Financial Assistance

If you need assistance providing for yourself or your family, support is available through various government and agency programs. All financial supports including money, equipment, supplies or services have an application process and a qualification process.

Below is a list of the various services with a brief explanation and a link to each website. The information is listed under four main categories – Income Support, Home Renovations & Other Adaptive Support, Government Tax Credits and Investment, and Skills Upgrading.

Application processes can take time, sometimes up to several months, before assistance is received. Having some assets or finances does not necessarily disqualify you from receiving assistance. Investigate your options as soon as possible, to avoid financial difficulties. If your application is denied, find out whether there is an appeal process should you wish to take further action.

Scroll Down to Review them all…

LINKS   (These will open in a new window.)

• Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) – Disability Benefits - Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Disability Benefits provide a monthly taxable benefit to contributors who are disabled and to their dependent children. Delivered by: Service Canada on behalf of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC)
• Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits - Employment Insurance (EI) provides Sickness Benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of sickness, injury, or quarantine.
• Ontario Works Durham - The overall goal of Ontario Works Durham is to assist social assistance participants to prepare for, obtain and sustain employment and to make the transition to long term self-reliance.
• Settlement.org Website - General information and links related to employment insurance, social assistance and other benefits.
• The Ontario Disability Support Program - Income Support - Helps people with disabilities who are in financial need pay for living expenses, like food and housing.
• Trillium Drug Program - The Trillium Drug Program (TDP) is intended for Ontario residents who have a valid Ontario Health Card and who have high prescription drug costs in relation to their net household income. The TDP provides benefits for certain prescription drugs, check out the website for more details.
• Worker’s Compensation - A worker injured by work, or sick with a disease caused by work, might qualify for workers' compensation benefits.

• Assistive Devices Program (ADP) - The Assistive Devices Program (ADP) provides financial assistance to people with long term disabilities to obtain basic, personalized assistive devices for activities of daily living at home.
• Home and Vehicle Modification Program - HVMP provides funding for basic home and/or vehicle modifications. By reducing or eliminating life safety risks, these modifications enable children and adults with mobility restrictions to continue living in their homes, avoid job loss, and participate in their communities.
• Medical Expense and Disability Tax Credits and Attendant Care Expense Deduction - The medical expense tax credit, the disability tax credit and the attendant care expense deduction all provide tax relief for individuals. The medical expense tax credit applies to individuals who have sustained significant medical expenses for themselves or certain of their dependants. The disability tax credit applies to individuals who have a "severe and prolonged mental or physical impairment" or for individuals who support certain dependants with such an impairment. The attendant care expense deduction is available to individuals who are entitled to claim the disability tax credit and who have incurred expenses for personal care that are necessary to enable them to work.
• Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program (RRAP) - Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) offers financial assistance to allow homeowners and landlords to pay for modifications to make their property more accessible to persons with disabilities. These modifications are intended to eliminate physical barriers, imminent safety risks and improve the ability to meet the demands of daily living within the home.

• Canada Study Grant for the Accommodation of Students with Permanent Disabilities - This progrm is designed to assist disabled students with disability-related costs of equipment and/or services associated with their participation in post-secondary studies. Students must first apply for funding from their applicable government student financial assistance program (e.g. OSAP) for the current academic year and must demonstrate financial need. Students must also be registered with the Health, Counselling and Disability Services Office at Queen's University.
• Disability Supports Deduction - If you have an impairment in physical or mental functions, you may be able to deduct the expenses that you incurred in the year in order to work, go to school, or do research for which you received a grant.
• Disability Tax Credit - Deductions and credits that may be claimed by persons with a disability and those who support them. The application form for this credit is form T2201- called the disability tax credit certificate. The person with the disability completes part of the form and their doctor completes the rest and then you submit it to your local Canada Revenue tax office. Click here for the Disability Tax Credit Certificate.
• GST Exemptions or Rebates - There are a number of products and services that are GST execmpt for persons with disabilities which include areas such as health care providers, personal care, Meals on Wheels, recreational programs, medical devices, supplies and specially equipped motor vehicles.
• Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) - Ontario Student Assistance Program provides financial assistance to students in the form of a student loan.
• Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) - The Registered Disability Savings Plan is a savings plan designed specifically for people with disabilities in Canada. The first of its kind in the world, this new tax-deferred savings vehicle will assist families in planning for the long - term financial security of their relatives with disabilities.
• The Federal Excise Gasoline Tax Refund Program - The Federal Excise Gasoline Tax Refund Program refunds a portion of the federal excise tax on gasoline bought for use by eligible persons or organizations.

• Bursary for Students with Disabilities and Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Persons with Permanent Disabilities - Ontario’s Bursary for Students with Disabilities (BSWD) and the Canada Student Grant for Services and Equipment for Persons with Permanent Disabilities provide non-repayable financial assistance to full- and part-time students for disability-related services and equipment that they need to participate in postsecondary education.
• Bursary for Students with Disabilities Attending Out-of-Country Postsecondary Institutions - The bursary assists deaf, deafened, and hard-of-hearing students with the cost of attending out-of-country post-secondary institutions where the language of instruction is American Sign Language. The value of the bursary varies depending on the student's eligible costs.
• Canada Access Grant for Students with Permanent Disabilities - The Government of Canada offers Canada Access Grants for Students with Permanent Disabilities to help qualifying students with permanent disabilities to meet educational costs (e.g., for tuition, books, and supplies) and living costs.
• Disability Vocational Rehabilitation Program - The Canada Pension Plan Disability Vocational Rehabilitation Program is designed to help people who receive a Canada Pension Plan disability benefit return to work.
• Opportunities Fund - The Opportunities Fund is a program designed to help people with disabilities prepare for and obtain employment or self-employment. It also assists people to develop the skills they need to keep a new job.