Family doctors concerned about form requirements for new disability benefit

2025-05-15

The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is reiterating its call to reduce heavy administrative burden on family doctors as regulations for the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) and its reliance on the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) form come into effect.

The CDB represents an important financial support for Canadians living with disabilities. However, the current approach places an unsustainable administrative burden on family physicians, who are required to complete the DTC form for patients to access the new benefit. Even before this change the DTC contributed to the unsustainable paperwork burden faced by family doctors across Canada, taking 10 to 19 hours every week. Approximately 280,000 DTC forms were processed in 2023 alone—the time to fill these would allow family physicians to see over one million patients. The new benefit’s reliance on the DTC form as an eligibility requirement will increase DTC applications by over 50 per cent over the coming years, making it even harder for patients to see their doctor in a timely way.

The CFPC is calling to remove the requirement for family physicians to certify DTC applications by amending Section 118.3 of the Income Tax Act. In the short term, immediate reforms are needed to simplify the DTC form. These include reducing the form’s length and complexity with input from family physicians and enabling pre-eligibility for those already approved for other disability supports (such as the CPP Disability Benefit or provincial disability benefit). Streamlining the form for specific conditions where detailed input is not beneficial would also save a significant amount of clinician’s time.

During the federal election campaign, the Liberal Party of Canada’s platform committed to “review and reform the process to apply for the DTC.” The CFPC is seeking collaboration with the newly elected federal government to ensure the success of the Canada Disability Benefit—without compromising the well-being of family physicians and the care they provide to Canadians.