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PPMB is a provincial program available through the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction that provides financial assistance to applicants who have long-term barriers to employment. Recipients on PPMB are exempt from searching for work. However, they are still encouraged to develop their independence with earnings exemptions provided by the Ministry. 

For more information, click here.

To be eligible for PPMB, an applicant must:

• Must meet financial eligibility
• Must be determined eligible for income assistance or hardship assistance
• Have multiple severe barriers to employment
• The health condition must have lasted at least 1 year and is likely to continue or recur for at least 2 years

Once you are approved for PPMB, the amount you will receive depends on your family situation (i.e. whether you are single, married, common law or have children), your age, or whether you’re receiving income from another source. The PPMB benefit includes a portion of money for shelter and a portion of money for support. In order to receive the shelter portion, you must prove that you have shelter costs.

For example: If you are a single person between the ages of 19-64, the benefit rate would be $807.92 ($375 shelter portion + $432.92 support portion).

The table below shows the maximum benefit you might be eligible for based on your family unit.

For more information, click here.

A person with the PPMB status is eligible to receive:

• An increase in financial support (approximately $50 more)
• A higher earning exemption (up to $700 per month)
• You will not be expected to look for work
• You may be eligible for certain health supplements

If you are able, you can work and earn up to $700 a month as a single person when you are on PPMB without it affecting your benefit. This is referred to as Earning Exemptions and they are based on your family size. The table below shows the earning exemptions for PPMB, which is dependent on your family size.

For more information, click here.

Medical Services Only (MSO) can be provided to former recipients of PPMB to allow them to keep medical benefits and health supplements due to income in excess. MSO occurs either when a PPMB recipient becomes ineligible for assistance due to income in excess or when he or she turns 65 years old.

Due to Income In-Excess
If you become ineligible for assistance due to income in excess, your file may turn into an MSO file for as long as eligibility criteria and income test are met.

Turning 65
If you become ineligible for assistance due to being over the age of 65, your file may turn into a MSO file for as long as you qualify for a federal benefit.

For more information, click here.

Assets are considered assets if they can be converted to cash. That is, if the item has monetary value, then it is considered an asset. Assets can include cash, savings, stocks, bonds, RRSPs and more. When applying or on PPMB, you are allowed to have certain “assets” that do not affect your assistance, as long as these assets are within your allowable asset limits. If the value of these assets exceed your allowable limits, then PPMB applicants are required to use their assets for personal independence.

For more information, click here.

The Ministry places a maximum value amount of assets you can have when applying or while on PPMB. For example, a single person with the PPMB status, is allowed to have up to $5,000 in assets. If the dollar amount exceeds $5,000, the person may not be eligible for benefits.

The table below shows the asset level one is allowed to have depending on their family unit.

For more information, click here.

Some assets are considered exempt for determining eligibility for PPMB. Below you will find some of the most commonly asked about exempt assets.

• Clothing and necessary household equipment
• One vehicle for everyday transportation needs
• A family unit’s place of residence (*you must live in the home for it to be exempt).
• Tax refund
• Child tax credit
• Universal Child Care Benefit
• BC Early Childhood Tax Benefit
• Goods and services tax credit; harmonized sales tax credit; a sales tax credit the Income Tax Act (Canada)
• The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement
• The Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Class Action Settlement
• Abuse at Woodlands School
• Money paid or payable from a fund from the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry
• Funds held in a registered education savings plan (RESP) a dependent child
• Money received from the sale of, the family unit’s previous place of residence if the money is either:
  • Applied to the amount owing on the family unit’s current place of residence
  • Used to pay rent for the family unit’s current place of residence
• And more…

For a full list of exempt assets, click here.

If you meet specific criteria, crisis supplements may be provided. However, most will require pre-approval from the Ministry. Different types of crisis supplements have different guidelines. The Ministry can issue up to the maximum amount of crisis supplement in accordance to what is set in legislation if you are an income assistance, hardship assistance or disability assistance recipient and you meet the eligibility criteria.

Regardless of the type of crisis supplement, the eligibility requirements are the same:

• It is an unexpected expense or the item is needed unexpectedly,
• The absence of this would result in danger to physical health or risk of child apprehension, and
• There is no other available resource to meet the need.

For more information, click here.

The 3 main types of crisis supplements that the Ministry can issue are for food, shelter and clothing:

• Shelter Crisis Supplement: The Ministry may be able to give a supplement up to the maximum combined shelter and support rates, and possibly the following:
  • Shared Parenting Assistance
  • Pre-Natal Shelter Supplement
  • CIC Temp Absence Assistance
  • Deceased Adjustment Supplement
• Clothing Crisis Supplement: An example could be if you were doing laundry at a laundromat and your clothes were stolen. The Ministry may give up to $100 per person per year (maximum $400 for a family unit of 4 or more)
• Food Crisis Supplement: An example could be if there is a power outage and all the food in a fridge is spoiled and needs to be replaced. The Ministry may give up to $40 for the month.

For more information, click here.

Diet supplements are there to assist you to meet the costs associated with unusually expensive diets as a result of a medical condition or need. The Ministry approval of a diet supplement is for the period the condition is expected to last up to a maximum of 12 months for acute (short-term) conditions and 24 months for chronic (ongoing, recurring, long-term) conditions. A person having separate conditions, only the higher diet allowance amount is usually paid.

For more information, click here.

People who are deemed eligible for PPMB may be able to get some General and Health Supplements. Some of these supplements are:

For a complete list of supplements available to PPMB recipients, click here.

There are two additional benefits you may be eligible for if you become pregnant while on IA:

1. Natal supplements – is an additional $45 per month (or $90 if you are carrying more than one baby) which may be provided to recipients of income assistance with a dependent child under the age of seven months. This is to help with extra costs with prenatal and postnatal expenses. The eligibility period will end when the child turns 6 months old. 
2. Prenatal shelter supplement – is an additional $195 per month which may be provided to single pregnant recipients while you are pregnant to assist in finding housing that will accommodate the new addition to your family. The eligibility period ends 8 months upon confirmed pregnancy.

To apply for these benefits you will need to provide the Ministry with verification from your doctor of your pregnancy and confirmation that you require natal supplements.

Note: Be aware that if you have employable status you will still be required to look for work and attend your work program while pregnant.

Once the baby is born, your family status will change and your benefit should increase. Your shelter rate may remain the same as when you were pregnant but your support portion will increase.

For example:

• Single person with one child could receive up to $1,143.58 per month

Note: Once the baby is born, if you are a single parent, you will no longer be expected to look for work until your child turns 3 years of age. However, if you have a spouse or common-law partner, you will still be expected to be looking for work.

To apply for PPMB, call 1-866-866-0800 or go into your local Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR) office to start the application process

To apply for PPMB status:

• If you are not already on Income Assistance, you can apply online for PPMB through the My Self Serve
• You must request for a PPMB Assessment by contacting the Ministry
• You must complete a PPMB Application form (HR2892)
  • Section 1 – Filled out by a health professional
  • Section 2 – Filled out by applicant

The following is a list of approved health professionals that are eligible to fill out the PPMB application form:

• Medical practitioner
• Nurse practitioner
• Registered psychologist
• Registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse
• Registered social worker
• Occupational therapist
• Physical therapist
• Chiropractor
• Registered clinical counselor in good standing with the BC Association of Clinical Counselors
• School psychologist (as defined by Independent School Act or the School Act)

For more information, click here.