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Some helpful tips for Physicians in filling out ODSP applications
from Hamilton’s Community Legal Clinics / www.hamiltonlegalclinics.ca
Has your patient applied for
Ontario Disability Support
Program benefits
The completion of the ODSP medical forms can be timeconsuming
and some of the questions seem ambiguous; but
your patient may be denied financial assistance if the report
is incomplete or does not fully explain the medical condition
and its implications for the patient. Below are some tips to keep in mind:
✙ The Health Status Report and Activities of Daily Living form must be completed
within three months of the date on which your patient received them.
✙ Forms completed in the patient’s presence are more accurate. The patient may
have difficulty doing activities, such as bathing, housework, etc., that have never
been mentioned during previous visits.
✙ Submitting a full and complete package, when the initial application is made,
may avoid the need for one or more re­application(s) or a lengthy appeal process,
which is presently taking upwards of two years to work through the system.
THE ACT’S DEFINITION OF A DISABLED PERSON:
An application for benefits under the Ontario Disability Support Program
Act is decided on the following terms. A person's medical conditions are
evaluated in accordance with the following definition of a "disabled
person":
A person is a person with a disability for the purposes of this legislation
if,
a) the person has a substantial physical or mental impairment that is
continuous or recurrent and expected to last one year or more;
b) the direct and cumulative effect of the impairment on the person's
ability to attend to his or her personal care, function in the

community and function in a workplace, results in substantial
restriction in one or more of these activities of daily living; and
c) the impairment and its likely duration and the restriction in the
person's activities of daily living have been verified by a person
with the prescribed qualifications.
THE HEALTH STATUS REPORT:
✙ All medical conditions should be listed even if seemingly
irrelevant to the current diagnosis, e.g. hearing impairment,
even if the condition would not, in itself, affect the ability to
work
✙ If any conditions, whether mental health and/or physical, are not listed on the Health
Status Report, the patient will not be able to raise them at a hearing.
✙ It is critical to attach all test results and consultation reports from specialists.
THE ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING (ADL) FORM :
After reviewing the conditions listed in the Health Status Report, the
Disability Adjudication Unit (D.A.U.) medical adjudicator then reviews the
ratings in the ADL form. It has been our experience that the D.A.U. will
not accept that there is a substantial impact on the patient’s activities of
daily living unless there are some ratings of Class 3 or 4.
INTELLECTUAL & EMOTIONAL WELLNESS SCALE:
If the patient has mental health problems, the “Intellectual and Emotional Wellness
Scale”, on page 6 of the “Health Status Report” must be completed. Again, it has been
our experience that mental health impairments will not be accepted as substantial,
unless the scale indicates some ratings of Class 3 or 4.
It has also been our experience that, when adjudicating mental
health conditions, the DAU will not grant the application, if there
are no psychiatric reports or counseling notes attached to the
Health Status Report and Activities of Daily Living form.
If you have concerns or questions about the ODSP medical forms, you may find it helpful to call
your local legal clinic.
DUNDURN
COMMUNITY LEGAL
HAMILTON MOUNTAIN
LEGAL & COMMUNITY
McQUESTEN
LEGAL & COMMUNITY

SERVICES
110 King Street West
Hamilton, Ontario, L8N
3Y3
Telephone: (905)527-
4572
SERVICES
550 Fennell Avenue,
Hamilton, Ontario, L8V
4S9
Telephone: (905) 575-
9590
SERVICES
1440 Main Street East
Hamilton, Ontario, L8K
6M3
Telephone: (905) 545-
0442
Hamilton’s Community Legal Clinics are non­profit organizations funded by Legal Aid Ontario