The Elimination Period and When LTD Payments Start

The elimination period is the waiting period written into every long-term disability policy: a stretch of days, counted from when your disability begins, during which no LTD benefit is payable at all. Group policies commonly set it at 90 or 120 days, but the number belongs to each policy and only the wording controls. Nothing about the period is a denial; it is simply how the coverage is built.

How the Days Are Counted

Most policies require the disability to be continuous through the elimination period, and many state how a brief return to work is treated. Some wordings let a failed return of a few days count toward the period rather than restart it; others restart the clock. Recurrence clauses do similar work after benefits begin. Because these clauses vary, the disability denials guide’s advice holds throughout: the policy booklet is the document to read, not the summary a plan administrator gives over the phone.

What Pays You in the Meantime

The elimination period usually maps onto other coverage. Many employers run a short-term disability or salary continuance plan across those weeks, and employees without one may qualify for Employment Insurance sickness benefits under the federal Employment Insurance Act. The LTD insurer will still expect its claim forms early, well before the period ends, because late proof of claim is one of the stated reasons in why insurers deny.

When the First Payment Arrives

LTD benefits are paid monthly in arrears, so the first cheque typically lands about a month after the elimination period ends, and only once the insurer has approved the claim. An approval can also arrive late and pay retroactively to the end of the period. What the insurer needs to approve is the definition question covered in own occupation and any occupation, applied to your medical file.

When the Wait Becomes a Denial

An insurer that keeps asking for more forms while the elimination period recedes into the past is not paying, whatever the letters say. A claim still unpaid months after the period ends deserves a hard look at the file and the deadlines. The firm reviews denial and delay files across the region, starting from the long-term disability lawyer page or a contact call.