How to apply for ODSP in Ontario: the two-stage process — financial eligibility first, then disability determination — and what to do if denied.
Applies in: Ontario
ODSP has two gates, in a fixed order: financial eligibility first, disability determination second. You do not get to the disability stage until a caseworker has found you financially eligible, and the disability stage is a package of forms completed jointly by you and a health care professional, decided by a specialised unit. Start the application online, by phone, or in person — and if you need money right now for food and housing, apply for Ontario Works at the same time, because an ODSP decision can take a few months.
The Ontario Disability Support Program is for people who have a substantial physical or mental disability and do not have enough money to live on. To qualify for income support, you must be at least 18 years of age, be an Ontario resident, have assets no greater than the limits set out in the program, be in financial need, and meet the program's definition of a person with a disability — or be a member of a prescribed class. If you are under 18, you can start the application process up to six months before your 18th birthday. The program also offers employment supports and help with health costs such as prescription drugs and basic dental care, but this guide covers the income support application.
The disability definition has three parts: you have a substantial mental or physical impairment that is continuous or recurrent and is expected to last one year or more; the direct and cumulative effect of the impairment substantially restricts your ability to work, care for yourself, or take part in community life; and the impairment, its likely duration, and its restrictions have been verified by an approved health care professional.
You can apply in three ways:
An application must be taken within 15 business days of the date the request is received, under the program's policy directives. If you were already receiving Ontario Works, your previous application and supporting documentation can be reused if you applied within the last year. If you need money immediately while the ODSP application is being decided, apply for Ontario Works as well — the province's policy directive says applicants in immediate financial need should apply for financial assistance through an Ontario Works office, and you can apply for both programs at the same time online.
In the first stage, your caseworker looks at your circumstances: your income and assets, living expenses, family size and make-up, and shelter costs. You will need to provide information and verification for everyone in your household — identification, social insurance numbers, birth certificates, immigration papers, tax returns, bank statements, and proof of housing costs are the usual documents.
The asset limits published on the Ontario.ca eligibility page are $40,000 for a single person and $50,000 for a couple, for non-exempt assets. Some assets are exempt and do not affect your eligibility: the home you own and live in, your primary vehicle, trust funds derived from an inheritance or life insurance policy up to allowable limits, the cash surrender value of life insurance policies up to allowable limits, pre-paid funerals, Registered Education Savings Plans, and Registered Disability Savings Plans. Income you must report includes earnings from a job, self-employment profit, Canada Pension Plan benefits, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board benefits, Employment Insurance, spousal support, and loans. Some income is exempt, including child support, certain federal and provincial tax benefits, payments from a Registered Disability Savings Plan, and OSAP loans and grants used for education costs. You must report all funds you receive, every month — if you receive too much, you may not qualify for that month.
Financial eligibility must be established before a Disability Determination Package can be provided and a referral made to the Disability Adjudication Unit. If you are found financially ineligible, you can ask for an internal review of that decision.
If you pass the financial test, your caseworker gives you the Disability Determination Package. It has four forms:
You have 90 days to complete and return the package to the ministry's Disability Adjudication Unit. If you do not send it back within 90 days, the ministry will consider your ODSP application withdrawn unless you make a written request for an extension and it is approved. The Disability Adjudication Unit reviews your completed package to determine whether you meet the program's definition of a person with a disability — this is called the Disability Determination Process. If you meet the definition, your local ODSP office confirms that you still qualify financially, and if you still qualify, you receive income support. If your disability or medical condition may improve, the ministry will also give you a date for a medical review.
Some people do not have to go through the disability adjudication process at all. Prescribed classes include people who receive Canada Pension Plan Disability or Quebec Pension Plan Disability benefits, people 65 or older who are not eligible for Old Age Security, people already determined eligible for services and funding under the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008, and people living in a home under the Homes for Special Care Act. If you are in one of these classes, you must still apply and meet all the other ODSP eligibility requirements, including financial eligibility — the shortcut skips only the Disability Determination Package and the adjudication step.
A denial is not the end of the process. You can request an internal review of the decision — a written request to the office that made it, with the financial denial going to the ODSP office and a disability determination denial going to the Disability Adjudication Unit. If the internal review does not change the outcome, you can appeal to the Social Benefits Tribunal, an independent body separate from the ministry. Keep copies of everything you submit, note the date on every decision letter, and get help from a community legal clinic if the paperwork is difficult — legal aid clinics in Ontario regularly help with ODSP appeals.
Two figures commonly quoted about ODSP were not confirmed on the Ontario.ca pages, so they are not stated as facts above. First, the monthly income support amount for a single person is not stated on the eligibility page, so no payment amount appears here — confirm the current rate on the Ontario.ca ODSP page before you budget. Second, the time the Disability Adjudication Unit takes to decide a completed package is not stated on the pages, so no decision timeline is promised here. The 90-day package deadline, the $40,000 and $50,000 asset limits, and the two-stage order are all stated on the Ontario.ca pages.
You must be at least 18 years old, an Ontario resident, in financial need, with assets no greater than the program's limits, and you must meet the program's definition of a person with a disability or be a member of a prescribed class. If you are under 18, you can start the application process up to six months before your 18th birthday.
In two stages, in order. Stage 1 is financial: your caseworker reviews your income, assets, living expenses, family size, and shelter costs. Only if you are found financially eligible do you move to stage 2, disability determination, where you and a health care professional complete the Disability Determination Package and the Disability Adjudication Unit decides whether you meet the program's definition of a person with a disability.
Four forms. You complete the Consent to Release Medical Information and the Self Report. Your health care professional completes the Health Status Report, covering your medical condition, impairments, restrictions, expected duration, and treatments, and the Activities of Daily Living Index, covering how your impairment affects your ability to work, care for yourself, and take part in community life. You have 90 days to complete and return the package.
The limits published on the Ontario.ca eligibility page are $40,000 for a single person and $50,000 for a couple, for non-exempt assets. Some assets are exempt and do not count, including the home you own and live in, your primary vehicle, pre-paid funerals, Registered Education Savings Plans, and Registered Disability Savings Plans. Your caseworker can help you work out which of your assets are exempt.
No. People who receive Canada Pension Plan Disability or Quebec Pension Plan Disability benefits are members of a prescribed class, which means they do not have to go through the disability adjudication process. You still have to apply and meet all the other ODSP eligibility requirements, including financial eligibility. Other prescribed classes include people 65 or older who are not eligible for Old Age Security.
Yes, and the province's own policy says applicants in immediate financial need should apply for financial assistance through an Ontario Works office. You can apply for Ontario Works and ODSP at the same time online, and Ontario Works can provide support while the ODSP application — which can take a few months — is being decided.