Long-Term Disability Claims for Tech Professionals
Long-Term Disability for IT & Tech Workers in Ontario
You built systems that never went down. But your body did — and now your insurer says sitting at a desk means you can still work. They have no idea what your job actually demanded. We do.
No fee unless we win. No obligation to proceed.
They say it's just a desk job.
You spent years solving problems that most people can't even understand. Debugging code under pressure, architecting systems at scale, staying on-call through the night. Your brain was your tool — and now it doesn't work the way it used to.
The brain fog. The inability to hold a complex thought. The pain in your hands, your neck, your back — from years of work that looked easy to everyone else because you were sitting down. Your insurer sees a sedentary job. They don't see the cognitive marathon you ran every single day.
You're not making this up. You're not being dramatic. And you're not the first tech worker to feel like you should be able to push through this. That instinct — that maybe you just need to try harder — is exactly what your insurer is counting on.
We fight it & tech workers disability denials from
Why IT & Tech Workers Get Denied
- Insurer classifies your role as "sedentary" and argues you can still perform desk work — ignoring the intense cognitive demands of software development, system administration, or engineering
- Surveillance shows you using a computer at home — insurer claims this proves you can work, even though browsing the internet is nothing like debugging production code under deadline
- Paper review by an insurer-hired doctor who has never treated you and doesn't understand what "cognitive functional capacity" actually means in a tech role
- After 24 months, insurer shifts to "any occupation" and argues you could do data entry, help desk, or other "simpler computer work" — as if your disability only affects complex tasks
- Insurer minimizes mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and burnout, calling them "subjective" and demanding "objective evidence" for conditions that don't show up on an X-ray
- High LTD benefit amount (reflecting your tech salary) makes your claim a financial target — the more your benefits cost, the harder they fight to cut you off
- Insurer ignores the cumulative impact of RSI, chronic pain, and cognitive symptoms — evaluating each condition in isolation rather than their combined disabling effect
What Insurers Get Wrong About Tech Work
- Software development and IT work require sustained deep focus — the kind of concentration where a single interruption means losing 20 minutes of mental context. Brain fog, pain flare-ups, and medication side effects make this impossible.
- "Sedentary" does not mean "easy." System architecture, code review, incident response, and project management require continuous high-level cognitive function. You can't do half of this job.
- The always-on culture — on-call rotations, deployment windows, crunch periods, Slack at midnight — contributed to your disability. Insurers benefit from ignoring that workplace demands caused or worsened your condition.
- Tech workers often mask their symptoms longer than most. You automated your workarounds. You compensated until you couldn't. That delay doesn't mean your condition isn't real — it means you tried harder than most people would.
- RSI and chronic pain conditions from years of keyboard and mouse work are cumulative injuries. They don't heal with a week off. Insurers treat them like acute injuries and argue you should have recovered by now.
How We Build Your IT & Tech Workers Case
- Document the actual cognitive demands of your role — not the generic job title, but what you specifically did: the languages, the systems, the complexity, the on-call expectations, the concentration required
- Work with neuropsychologists and occupational therapists who can measure your cognitive functional capacity and demonstrate exactly how your symptoms prevent you from performing at the level your job requires
- Build a medical evidence package that connects your diagnosis to your functional limitations — showing why brain fog, chronic pain, or fatigue makes sustained technical work impossible, not just difficult
- Challenge the "any occupation" argument by demonstrating that your limitations aren't just about complexity — they affect sustained screen time, concentration duration, deadline pressure, and the reliability required in any professional role
- Counter insurer surveillance by explaining the difference between casual computer use and professional-grade technical work — opening a browser is not the same as managing a production incident
- Obtain statements from colleagues, managers, or HR documenting the actual demands of your position and the performance decline they observed before you went on leave
"I spent 15 years building systems that processed millions of transactions. When I couldn't code anymore — when I couldn't even hold a thought long enough to write a simple function — my insurer said I could do data entry. Mirza Law understood what I'd lost. They fought for me when I didn't have the energy to fight for myself."
— Former software engineer, depression and chronic pain claim
How to Protect Your Claim
What to Avoid
- Don't tell your insurer "I can still use a computer sometimes" — they will use this against you to argue you can work
- Don't post on LinkedIn, GitHub, or tech forums — insurers monitor social media and will argue that any online activity proves you can do technical work
- Don't minimize your symptoms to your doctor because you feel like you "should" be able to handle this — your medical records need to reflect what you actually experience
- Don't agree to an insurer's "independent" medical exam without legal advice — these are not neutral assessments
- Don't return to work part-time without a clear accommodation plan — if it goes badly, your insurer will use the attempt against you
- Don't let imposter syndrome convince you that your disability isn't "real enough" — if you can't do the job, you can't do the job
What to Do
- Keep a daily symptom journal documenting brain fog episodes, pain levels, concentration limits, and how long you can sustain focus before symptoms worsen
- Ask your doctor to document functional limitations specifically — not just your diagnosis, but what you can't do: how long you can concentrate, type, sit, or handle cognitive load
- Save your job descriptions, performance reviews, and any documentation showing the actual demands and complexity of your tech role
- Track your medication side effects — many pain and psychiatric medications cause cognitive impairment that compounds your existing limitations
- Talk to a disability lawyer before responding to any insurer request for information, attending a medical exam, or accepting a settlement offer
- Document your on-call schedules, overtime records, and crunch periods — these show the actual demands that contributed to your condition
Common Questions
Your questions, answered.
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