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Expected to Work/Barriers to Full Employment Policy & Procedures

Published Date: January 01, 2024
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08 Supplementary Benefits

Handicap Benefit

AUTHORITY

Income and Employment Supports Act, Schedule, section 10
Income Support, Training and Health Benefits Regulation, Schedule 4, section 2
Ministerial Order 2018-19, Appendix D: Schedule 4 - Supplementary Income Support Rates

INTENT

To describe the handicap benefit that may be available to eligible household units to help offset additional costs associated with having a disability.

POLICY

A Handicap Benefit is issued to adult applicants or recipients, who meet the financial eligibility test for the Income Support (IS) program and:

  • Are approved for Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) benefits but they are financially better off on the IS program, or
  • The client has an active AISH application or intends to apply for AISH and the worker determines, the client has a “severe handicap” as defined in the AISH General Regulation based on medical information provided on the EMP0207 Medical Report, or an AISH medical report, and
  • They are not eligible to receive an Old Age Security benefit.

Note
The definition of “severe handicap” under the AISH General Regulation is: an impairment of mental or physical functioning or both that, in a director's opinion after considering any relevant medical or psychological reports, causes substantial limitation in the person's ability to earn a livelihood and is likely to continue to affect that person permanently because no remedial therapy is available that would materially improve the person's ability to earn a livelihood.”

These clients are assigned to the Barriers to Full Employment (BFE) Client sub-type 43 Severe Handicap. Clients who are in the process of applying for AISH are coded medical code 606060.

For clients approved for AISH, the IS worker must consult with the AISH worker to ensure the AISH eligible client’s needs cannot be better met under the AISH program.

For clients applying for AISH, the IS worker must consult with AISH to ensure the client is in the process of applying for AISH.

For clients applying for AISH, the IS worker should review the client file after a period of 3 months to determine whether the client’s application is still under review. If the application is still pending, the file should be reviewed after each subsequent 3 months until the application is approved or declined.

For clients who intend to apply for AISH, the IS worker should review the client file after an appropriate period of time. The worker determines when follow-up should occur based on the client’s individual circumstances (typically after 1 month, no longer than 3 months). In most cases, follow-up should be frequent. The client should be assigned to a different client category if the client is not taking reasonable steps to apply to the AISH program.

See Client Sub-Type 43 Severe Handicap for more information on assigning a client to sub-type 43.

Substantiation

  • Confirmation that the client has been approved for AISH or is currently applying for AISH.
  • For clients previously approved for AISH, confirmation from the AISH worker that the client’s needs cannot be met under the AISH program or that the client/household’s needs are better met by the IS program than the AISH program.
  • The worker is satisfied that the client intends to apply for AISH benefits and is taking steps to prepare their application.

Note
Transfer procedures between Income Support and AISH can be found in Client Sub-type 43 Severe Handicap.

Rate
$199.00 per month for each eligible adult

Need Code
1501  Handicap Benefit

PROCEDURES

LISA defaults the Handicap Benefit when the worker uses the PF10 key in Client Budget for any client assigned to the BFE severe handicap client sub-type.