Keep a complete record of every important document, conversation and payment connected to your long-term disability claim.

Good recordkeeping helps you respond to insurance company questions, track outstanding requests and show what happened if your benefits are delayed, denied or cut off.

Don’t rely on your employer, doctor or insurance company to preserve everything for you. Create your own LTD claim file and update it throughout the claim.

💡 Keep documents even when they seem unimportant. A short email, voicemail or payment statement can become useful months or years later.

On This Page:

Long-Term Disability Claim Document Checklist

Your personal LTD claim file should contain copies of the following records:

  • Your long-term disability policy and benefits booklet

  • Every LTD application form that was completed or submitted

  • Letters and emails from the insurance company

  • Medical reports, test results and treatment records

  • Your job description and information about your work duties

  • Emails and letters exchanged with your employer

  • Notes from telephone calls with the insurer or employer

  • Deadlines, appointments and important claim dates

  • Benefit calculations, payment statements and tax documents

  • Return-to-work, accommodation and rehabilitation documents

  • A factual record of your symptoms and functional limitations

⚠️ Keep a copy of everything you send. Don’t submit an original document unless you have saved a complete copy for yourself.

1. Insurance Policy and Coverage Documents

Your LTD policy governs the claim. Keep the full policy—not just a short benefits summary or booklet.

Save copies of:

  • The complete long-term disability insurance policy

  • Your employee benefits booklet

  • Any amendments or updates to the policy

  • Documents showing when your coverage began

  • Documents showing the percentage of income covered

  • Information about the waiting or elimination period

  • Information about pre-existing condition exclusions

  • Any certificate of insurance provided to you

If you don’t have the complete contract, read our guide on how to obtain your LTD policy.

2. LTD Application Forms and Supporting Documents

Keep the final version of every document submitted as part of your application.

This normally includes:

  • Your employee or claimant statement

  • The attending physician’s statement

  • The employer or plan sponsor statement

  • Additional pages attached to any form

  • Medical documents included with the application

  • Proof showing when and how the application was submitted

  • Confirmation that the insurer received the application

Keep drafts if they contain information that was later changed or corrected.

For the full submission process, see how to apply for long-term disability benefits.

3. Medical and Treatment Records

Medical evidence is central to an LTD claim. Keep copies of the records that document your condition, treatment and ability to function.

Useful records include:

  • Letters and reports from your family doctor

  • Specialist consultation reports

  • Hospital and emergency department records

  • Diagnostic imaging and laboratory results

  • Psychological, psychiatric or neuropsychological assessments

  • Physiotherapy, occupational therapy and rehabilitation reports

  • Medication lists and information about side effects

  • Treatment plans and referrals

  • Medical notes supporting time away from work

  • Receipts for reports, assessments and treatment

Also keep track of the medical records the insurer requested, when they were requested and when they were provided.

For information about the substance of medical evidence, read what medical reports should include for an LTD claim.

➡️ This checklist tells you what to preserve. Your health-report page should remain the main resource explaining what doctors and treating professionals should address.

4. Job and Workplace Records

An LTD insurer assesses whether your condition prevents you from performing the duties required by your occupation.

Keep records showing what your job actually involved, including:

  • Your official job description

  • A personal list of your regular duties and responsibilities

  • Information about the physical and mental demands of the job

  • Your employment contract

  • Recent pay stubs

  • Bonus, commission or overtime records

  • Performance reviews from before you stopped working

  • Attendance records connected to your condition

  • Workplace accommodation requests and responses

  • Modified-duty or return-to-work proposals

A generic job description may not reflect the work you performed each day. Keep notes about duties, hours, deadlines, travel, physical demands, concentration requirements and supervisory responsibilities that were part of your actual role.

5. Communications With Your Employer

Save every important communication with your employer, human resources department or benefits administrator.

This includes communications about:

  • Your last day worked

  • Your medical leave

  • Short-term and long-term disability applications

  • Benefit premiums and continued coverage

  • Requests for medical information

  • Workplace accommodations

  • Return-to-work discussions

  • Changes to your job or employment status

  • A termination, layoff or severance offer

Read our guide to communicating with your employer while on LTD if you’re unsure what information must be shared.

6. Communications With the Insurance Company

Keep every letter, email, form and message exchanged with the insurer.

Create a record of:

  • The name and contact information of your adjuster or case manager

  • Your policy and claim numbers

  • Information requested by the insurer

  • Documents you submitted in response

  • Questions asked during telephone interviews

  • Approval, denial and termination letters

  • Requests for medical examinations or assessments

  • Rehabilitation and return-to-work proposals

  • Any complaint you made to the insurer

Keep Notes From Every Telephone Call

Immediately after a call, write down:

  • The date and time

  • The name and position of the person you spoke with

  • The questions they asked

  • The answers you provided

  • Any documents or information requested

  • Any deadline or promise discussed

When an important decision or instruction is given over the phone, ask the insurer to confirm it in writing.

7. A Timeline of Your LTD Claim

Create a simple chronological record of the claim.

Include important dates such as:

  • When your symptoms began or worsened

  • Your last day worked

  • When short-term disability benefits began and ended

  • When you requested and submitted LTD forms

  • When each part of the application was received

  • Medical appointments and assessments

  • Insurer telephone interviews

  • Requests for additional information

  • Approval, denial or benefit cutoff dates

  • Return-to-work attempts

A timeline helps identify delays, missing documents and contradictions between what was said and what was done.

8. A Record of Symptoms and Daily Limitations

Keep a factual record of how your condition affects your ability to function.

Depending on the condition, you may record:

  • Pain, fatigue or other symptoms

  • Problems with concentration, memory or decision-making

  • Difficulty sitting, standing, walking or lifting

  • Sleep disruption

  • Medication side effects

  • Activities you attempted but couldn’t complete

  • Help you required from family members or others

  • Good days, bad days and recovery time after activity

Your record should be honest and specific. Don’t exaggerate symptoms or copy the same description every day.

A symptom record supports your memory, but it doesn’t replace medical evidence from your treating professionals.

9. Benefit Payments and Financial Records

Keep records showing how your disability benefits were calculated and paid.

Save:

  • The insurer’s benefit calculation

  • Monthly payment statements

  • Bank records showing payments received

  • Tax slips issued by the insurer

  • Records of CPP Disability or other income benefits

  • Information about offsets or deductions

  • Requests to repay an overpayment

  • Receipts for medical reports and assessments

Review payment records regularly. Raise unexplained deductions, missed payments or calculation errors promptly.

10. Return-to-Work and Rehabilitation Records

Keep every document connected to a proposed or attempted return to work.

This includes:

  • Medical restrictions and limitations

  • Return-to-work plans

  • Proposed schedules and modified duties

  • Accommodation requests

  • Functional abilities forms

  • Communications with rehabilitation consultants

  • Notes about symptoms experienced during an attempted return

  • The reason a return-to-work attempt ended

If your symptoms return or the attempt fails, these records help show why you remain unable to work.

Learn more about returning to work while receiving LTD benefits.

Do You Have to Send Every Document to the Insurer?

No. Keeping a record doesn’t automatically mean that you should send it to the insurance company.

Insurers can request information needed to assess a claim, but every request should be considered carefully.

Before providing extensive medical, financial, employment or personal information:

  • Ask what information is being requested

  • Ask why the insurer says it needs the information

  • Check whether the request relates to your LTD claim

  • Keep a copy of anything you provide

  • Get legal advice if the request seems unusually broad or intrusive

⚠️ Don’t alter, destroy or hide relevant records. Keep the complete document and get advice about whether and how it should be provided.

How Should You Organize Your LTD Claim Documents?

Use a paper binder, digital folders or both. Choose a system that you and a family member can easily understand.

A simple digital folder structure could include:

  1. Policy and coverage

  2. Application forms

  3. Medical records

  4. Employer documents

  5. Insurer correspondence

  6. Payments and financial records

  7. Return-to-work documents

  8. Timeline and call notes

Name files using the date and a short description. For example:

2026-07-10 – Email from LTD adjuster requesting medical update

Save backup copies somewhere separate from your work email address or employer-owned computer.

Should You Keep Records After Your LTD Claim Is Approved?

Yes. Approval doesn’t mean the insurer’s review of your claim is over.

The insurance company can continue requesting medical updates, treatment information and evidence about your ability to work.

Continue saving:

  • Updated medical records

  • Requests from the insurer

  • Benefit payment statements

  • Rehabilitation and return-to-work documents

  • Correspondence about the change from “own occupation” to “any occupation”

Keep your file updated for as long as you receive benefits and until any dispute with the insurer has been fully resolved.

What Records Should You Keep if Your LTD Claim Is Denied?

If your claim is denied or your benefits are cut off, preserve everything immediately.

Make sure you have:

  • The complete denial or termination letter

  • The envelope or email showing when it was received

  • Your LTD policy

  • Every document submitted to the insurer

  • Your communication log and claim timeline

  • Medical records supporting your inability to work

  • Any surveillance, IME or vocational reports provided to you

Don’t automatically submit an internal appeal before getting legal advice.

Read what to do when your long-term disability claim is denied and how to challenge an LTD denial.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I Keep Copies of Forms Completed by My Doctor or Employer?

Yes. Ask for a copy of every form completed for your LTD claim. Your personal file should show exactly what information was submitted to the insurer.

Should I Keep Emails if the Claim Has Already Been Approved?

Yes. Benefits can be reviewed or terminated later. Earlier correspondence can help explain the history of the claim.

Can I Record Calls With My LTD Insurer?

The laws governing recorded conversations can depend on the circumstances. At minimum, keep detailed written notes and ask for important decisions or instructions in writing.

Should I Keep a Daily Symptom Journal?

A symptom journal can help you remember patterns, limitations and treatment effects. Keep it factual and consistent. It doesn’t replace reports from your doctors.

What if I Lost Some of My LTD Documents?

Request replacements from the insurer, employer, benefits administrator or treatment provider. Make a written list of anything that remains missing.

Is My Personal LTD File the Same as the Insurer’s Claim File?

No. Your personal file contains the records you collected. The insurer’s claim file can also contain internal notes, medical reviews, vocational opinions and other documents created during its assessment.

How Long Should I Keep My LTD Records?

Keep them throughout the claim and after benefits end or a dispute is resolved. Don’t destroy records connected to a denial, termination, repayment demand or legal claim without getting advice first.

Get Help With Your Long-Term Disability Claim

Organized records make it easier to understand what the insurance company requested, what evidence it received and how it handled your LTD claim.

If your insurer is delaying a decision, requesting excessive information, threatening to cut off benefits or denying your claim, speak with a disability lawyer before responding.

Samfiru Tumarkin LLP represents people with long-term disability claims throughout Canada, excluding Quebec.

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Problems With Your LTD Claim?

The records you keep can become important if your benefits are delayed, questioned, denied or cut off.

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