Apprehension felt as deadline nears for AISH recipients to file for Canada Disability Benefit

With a deadline approaching for AISH recipients to update the province on their eligibility for a new federal benefit, apprehension is rising.

With a September deadline approaching for Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) recipients to update the province on their eligibility for the new federal Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), apprehension is rising among some Albertans living with disabilities.

The CDB, which began in July, is supposed to provide $200 a month to low-income Canadians with disabilities.

But Alberta has confirmed it will treat the CDB as non-exempt income for AISH recipients, which means their overall monthly support will not increase and the province will essentially keep the benefit.

The province said AISH recipients do not need to have completed the full federal application process by the Sept. 5 deadline, but must show proof they have begun applying in order to prevent a reduction in their monthly AISH payments.

Applications for the Canada Disability Benefit opened on June 20.

To receive the first payments, which were issued in July, applications had to be approved by June 30.

To qualify, applicants must be between 18 and 64, have been approved for the Disability Tax Credit and have filed a 2024 tax return.

Applications can be submitted online, by phone or in person at a Service Canada office.

Trish Bowman, executive director of Inclusion Alberta, said her organization has been inundated with calls and emails from AISH recipients and their families who are confused and anxious about the deadline.

“I know individuals and families have been told they’re to notify their AISH worker of where they are in the process, not necessarily whether or not they’ve applied for and received notification about receiving the Canada Disability Benefit,” she said.

“There hasn’t been—to my knowledge—really clear communication to individuals, so there’s still a ton of anxiety out there.”

Bowman said for many recipients, barriers such as the cost of applying for the Disability Tax Credit—which she said can run $300 to $400—make the process even harder.

“There are just so many barriers,” she said.

“The federal government said it would cover the cost of the application, but that’s not in place. So individuals have to figure that out, and if they don’t have good supports, they might not even be able to understand the information that’s been sent to them.”

Rick Overwater, a Calgarian on AISH who lives with Cushing’s disease and the effects of two brain tumours, said the change is deeply disappointing.

“I was really upset, I’ll be honest,” he said.

“First, I got a letter from the federal government announcing this program existed, and it was like a godsend. I could really use that $200 a month. And then I heard that the provincial government was going to claw that money back and keep it, and then I got a letter confirming that, and that upset me.”

Overwater said the province’s claim that Alberta offers the most generous disability benefits in Canada leaves out a key detail, at least in his circumstance: recipients are often required to apply for other federal supports first, such as Canada Pension Plan disability payments.

“A lot of that money was my money to begin with, being handed over with an AISH watermark at the top of the remittance slip,” he said.

Overwater said the province forcing AISH recipients to apply for a benefit and then keeping it feels like bullying.

“You’ve got somebody in a position of power that sees an income source that they don’t have legal access to going to the people that do have access to it and demanding that those people get that money and hand it over or suffer retribution for not doing so,” he said.

“That—to me—is a textbook case of extortion.”

“Sometimes, money is tight, but even if it is, do you really need to come after disabled people for this money? It just seems pretty heartless.”

Bowman said the policy change comes amid other cutbacks that have reduced the ability of people with disabilities to advocate for themselves.

“This also comes on the heels of defunding advocacy organizations earlier this year, who were a place for individuals to go to seek support and navigate these challenging processes,” she said.

“They’ve also decreased the amount of rent supplement individuals on AISH receive in social housing, effective Oct. 1. It does feel like one thing after another.”

Shylah Brandt, a Calgarian who was born with cerebral palsy and is legally blind, said her $1,865 monthly AISH payment leaves her with little after rent.

“My rent here is $1,550. … So basically, that doesn’t leave me much. I’ve been relying on the food bank ever since 2023,” she said.

“I’ve lost my electricity a couple times, which I need to charge my wheelchair. … And, as for transportation, I can’t afford bus tickets, so I can’t go anywhere.”

Brandt said the extra $200 from the federal program would make a huge difference in her life and help rebuild her self-esteem, which she says has suffered as a result of being on AISH support.

“It would help me with at least feeling a little bit more independent and not feeling like so much [of a] parasite,” she said.

“In my case, it is downright cruel to take it away.”

Bowman also challenged the province’s argument that Alberta’s disability benefits are the most generous in the country.

“Alberta has traditionally had one of the highest—if not the highest—benefits for people with disabilities on social assistance,” she said.

“But it’s a little bit like apples and oranges. Other provinces may have more affordable housing or other supports, and at the end of the day, if the amount is still below the poverty line, I’m not sure it matters. We shouldn’t be content to keep people in poverty just because they’re less in poverty than someone else.”

On the province’s decision to treat the CDB as non-exempt income, Bowman said:

“It should be considered exempt from your income calculation. It’s not too late to reverse this decision and allow individuals to keep the Canada Disability Benefit. That, in my view, would be the right thing to do.”

In a written statement to CTV, Kyle Warner, acting press secretary for Alberta’s Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services, said Alberta has the highest provincial disability benefit rates in Canada and will continue to fully fund AISH.

“Through Budget 2025, our government is investing a record $3.6 billion to support Albertans with disabilities—a year-over-year increase of over $150 million,” Warner wrote.

“In addition to financial core benefits worth $1,901 per month, AISH clients receive personal and medical benefits worth $400 per month on average.”

The statement also confirmed that after federal CDB benefits are paid, AISH recipients’ income will not increase.

“The CDB will be non-exempt income for AISH recipients, meaning Albertans on AISH will continue to receive the same overall monthly support that they do today with the same longstanding eligibility requirements,” Warner wrote.

Warner said it has long been a requirement for AISH recipients to apply for all other income they may be eligible for, including federal programs.

In its written response to CTV News, the federal government outlined the purpose of the Canada Disability Benefit and its position on how it should be treated by provinces:

“The Canada Disability Benefit is intended to supplement existing income support programs for working-age Canadians with disabilities. Our goal is to ensure all eligible recipients are better off because of it,” the federal government said.

“We have called on all provinc

es and territories to exempt Canada Disability Benefit payments from counting as income so that people with disabilities can keep the full amount on top of existing supports.”

For details on Alberta’s Sept. 5 deadline for updating Canada Disability Benefit eligibility, visit the official Alberta Supports AISH page.

For information on the Canada Disability Benefit, including eligibility, application requirements and federal timelines, visit the Government of Canada’s official page.

For the full text of the federal Canada Disability Benefit regulations, see the Canada Gazette publication.