Expected to Work individuals and families will be able to earn up to $200 per month without affecting their income assistance benefits.

The exemption will apply to earned income, such as money earned through employment or income from a rental suite.

There is a one month wait period, meaning a family unit will not qualify for an earnings exemption in their first month of income assistance.

Oct 1, 2012

Note: Income earned in Aug 2012 impacts your income assistance cheque for Oct 2012

• Follow the current income reporting process
• Keep your paystubs
• Submit monthly report (cheque stub) by Sept 5th showing NET income received in Aug to ensure correct exemption is applied on your Oct assistance cheque
• Continue to declare all income on your monthly report and provide a copy of your paystub
• For information on the current income reporting process visit: monthly reporting

Persons with Disabilities (PWD) will be able to earn additional money without affecting their disability assistance benefits

$ 500 per month for family units with one PWD

$750 per month for family units with two PWDs

$ 800 per month for family units with one PWD

$1600 per month for family units with two PWDs

Oct 1, 2012

• Follow the current income reporting process
• Keep your paystubs
• Submit monthly report (cheque stub) by Sept 5^th showing NET income received in Aug to ensure correct exemption is applied on your Oct assistance cheque
• Continue to declare all income on your monthly report and provide a copy of your paystub
• For information on the current income reporting process visit: monthly reporting

Earnings exemptions allow families to keep a portion of their income without affecting their benefits

The waiting period for claiming earnings exemptions will be eliminated for former PWD clients who return to disability assistance

All other clients will have a one month wait period, meaning a family unit will not qualify for an earnings exemption in their first month of assistance.

Three month wait period

No wait period for returning PWDs

One month wait period for all other clients

Oct 1, 2012

Note: Income earned in Aug 2012 impacts your income assistance cheque for Oct 2012

• Follow the current income reporting process
• Keep your paystubs
• Submit monthly report (cheque stub) by Sept 5th showing NET income received in Aug to ensure correct exemption is applied on your Oct assistance cheque
• Continue to declare all income on your monthly report and provide a copy of your paystub
• For information on the current income reporting process visit: monthly reporting

This policy introduces earnings exemptions calculated on an annual basis rather than monthly.

Individuals with disabilities can maximize their earning during times when they are feeling healthy and able to work.

$800 per month for family units with one PWD

$1000 per month for family units with two adults, where only one has PWD

$1600 per month for family units with two PWDs

$9,600 per year for family units with one PWD

$12,000 per year for family units with two adults, where only one has PWD

$19,200 per year for family units with two PWDs

• Follow the current income reporting process
• Keep your paystubs
• Submit monthly report (cheque stub) before the 5th of each month, declaring income received each month, even if your income does not change
• Advise the ministry of any changes in circumstances, because the amount of your earnings exemption limit may change
• For information on the current income reporting process visit: monthly reporting

Increase the amount of general assets applicants and clients can keep and still be eligible for income or disability assistance

Singles - $1500

Clients with children or Couples - $2500

Single PWD - $3000

For PWDs with children or Couples - $5000

Singles - $2000

Clients with children or Couples - $4000

Single PWD - $5000

For PWDs with children or Couples - $10,000

• Follow the current application and income reporting processes
• This policy change primarily impacts persons when they are applying for income or disability assistance
• This change allows clients currently in receipt of assistance to increase their savings to enable them to meet unexpected needs
• For information on the current application process go to: application process
• For information on the current income reporting process visit: monthly reporting

Expected to Work clients will be able to keep a car valued up to $10,000 that is to be used for day to day transportation needs.

Any secondary vehicles will count towards the family unit’s asset limits.

• Follow the current application process
• This policy change primarily impacts persons when they are applying for income or disability assistance
• Clients currently in receipt of assistance should not be significantly affected by these changes
• For information on the current application process visit: application process

The school start-up allowance has been increased to $100 for every child aged 5-11, and $175 for every child 12 and over.

This start-up allowance has been extended to children on hardship assistance.

$84 for every child aged 5-11

$116 for every child 12 and over

$100 for every child aged 5-11

$175 for every child 12 and over

• Current process remains in place
• Families with school aged children enrolled for the 2012 school year will receive the higher school start up benefit on their Aug assistance cheque.
• Families with school-aged children not showing as enrolled in school will be contacted in writing to confirm attendance.
• For more information on the school start-up supplement visit: school start-up

Dependent children of families receiving hardship assistance with have access to $1400/two years of basic dental treatment.

Emergency dental coverage only

$1400/two years of basic dental services

Oct 1, 2012

• Current process remains in place
• Eligible children will be automatically enrolled in the ministry’s dental program
• For more on the ministry’s dental program visit:dental program

Families receiving hardship assistance will be able to keep the Child Benefits, including Universal Child Care Benefit, the BC Earned Income Benefit and the Child Tax Benefit, without having it affect the amount of their hardship assistance

Deducted from assistance cheque

Fully exempt

Oct 1, 2012

Note: Child benefits received in Aug will have the exemption applied on the Oct assistance cheque

• Follow the current income reporting process
• Continue to declare all income on your monthly report (cheque stub)
• File your income tax return to ensure you receive your monthly Child Tax Benefits
• For information on the current income reporting process visit: monthly reporting

Lump sum Federal Family Bonus payments paid retro-actively will be exempt as income minus any funds provided via the Temporary Family Bonus Top-up Supplement.

The maximum reduction will be the lesser of:

• The amount of the FB retroactive payment, and
• The amount advanced via the Temporary FB Top-up Supplement

The maximum reduction will not exceed one month’s assistance for the family unit.

A Temporary FB Top-up Supplement may be provided to families on assistance while they are awaiting their regular monthly federal family bonus payments.

Fully deducted as income from assistance cheque

Oct 1, 2012

Note: Retroactive FB payments received in Sept will have the exemption applied on the Oct assistance cheque

• Follow the current income reporting process
• Continue to declare all income on your monthly report (cheque stub)
• File your income tax return to ensure you continue to receive your family bonus payments
• For information on the current income reporting process visit: monthly reporting

The amount of the maximum top-up for Family Bonus Supplements will be increased to equal the Federal rate for the 2011 tax year.

The Ministry will continue to match future federal increases.

The Ministry may provide a Family Bonus Top-up Supplement when a family is not receiving the maximum amount of family bonus from the Federal Government.

$123.50 per child

$181.41 / 1 child

$341.91 / 2 children

$494.58 / 3 children

Adding $152.67 for each child after 3

Oct 1, 2012

• Current process remains in place
• File your income tax return to ensure you continue to receive your monthly family bonus payments

Families receiving income or disability assistance will be able to keep any money received from an income tax refund

Deducted from assistance cheque

Fully exempt

Oct 1, 2012

Note: Income tax refunds received in Aug will have the exemption applied for the Oct assistance

• Follow the current income reporting process
• Continue to declare all income on your monthly report (cheque stub)
• File your income tax return to receive eligible tax credits and income tax refunds.
• Keep your Notice of Assessment (NOA) and provide a copy when declaring your tax refund
• For information on the current income reporting process visit: monthly reporting

Single parents without citizenship status who are fleeing domestic abuse and who can’t leave BC with their children because of child custody or health issues can receive assistance while they work with Citizenship and Immigration Canada to resolve their legal status.

The dependent child must be a Canadian citizen and the parent must have applied for status as a permanent resident.

Assistance not available

Temporary Assistance available

Oct 1, 2012

• Follow the regular application process and discuss your specific situation with the Employment and Assistance Worker.
• For information on the current application process go to: application process

This policy change provides additional options for families on income or disability assistance when a dependent teen has a child of their own.

When a teenage parent is under the age of 16 and residing with their parent who is on assistance, the ministry will allow both the teenager and the teenager’s child to be added to the parent’s file (three generations in one family unit).

When teenage parent is between the ages of 16-18 and residing with their parent, we will allow a choice between three generations on one file or the teenage parent to apply for assistance on their own.

N/A

Provision of assistance for children of teenage parents

Oct 1, 2012

• Follow the regular process at application or when declaring a change in circumstance on your monthly report.
• Discuss your specific situation with the Employment and Assistance Worker.
• For information on the current application process go to: application process
• For information on the current monthly reporting process visit: monthly reporting

A number of medically essential equipment and supplies are being restored for eligible clients on income and disability assistance.

• Ventilator supplies
• Bariatric scooters
• Standing frames
• Positioning chairs
• Non-conventional glucose meters
• Inhaler accessory devices – “spacers”
• Apnea monitors
• Toe orthoses
• Underliners for orthoses
• Needles/syringes for medication delivery
• A second floor to ceiling pole
• Foot abduction orthosis
• Positioning items on a bed
• Transfer aids
• Tracheostomy supplies
• Nebulizers
• Humidifiers for tracheostomy patients

• Current application process for medical equipment and supplies will remain in place.
• Until Oct 1, we will evaluate requests for these items on a case by case basis. If there is an urgent and immediate need we can provide the item if there is no alternative source.
• We encourage individuals to explore other options or to apply once the new regulation is in effect in Oct 1, 2012.
• For information on the current application process for medical equipment and supplies visit: health supplements

The amount people on disability assistance can now invest in a non- discretionary trust account will increase to $200,000.

Individuals will be able to access up to $8,000 per year from their trust account for any other cost related to promoting independence and make their own choices about how best to use these funds.

Exempt trust disbursements moved into other exempt assets – purchase of primary residence, RDSP and RESP.

$100,000 contribution maximum

$5,484 per year disbursement limit with restrictions

$200,000 contribution maximum

$8,000 per year disbursement limit

• The current trust process will remain in place
• Contact your Employment and Assistance Office to discuss your specific situation

For new income assistance applicants, the work search requirement is extended to five weeks (from three weeks) to strengthen applicants’ efforts to find employment.

Returning clients will still be required to undergo a three week work search before they are eligible to receive income assistance.

Clients with an immediate need for food, shelter or urgent medical attention will receive hardship assistance while still being required to undergo a three or five week work search. Eligibility for hardship assistance will be on a month to month basis to a maximum of 3 months.

3 week work search

Applicants with an immediate need were exempt from the work search requirement

5 week work search for new applicants

3 week work search for returning clients

Applicants with an immediate need will be required to complete the work search requirement

Oct 1, 2012

• Follow the regular application process
• Track work search activities using forms provided by the ministry.
• After Oct 1, applicants with an Immediate Need will be assessed for temporary hardship assistance while they complete the work search requirement
• For information on the current application process go to: application process

• Follow the regular application process
• For information on the current application process go to: application process

Enhanced employment planning to support people in their efforts to transition off income assistance and to return to work.

For example: Employment Plans will be more individualized, contain concrete actions with closer follow up.

Oct 1, 2012

• Current process remains in place
• Continue to comply with your Employment Plan
• Visit the WorkBC website and Employment Centre in your community to access available job search supports
• WorkBC website

Under development:

Applicants and recipients of income assistance will be required to file an income tax return as a condition of eligibility.

Help for disability assistance clients who are first time tax filers will be available through a Community Benefit Fund.

Income Tax filing not mandatory

Mandatory Income Tax filing

To be determined

• File your income tax return to ensure you are receiving all the tax credits and benefits for which you are entitled
• Keep your Notice of Assessment
• Provide a copy when declaring your tax refund
• Return to this site in the future for more information on this policy change