposes of DSP, a recipient is severely disabled if the recipient:
- has a physical, psychiatric or intellectual impairment, or 2 or all of these impairments, which make the recipient:
- totally unable to work for at least the next 2 years, and
- unable to benefit within the next 2 years from participation in a program of assistance or a rehabilitation program, or
- is permanently blind (1.1.P.210).
A recipient is accepted as being severely disabled if their impairment prevents them from:
- doing any work for 8 hours a week or more for the next 2 years, and
- benefiting from training, education or rehabilitation to the extent of being able to work at least 8 hours a week.
Note: Recipients who have been accepted as having a manifest inability to work are not necessarily severely disabled. The critical matter is the severity of the condition.
Example: Recipients may be accepted as being severely disabled without a medical examination if they have:
- a terminal illness such as AIDS (group IV HIV infection),
- severe degenerative neurological conditions, or
- severe disabilities as a result of head injuries.
Recipients who receive a special rate disability pension from DVA because of blindness or total and permanent incapacity for work are accepted as being severely disabled.