Part B: your medical practitioner's part

What Part B is

Part B is the medical certification on pages 3 to 16 of Form T2201, or the equivalent section of the CRA's digital application. It describes the effects of your impairment and how it limits daily activities. Part A is yours; Part B belongs to your medical practitioner, and you cannot complete or certify it yourself.

Who may certify which impairment

The CRA lists which practitioners can certify which impairments. A medical doctor or nurse practitioner can certify any impairment; other practitioners are limited to the areas shown below.

If your practitioner charges a fee for completing the application, you are responsible for paying it. The CRA notes that you may be able to claim it as a medical expense on your tax return.

What they assess

The practitioner compares your limitations with someone of a similar age who does not have an impairment in that category. They can base the assessment on what you describe, your medical history, their own observations, and their knowledge of how your condition usually affects people. The CRA decides eligibility from what they write; your practitioner does not decide it for you.

Why duration, frequency and severity matter

The CRA looks for a severe and prolonged impairment that causes a marked restriction, meaning you are unable, or take an inordinate amount of time, in one category all or substantially all of the time (generally interpreted as 90% or more), even with therapy, devices and medication. If no single category meets that test, significant limitations in two or more categories can be considered together. Accurate details about how often a limitation happens and how long it has lasted do more for an application than strong wording.

How to prepare for the conversation

You do not need a script, and you should never exaggerate. It helps to arrive with a short, honest summary of your day.

• Note the activities that are hardest, and roughly how often you cannot do them or need much longer.
• Note how long the limitation has lasted, and whether it is expected to continue.
• Bring your list of medications, devices or therapies, since the assessment considers your limitations even with those in place.
• Mention everyday examples: dressing, preparing a meal, walking a block, following a conversation, concentrating on a page.
• Ask what the practitioner needs from you, and ask for a copy of what they submit if you want one for your records.

After the practitioner finishes

On the digital form, the practitioner submits Part B online using your reference number, and the application goes to the CRA automatically. On the paper form, they complete and sign their pages and return the form to you, and you mail it to the CRA. Either way the CRA reviews the application and may ask for more information before deciding.