How to Apply for Disability Assistance in British Columbia

The short answer

Disability assistance in British Columbia runs in two parts: show that you meet financial eligibility, then complete the Persons with Disabilities designation application. The Government of British Columbia says you must be designated as a Person with Disabilities (PWD) to receive this type of assistance, and the designation application has three sections, filled out by you, your doctor or nurse practitioner, and a prescribed professional.

Disability assistance can help if you need financial or health support. It is run through British Columbia's employment and assistance system, and My Self Serve is the online route for applying and managing a case.

Who the designation describes

The British Columbia page says that to be eligible, you must show that you meet financial eligibility, and meet the designation points the page lists:

• Be 18 years old (you can start the application process when you are 17 and a half)
• Have a severe physical or mental impairment that is expected to continue for more than two years
• Be significantly restricted in your ability to perform daily-living activities
• Require assistance with daily living activities from another person, an assistive device, or an assistance animal

This guide covers the application mechanics only. It gives no advice on whether you meet these points. That decision is the ministry's, made on the completed application.

Assets and income

You must meet certain income and asset criteria before you can receive disability assistance. The general asset exemption limits are $100,000 for a single person, couple, or family where one person has the PWD designation, and $200,000 for a couple where both adults have the designation.

Some assets are allowed and do not count toward the general limit, including your home, one motor vehicle, clothing and necessary household equipment, a Registered Disability Savings Plan, and assets held in a qualifying trust. If you are a beneficiary of a trust, the ministry must review and approve it before it qualifies for the exemption.

People on disability assistance can work and earn money. Earnings up to the annual earnings exemption limit do not change the monthly payment amount. My Self Serve shows how much of the exemption you have used.

How to apply

• Start the financial eligibility part. Use My Self Serve to apply for income or disability assistance, or contact the ministry toll free at 1-866-866-0800.
• Request the designation application. Contact the ministry to request a Persons with Disabilities Designation Application.
• Complete the three sections. You fill out the applicant portion. Your doctor or nurse practitioner fills out the medical report portion. A prescribed professional, such as a doctor, registered nurse, or social worker, fills out the assessor report portion.
• Submit it and wait for the decision. After you submit your application, the ministry reviews it and lets you know if you meet the eligibility criteria for the PWD designation.

The simplified process

If you already take part in certain programs, you may be able to use a simplified application. The programs are Community Living BC (CLBC), the Ministry of Children and Family Development At Home Program, BC PharmaCare Plan P — Palliative Care Benefits, and Canada Pension Plan — Disability Benefits.

Under the simplified route, you complete a shorter form, the Persons with Disabilities Designation — Prescribed Class Application, that gives the ministry permission to confirm your eligibility from one of those programs. You do not have to complete a full PWD application or get a new diagnosis. You still have to meet all other eligibility requirements to begin receiving disability assistance. Teens aged 17 and a half to 19 with a confirmed intellectual disability may also use a simplified route by submitting an existing psychological assessment and diagnosis.

After you apply

Use My Self Serve to receive and reply to messages about your case, make service requests, track the status of your requests, submit your monthly report without going to an office, find out what you are eligible to receive on the next payment date, and track your annual earnings exemption.

What the opened pages do not state

The British Columbia disability assistance page lists the asset limits of $100,000 and $200,000 and the designation points, but it does not state a monthly payment amount for a single person or a family on the page opened for this guide, so this guide gives no payment amounts. The page also does not state how long a designation decision takes, so this guide gives no timeline for the decision.

Related guides:

• How to Apply for the Canada Disability Benefit — the federal benefit for working-age people with a disability.
• How to Apply for the Disability Tax Credit in Canada — the federal non-refundable tax credit for people with a severe and prolonged impairment.
• How to Apply for AISH in Alberta — Alberta's Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped, the closest Alberta counterpart.
• How to Apply for the BC Seniors Supplement — British Columbia's monthly top-up for low-income seniors receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
• How to Apply for the BC Family Benefit — British Columbia's tax-free monthly payment for families with children under 18.

Sources

• Government of British Columbia, Disability assistance — the PWD designation requirement, the eligibility points including starting at 17 and a half, the $100,000 and $200,000 asset limits and exempt assets, the two-part application, the three sections of the designation application, the simplified prescribed class process and the programs that open it, the My Self Serve functions, and the 1-866-866-0800 contact number.