Persons with Disabilities (PWD) status provides monetary assistance provided by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction for people who need help completing daily living activities. Whether you qualify or not is based on your income, assets, residency, family status (single/children etc.) and other factors. Also any money you receive from other sources may affect whether you qualify and how much you will receive.

For more information, click here.

To be eligible for Persons with Disabilities (PWD), you must meet all of the following criteria:

• Show that you meet financial eligibility to receive assistance
• Be 18 years old (you can start the application process when you are 17 ﾽ)
• Have a doctor or nurse practitioner confirm you have a severe physical and/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 one or more of the following:
  • Another person
  • An assistive device
  • An assistance animal

The amount you receive for PWD is based on your family status, and can also be affected if you're receiving any money from any other source. The PWD benefit is made up of 2 parts: a shelter amount and a support amount. In addition, people on PWD may receive either: an extra $52 per month as a transportation supplement OR a bus pass.

For example:ﾠIf you are a single person between the ages of 19-64, the benefit rate would be $1,483.50 ($500 shelter portion + $983.50 support portion).

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

Note: To be eligible for disability assistance, a family unit's net income must not equal or exceed the amount of disability assistance that would be payable to a family unit of that size and composition.

Yes, individuals on PWD may attend post-secondary schooling and still receive disability benefits. However, this does not mean that the Ministry will pay for your education, as you will be expected to apply for student loans and other financial aid to pay for the cost of your education.

For more information, click here.

The PWD program is only available to BC residents. You may not be eligible to receive benefits if you are out of BC for more than 30 consecutive day unless you get specific approval from the Ministry.

Some examples include:

• Needing medical treatment
• Requiring to participate in a formal education program
• Avoiding undue hardship

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.

For more information, click here.

The Ministry places a maximum value amount of assets you can have when applying or while on PWD. A single person with the PWD status, is allowed to have up to $100,000 in assets. If the dollar amount exceeds $100,000, 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 disability assistance. Below you will find some of the most commonly asked about exempt assets.

• Clothing and necessary household equipment
• A single vehicle for day to day transportation
• A family unit’s place of residence (*you must live in the home for it to be exempt)
• Tax refund
• Canada Child 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.

Inheritances are exempt for people on PWD. However, you must declare the inheritance to the Ministry on your Monthly Report. It is considered exempt as income and exempt up to your asset level, which for a single person is $100,000.

For more information,ﾠclick here.

Generally, PWD recipients are allowed to earn money while having the designation. There is a limit to how much a recipient may earn without their benefits being affected.

For example: A single person can earn up to $16,200 a year without it affecting their disability benefit.

Rates can be viewed on our rate chart here.

Earned income is income that is classified as any of the following:

• Any money received for working
• Pension plan contributions that are refunded due to insufficient contributions
• Money received from providing room and board at your residence
• Money received from renting rooms at your residence

Unearned income is any income that is not earned income. Some types of unearned income include:

• Employment Insurance (EI)
• Any type or class of Canada Pension Plan benefits (i.e. CPP, CPP-D, CPP-E)
• Old Age Security and related benefits (i.e OAS, GIS, allowance)
• War disability pensions, military pensions, and war veterans’ allowances
• Tax refund
• Workers’ compensation benefits and disability payments or pensions
• A trust or inheritance
• Maintenance under a court order, separation agreement, or other agreement
• Education or training allowances, grants, loans, bursaries, or scholarships
• A lottery or a game of chance
• And more...

For more details about income types and exemptions, click here.

If you are receiving PWD benefits, you have to report all money or income received and any changes of circumstances by the 5^th of the month. To report your income, changes in income or circumstances, you should use the Monthly Report Form.

Unlike those receiving Income Assistance who must complete the report every month, for those receiving PWD benefits, you only need to complete the report if your income or circumstances have changed. You have to include any pay stubs with the report form. Your documents can be either uploaded to the My Self Serve or dropped off at your local Ministry office.

The Ministry understands that people with disability's earnings may fluctuate over the year due to their disabilities, which is why there is an Annual Earning Exemption (AEE) instead of a monthly limit. The AEE is the Ministry calculation of the PWD recipient earnings on an annual basis. This means that if you are working, some of the income you are receiving will not affect your disability assistance.

AEE applies on earnings you receive from January 1 to December 31. It is also important to note that the AEE does not carry over to the next year. That is, whether you use all your AEE or not within one year, on January 1st of the next year, you will receive a new exemption amount.

For example: A single person with PWD status is allowed to earn up to $16,200 per year.

The table below shows the earning exemptions for PWD dependent on your family size.

Note: If you started your disability assistance part way through the year, your AEE amount will be calculated based on the number of months remaining in the calendar year. Also, it will be re-calculated if your family status changes.

First time applicants of PWD will need to wait for 1 month before their AEE takes effect, unless they were on income assistance in the previous month.

For more information, click here.

When you reach 75% of your AEE, you should receive a letter from the Ministry informing you of what will happen if you earn more than what your AEE allows. At this point, you may want to be careful about how much more money you earn within the remainder of the year.

Note:ﾠYou should keep track of your working income to see how much you have left of your AEE so that you can plan accordingly. Anything you earn over the AEE limit will be deducted dollar for dollar from your assistance cheque. If the amount earned is greater than the amount able to be deducted, then your PWD file will be transferred to a Medical Service Only (MSO) file.

ﾠThis means you will lose your financial assistance but your PWD designation will remain. You may also be able to continue your medical and transportation benefits.

For example: If you reach your AEE by the month of October, your disability payments will stop if your earnings exceed your monthly benefits rate. However, be sure to continue to submit your Monthly Report form each month! This way, you may be able to receive disability assistance without having to reapply when your income drops below your benefits rate or you are eligible for your new earnings exemption limit in the new calendar year. Otherwise, you will need to reactivate your PWD file with the Ministry.

For more information, click here.

All recipients of PWD receive Medical Services Plan (MSP) and PharmaCare Plan C. MSP will offer minor coverage for things such as chiro/physio, while PharmaCare assists with the costs of medications. Additionally, clients receive coverage for both dental and optical services.

Lastly, recipients are able to access both General and Health supplements which can offer coverage above and beyond what is included with MSP/PharmaCare.

MSP information can be found here.

PharmaCare information can be found here.

Dental coverage can be found here.

Optical coverage can be found here.

General Supplements can be found here.

Health Supplements can be found here.

PWD recipients can either have a bus pass or a $52 transportation supplement added to their monthly assistance. A person can switch back and forth between the monthly bus pass or the transportation by notifying the Ministry by the 5th day of each month for a change to take effect on the first day of the following month.

For more information on the BC Bus pass, click here.

Both the PWD and Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) are disability benefits, but they are very different in terms of who is eligible for each one, and what additional benefits are included. One of the main differences is that in order to be eligible to receive CPPD, you must have made Canada Pension Plan contributions during your working life. Also, with CPPD, the disability relates to your ability to work. With PWD, the disability is not work related but is assessed in terms of your ability to complete daily living tasks such as grooming, cooking etc.

See our comparison chart below for more information.

All CPP benefit types, including CPP Disability, are considered unearned income and will be deducted from your PWD cheque with the two following exceptions:

• A surviving child’s benefit
• A disabled contributor’s child benefit

You are required to report the total CPP benefits received in the month. CPP income received in the current month must be reported to the Ministry by the 5th day of the following month and may impact your assistance for the following month.

For more information, 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 $80 per month (or $160 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.ﾠ
2. Prenatal shelter supplement - is an additionalﾠ$195ﾠper month whichﾠmay be provided to pregnant recipients with no spouse and no dependent children. This supplement isﾠto 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.

Once the baby is born, your family status will change and your benefit should increase.

For example:

• A single person on PWD with one child could receive up to $1,828.50 per month

If you are enter into a "marriage-like relationship" as defined by the Ministry, your partner may be added onto your PWD file and your benefits may change to reflect that your partner is now considered part of the family unit. Your partner's income and assets would then start contributing to your annual earning exemption and asset limit.

The Ministry defines a marriage-like relationship as one where two people live together for 12 consecutive months, are financial dependent or interdependent, and show social dependence as well.

For example: Joe and his girlfriend Karen have been living together for 1 year. Joe is on PWD, and Karen works full-time. Joe and Karen share rent and bills, and Joe helps take care of Karen's daughter when Karen is at work. Joe lets the Ministry know that he and Karen are in a marriage-like relationship. The Ministry changes Joe's file type to reflect that his family status has changed. Joe begins receiving a higher benefit amount because his family is bigger, and his annual earning exemption goes up to $19,400 per year. Karen's income from work begins to contribute to Joe's annual earning exemption, and Joe may reach his annual earning exemption before the end of the year as a result.

For more information, click here.

If you meet specific eligibility criteria, crisis supplements may be provided. 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 monthly nutritional supplement is a benefit available only to people receiving PWD benefits. This benefit is an additional $180 per month to help with the costs of vitamins, minerals, and additional nutritional supplementation.

To be eligible, you must have a chronic and progressive deteriorating condition directly causing at least two of the following symptoms:

• Significant deterioration of a vital organ
• Immune suppression (moderate to severe)
• Malnutrition
• Significant muscle mass loss
• Significant neurological deterioration
• Significant weight loss
• Underweight status

On the application, your medical professional will need to verify that the requested items will alleviate the wasting symptoms and will prevent an imminent danger to life and note your health will deteriorate significantly without the nutritional supplement.

To apply for the Monthly Nutritional Supplement, you must contact the Ministry to request the form and have it completed by your doctor. The form must then be returned to the Ministry to assess eligibility.

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. For a person having separate conditions, only the higher diet allowance amount is usually paid.

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:ﾠThe 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:ﾠThe Ministry may give up to $110 per person per year (maximum $440 for a family unit of four or more). For example if you were doing laundry at a laundromat and your clothes were stolen.
• Food Crisis Supplement:ﾠThe Ministry may give up to $50 per person per month. For example if there is a power outage and all the food in a fridge is spoiled and needs to be replaced.

For more information, click here.

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

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

A PWD recipient may be eligible for a monthly supplement of $95 for the care of a guide dog, service dog team and/or a retired guide or service dog.

Note: The guide dog and service dog supplement is not intended to help care for the animal.

For more details on eligibility, click here.

The Ministry requires all applicants and recipients of Persons with Disabilities to comply with the rules and regulations of the program. Non-compliance may result in sanctions which means that a recipient may face a rate reduction or become ineligible for assistance. Some of the reasons for sanctions are:

• Failure to provide information or verification
• Inaccurate or incomplete reporting
• Failure to meet employment related obligations
• Not accepting income or assets or disposing of assets
• Not providing a monthly report when required
• Failure to attend eligibility audit

More information on sanctions can be found here.

When an applicant is approved for PWD, the Ministry will notify them of the approval by mail. The letter will have the date of approval on top and eligibility for PWD will start the month after the month of approval. For example, if the date of approval is August 25th, PWD benefits will begin on September 1st.

PWD recipients are still required to continue meeting all eligibility criteria to remain on the benefit, which includes applying for other income sources (e.g. Canada Pension Plan Disability). Failure to do so may result in reduced or discontinuation of benefits.

For more information on sanctions, click here.

The Ministry may be able to help secure housing by providing security and/or pet damage deposits to recipients of PWD Assistance. These security deposits can only be issued if the tenancy is covered by the Residential Tenancy Act and cannot exceed more than half the month’s rent. The following criteria must be met when requesting a security deposit from the Ministry:

• The deposit is necessary to secure a rental unit
• The recipient agrees to repay the deposit in writing
• The deposit doesn’t exceed half a month’s rent
• An “Intent to Rent” form must be completed

More information on this supplement can be found here.

If you are not yet receiving IA, you must complete the online application. One of the questions on the application you will be asked is "Do you plan to apply for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) designation?". You must check "yes" to this question. If you do not hear from the Ministry within 5 business days of submitting your application, contact the Ministry to follow up with your application. Once the Ministry worker who is assigned to your service request says you are eligible to apply for PWD, you can request a PWD application from the Ministry.

If you already receive income assistance (IA), visit or call the ministry at 1-866-866-0800 to ask for a PWD application. If you do not qualify for IA but believe you are still eligible for PWD, speak with a Ministry worker to determine your eligibility.

Note: You may qualify to complete the Simplified PWD application instead of the regular 28 page long PWD application.

The PWD application is seperated into 3 sections can must be completed by the following:

Section 1 - Applicant Information - Filled by the applicant

Section 2 - Medical Report - Filled by a medical or nurse practitioner

Section 3 - Assessor Report - Can be filled by a medical or nurse practitioner or another prescribed professional

Examples of a prescribed professional are:

• Medical practitioner
• Registered psychologist
• Registered nurse or nurse practitioner
• Occupational therapist
• Physical therapist
• Social worker
• Chiropractor

Applicants should not need to pay their doctor to have them fill out the PWD application. This is not to say that it is "illegal", but it is heavily frowned upon. The medical professional filling out the application will get paid directly by the Ministry and should not be charging the client whatsoever.

More information for service providers supporting clients with Ministry applications can be found here.

You may be eligible for a simplified PWD application if you receive benefits from one of the following programs:

1. Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) Benefits
2. BC Pharmacare Plan P - Palliative Care Benefitsﾠ
3. Ministry of Children and Family Development's At Home Program - Medical Benefits and Respite
4. Community Living BC (CLBC)

If you are not already receiving IA, you must first apply via theﾠonline application. Through this process you will be able to identify that you belong to one of the above 4 groups and you will be eligible to receive the simplified PWD application form from the ministry. This application is called a Prescribed Class application.

For more information, click here.

If you have been a recipient of income assistance or disability assistance within the last 6 months, you may be eligible to re-apply for assistance through the streamlined application process. To do so you may complete a monthly report, rather than do the full application over again, at the ministry’s discretion.

For more information, click here.

Your child cannot receive PWD benefits if he or she is underage. A person is eligible to apply for PWD benefits at the age of 18, and therefore you may start the application for your child at the age of 17.5 years old. This will allow the Ministry enough time to process the application. If they are deemed eligible they will start receiving benefits at the age of 18 years old.

Note: The ministry should also remove your child off of your assistance file once they turn 18 years old.

If you child is under the age of 18 and "has a severe and prolonged impairment in physical or mental functions", you may be eligible for the Child Disability Benefit.

If you’re denied for PWD, you may either re-apply or appeal the Ministry's decision. If you choose the appeal the decision, it is important to remember is that you have 20 business days from the time that you are informed of your denial to submit your appeal package. You will need to contact the Ministry and let them know that you:

1. Disagree with their decision and
2. Are asking for a "Request for Reconsideration" package (appeal package)

For more information, click here.

A trust allows a person with PWD status to have money above the asset limit that can be used on disability related costs over the course their lifetime. All trusts must be reported to the Ministry if they involve a person who is an applicant or recipient of assistance. There are specific requirements for a trust to be recognized by the Ministry.

A trust is a legal agreement, drawn up by a lawyer, that allows a beneficiary (person with PWD status) to have money or other assets “in trust” and a trustee who manages the assets on behalf of the beneficiary. A trust can also be set up for someone through a will but is not implemented until the will comes into effect.

For more information, click here.

You may set up a trust at any time, before being approved for disability benefits or after being approved. The trust may be considered exempt as an asset by the Ministry upon reviewing your documents.

There are two types of trusts:

1. Discretionary Trust: The person with PWD status is the beneficiary and that person’s trustee decides how the money is used. There is no limit on the amount of money that can be held in this type of trust.
2. Non-discretionary Trust: The beneficiary will have some decision-making ability on the use of the money. There is a lifetime maximum capital amount of $200,000 that can be put into the trust.

For more information, click here.

Trusts may affect an income tax return. To find out more about how this will affect your tax return, you should speak to someone at the Canada Revenue Agency, a lawyer or a financial consultant. 

To contact the CRA about general inquiries call: 1-800-959-8281

A PWD recipient has 3 months from the date he/she receives a large amount of money to put it in a trust. The ministry will then assess the source of the money and decide how it will be treated. If after 3 months, the recipient doesn't put the money received in a trust, it will be considered an asset and the asset exemption will be applied.

Money in a Registered Retirement Saving Plan (RRSP) may be treated like a trust depending on how the RRSP account was set up. The Ministry may review your RRSP documents to see if it will be considered an asset and if it will be exempt or not.

All trusts must be reported to the Ministry if you’re an applicant or recipient of PWD assistance. The report must include any documents setting out the terms of the trust and who controls the funds in trust. Usually the current value of the trust, as well as the value of all contributions made to the trust while on assistance, or during the two years prior to receiving assistance, will be required. The Ministry can assist you in determining what documents to submit for review.

The table belows the trust limit you are allowed based on your family unit

Generally, the Ministry does not ask a PWD recipient or applicant to use money from a trust. Payments from trusts are exempt when they are used towards one of the following:

• Acquiring a place of residence,
• A contribution to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RRSP) or a Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), or
• Disability-related costs

For more information, click here.