Potential support cuts advocates' chief concern over new Alberta program for disabled workers

Advocates say a new government disability program could result in cuts to supports. Chelan Skulski explains.

Advocates worry a new provincial program looking to help people with disabilities work without losing benefits could result in cuts to Alberta government supports, and are raising questions about eligibility and access.

The province plans to start a new social assistance regime, the Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP), in 2026. Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon said Tuesday it will be similar to and work in conjunction with the existing Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

AISH, which was used by 77,000 people last year, provides monthly financial and health benefits to eligible applicants. The government estimates close to 15 per cent, or 10,000, of those who did also held jobs.

“People with disabilities shouldn’t be punished or required to quit a job to make sure they continue to receive their disability payment,” Nixon said Tuesday in Calgary.

“Albertans on ADAP will be able to receive the same robust health benefits, the same as AISH, regardless of income.”

Nixon said those currently receiving AISH will be reassessed to see if they qualify for the new program leading up to the 2026 launch, but they will continue to receive regular AISH benefits in the meantime.

He said those deemed not able to work will continue to receive AISH as usual, while those deemed able to work will be transferred under the new program.

The new program will also provide monthly financial and health benefits, and Nixon said the program is being designed to address a long-standing issue where those who receive AISH lose some of their benefits depending on how much they make each month.

Those who earn more than $1,072 per month lose 50 per cent of their benefits, while AISH recipients who earn more than about $2,000 per month lose their benefits entirely.

He said the new program will still have income limits that lead to benefit reductions, but those limits will be higher.

What those limits will ultimately be and what level of benefits will be available are still being finalized.

The Opposition Alberta NDP fears the change will result in fewer supports and questions how the province will determine who gets what help.

“I am worried that core benefit will be cut, and then people will be expected to find employment,” Marie Renaud, the Alberta NDP’s shadow minister for community and social services, told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday.

The chief executive officer of Inclusion Alberta, a non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of children and adults with intellectual disabilities, said her organization was not consulted on the changes, leaving her with many questions.

“How it gets determined who is going to have to work?” CEO Trish Bowman told CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday. “That’s a big question.”

Nixon says the province is appointing a panel of medical experts to help review and expedite applications, something a union representing social workers says won’t help.

Alberta Union of Provincial Employees vice-president Sandra Azocar says the changes will create chaos and instability for workers, and questions the province’s motivations.

“If they are doing it so someone can say they are saving money on the backs of the most vulnerable in this province, that is just shameful,” Azocar told CTV News Edmonton.

In a statement to CTV News Edmonton on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Nixon said people “currently on AISH can rest assured that their care and wellbeing will be prioritized as the new program is implemented.”

Greg McMeekin, Alberta’s Advocate for Persons with Disabilities, told reporters that he thinks the new program will help reduce barriers to employment that people with disabilities face, namely by ensuring that health benefits aren’t at risk when individuals begin to work.

“We know that people with disabilities are concerned about making too much money while on the AISH program and having that money clawed back. And we also know that people are concerned about receiving ongoing medical benefits as needed,” McMeekin said.

“From what I understand, this new program will not (perpetuate) either of those two things.”

Nixon also said the government plans to provide additional resources for those with disabilities to gain job skills and encourage businesses to break down employment barriers.

With files from The Canadian Press