Did you know that the terms of your long-term disability insurance policy can impact whether or not your employer can fire you?

Rena Buchin has been battling liver cancer for two years and playing guitar helps her deal with the daily chemotherapy. 

Buchin has been off work for more than two years and has long-term disability insurance through her employer of eight-years, the Calgary Public Library.

She says getting her insurance company, Sun Life, to pay wasn't easy.

“They're constantly requesting reports, constantly sending forms to be filled, setting deadlines, threatening to stop payment,” said Buchin.

The library has now terminated her citing the terms of her disability insurance policy.

The policy states that employees receive long-term disability benefits for the first two years if they're unable to do their own job and after that, if they can't do any job, they are eligible for continued benefits, which Buchin now receives.

The library says that's proof she can't work.

"I felt kind of defeated you know, it was sort of part of my getting well plan, like who knows? Maybe I could even come back to work," said Buchin.

Losing her job means losing her extended dental and medical benefits too and Buchin says that makes medicines that ease the chemo's side effects tougher to get.

"I have to pay cash for these which means I have to defer everything else, my utilities, my groceries," she said.

The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association says most long-term disability insurance policies are like that and thousands of Albertans could be in the same boat since it's not uncommon to use those terms to let employees go.

Buchin’s union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, says it won't dispute her termination.

"The employer has the legal ability to terminate that person's employment and to refill that position and because we negotiated for it in our collective agreement, our member will continue to collect her LTD, her long term disability,” said Lou Arab, CUPE Spokesperson.

The library wouldn't comment on Buchin's case but says, once an insurer has classified an employee as permanently disabled, the employee can be let go. It doesn't pay a severance because disability insurers would claw that money back.

CTV Calgary Consumer Specialist Lea Williams-Doherty says to protect yourself, negotiate the right to receive extended benefits. If you're on long-term disability, Lea says to consider buying an extended medical benefits policy before two years is up.

(With files from Lea Williams-Doherty)