How To Get Disability Benefits In B.C.

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1 d i s a b i l i t y a l l i a n c e b c 12 h e l p s h e e t 2015 b c d i s a b i l i t y b e n e f i t s Income Assistance Application Process for People with Disabilities This Help Sheet is funded by the Health Sciences Association of British Columbia. This Help Sheet is for people with disabilities who need to apply for disability benefits from the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation (MSDSI) for the first time. We describe the steps you must take before you get the application for the Persons with Disabilities Designation (PWD) benefit (for information about how to apply for the PWD designation, please see our Help Sheet 2). Before you get started Computers and telephones Applications for financial assistance through MSDSI now require access to a computer and a telephone. If you do not have access to a computer, do not know how to use one or if you do not own a reliable telephone, we urge you to phone MSDSI and explain your situation. Local MSDSI offices have computers that applicants can use, and MSDSI staff can provide assistance to you, if you are unable to use the computer on your own. However, if you have your own telephone and computer and have access to the internet, the new system allows you to start your application for income assistance without leaving home. About disability benefits (PWD) You should also understand that people with disabilities do not automatically qualify for disability benefits, and that it can take a week or more to go through the initial application and get all the necessary documents. First, you need to show you are financially eligible. Second, you must get the PWD application. It must be completed by your doctor and sent to Victoria for approval. If Victoria approves your PWD applica- Disability Alliance BC (formerly BC Coalition of People with Disabilities) Information in this Help Sheet is based on the legislation that was current at the time of writing. The legislation and policy may be subject to change. Please check the date on this Help Sheet. HS12 Apr. 22/15

2 tion, you will then be recognized as a person with disabilities and be eligible to receive the disability assistance rate. Disability benefits are not back-dated. This means they are paid from the month the Ministry decides you are eligible. It can take Victoria as long as 3 months to adjudicate your PWD application. Most new applicants will not qualify for the Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers to Employment (PPMB) benefit because you have to be on assistance for 12 months before you can apply for it. About income Income assistance and disability benefits are income tested. This means, if you have too much money, you may not qualify for assistance. For example, if you are a single person whose monthly income is over $610 per month, it is not likely that you will qualify for regular income assistance. Single people with monthly incomes over $906 will not usually qualify for disability benefits. It is possible to apply for disability benefits if your income is over $610, but under $906. About assets Income assistance and disability benefits are also asset tested. For example, a single person on income assistance can have up to $2,000 in assets and still qualify for assistance. You are also allowed to have a car worth up to $10,000 and own the home you live in. A person with a disability can have up to $5,000 in the bank, own a car worth any value, own the home they live in and still receive disability benefits. In fact, a person with over $5,000 can apply for disability benefits, if they are using this money to live on because it usually takes three months or more to process a PWD application. If you apply for PWD, but are not eligible for basic assistance because you have assets exceeding the income assistance limit, you can receive basic assistance while you wait for PWD. Here are two examples to help you understand this: If you are a single person with assets over $2,000, but under $5,000, you can receive basic assistance of up to $610 a month while you wait for your PWD. PWD applicants who own a car worth more than $10,000 can receive basic assistance while they wait for their PWD. If MSDSI denies you PWD, you will not have to pay back the money you received during the PWD application process. page 2 Disability Alliance BC (formerly BC Coalition of People with Disabilities)

3 About people you live with A person with a disability living with a family member or roommate can qualify for income assistance or disability benefits as a single person. However, if you live with a spouse or partner, the MSDSI will want to know the total income and assets of your household. You will be expected to apply for income assistance as a couple. If MSDSI misunderstands your living arrangement, we recommend you seek the advice of an advocate. Getting started MSDSI has one contact number for applicants and recipients of income assistance and disability benefits: Stage 1: The Self-Serve Assessment and Application Find this Application online at: As mentioned earlier, it is now MSDSI practice to ask all new applicants to complete the first stage of the application process online: the Self Serve Assessment and Application (SSAA). The SSAA has over 90 questions that you must answer. In addition to asking for your name, address and Social Insurance Number, there are numerous questions about your financial situation (income and assets) and living arrangements. One question asks whether you intend to apply for the PWD designation (the answer is yes ). There are also questions about your employability. These questions must be answered, even if you have indicated that you have a disability that prevents you from working. Before you submit this application, we recommend you print a copy (or forward it to your address) and make a note of the application number. Immediate needs assessment The SSAA includes questions about whether you have an immediate need for food, shelter or urgent medical attention. If you answer yes to any of these questions, an MSDSI worker should contact you within 24 hours to do an eligibility interview and fast track your application for assistance. If you do not hear from MSDSI within 24 hours, we recommend you call MSDSI ( ) and tell them you are in urgent need of assistance. Job search requirement MSDSI regulations state that people who are able to work and have never applied for assistance before must complete a five-week job search before they can receive benefits. Employable people who have been on assistance before must do a threeweek job search. page 3 Disability Alliance BC (formerly BC Coalition of People with Disabilities)

4 People with disabilities are not automatically excused from looking for work, unless they already have the PWD designation. However, if you have a medical condition that prevents you from looking for work, you can be excused from the job search. You may be asked to get a form filled out by your doctor that says you have a disability and cannot work. Stage 2: The eligibility interview and determining eligibility Once your online application has been submitted, an MSDSI worker should contact you by phone within five days (or 24 hours if you have indicated you need immediate needs assistance ). If you do not receive a call within this time period, we recommend you call MSDSI ( ) and ask about the status of your application. When the MSDSI worker contacts you, they will ask you to submit documents to help them determine whether you are eligible for income assistance and/or to apply for the PWD designation. These documents may include, but are not limited to: Identification documents Confirmation of your mailing address Confirmation of the rent you pay Verification of any income you may have received Bank statements for the past 60 days Vehicle registration, if you own a car Your most recent income tax assessment. These documents can be taken in or faxed to your local MSDSI office. Be sure to get a date-stamped copy or keep the fax confirmation sheet for your records. The worker will give you the contact information. The worker will also ask you about the information you have submitted on the SSAA online application. If there are documents that you are unable to get or questions you are unable to answer, it is important to explain this to the worker at this time. Delays in submitting requested documents can lead to delays in confirming your eligibility for assistance or getting the PWD application. Once you have submitted the requested documents and clarified any eligibility concerns, MSDSI can take five days to tell you whether you qualify for benefits and/or give you a PWD application. Once again, if you do not hear back from MSDSI within this period, phone MSDSI to ask about your application. page 4 Disability Alliance BC (formerly BC Coalition of People with Disabilities)

5 Once MSDSI has confirmed your financial eligibility, you may be eligible for income assistance and a PWD application. If you receive a PWD application before you go on income assistance, MSDSI will allow you two months to complete and submit it. If you need more than two months, tell MSDSI so they do not close your file. What if MSDSI says you are not eligible? If MSDSI tells you that you are not eligible for income assistance and/or to apply for PWD, it is important that you understand the reasons. The MSDSI worker should give you this information, so you can decide what to do next. If you believe that MSDSI s reasons for denial are unreasonable, you can request a reconsideration of this decision. MSDSI regulations allow 20 business days, from the date you learned you were denied, to submit a reconsideration request. We urge you to seek the advice of an advocate, if MSDSI tells you that you are not eligible. Special Situations Sometimes low-income people cannot qualify for regular income assistance because of special circumstances that are beyond their control. For example, you may be waiting for other income or trying to sell property. In these situations, you could be eligible for Hardship Assistance. Sometimes, people who receive Hardship Assistance must pay it back later. People who have income slightly above the rates set by MSDSI may be able to qualify for medical equipment and devices, medical supplies or medical transportation, if all the following requirements are met: you face a direct and imminent life-threatening health need you have no other resources to meet this need you are receiving premium assistance from MSP you meet all the requirements set out in the health supplement sections of the legislation (see Help Sheet #7). page 5 Disability Alliance BC (formerly BC Coalition of People with Disabilities)

6 This Help Sheet was prepared by Advocacy Access, a program of Disability Alliance BC (formerly BC Coalition of People with Disabilities). Thank you to the Health Sciences Association of British Columbia for funding the BC Disability Benefits Help Sheets W. Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1R3 tel: fax tty toll free The full Help Sheet series and all DABC publications are available free at page 6 Disability Alliance BC (formerly BC Coalition of People with Disabilities)