Canada Disability Benefit: Have Your Say by December 21st
To everyone in our Skills community,
Don’t miss this opportunity! You have until December 21st to provide your input into the Canadian Disability Benefit. As a member of Inclusion Alberta we are sharing information provided by them on ways to provide input and information for people to consider in responding to a few of the survey’s questions.
More Information from Inclusion Alberta on How to Provide Input and Suggested Responses:
“The forthcoming Canada Disability Benefit is intended to provide a monthly benefit to adults with disabilities over and above whatever provincial benefits they might be receiving. This is an entirely new benefit we hope will begin to roll out in the near future. Right now, as this benefit is being designed, the federal government is wanting your input.
You can provide your input through a variety of means identified on this federal government website: Canadians Invited to Provide Input on the Design of the CDB.
We are hoping as many people as possible will complete the survey. To assist you, we’re providing some information below for you to consider in responding to a few of the survey’s questions. We have not provided suggestions for every questions as some are either obvious or less consequential. However, there is one point not covered by the survey and this is to ensure the provincial government does not reduce AISH or in any other way clawback the CDB so every Albertan with a disability receives the maximum benefit to which they are entitled.
How to take the survey:
The survey itself begins on this page, where you need to scroll down and click on the "Online Engagement Tool" link. There is a series of short videos you can watch before getting to the first question and comment box where you can respond. Then scroll to the second question and so on.
Suggested responses:
Question: Place of Residence - We suggest the benefit should go to persons with disabilities resident in Canada.
Question: Do you have any comments regarding the amount of the benefit or how it would be calculated? - we suggest, as a fundamental purpose of the CDB is to lift people with disabilities above Canada’s official poverty line, the CDB should ensure persons with disabilities receive no less than $2400 a month. The amount of funds should not be based on who a person with a disability happens to live with but solely on an individual basis. If a person has a disability, they should receive the benefit.
Question: Application for the benefit - Everyone currently eligible for a provincial disability income should be eligible which would help to make the CDB application process as simple as possible.
Question: Payment frequency - Monthly.
Question: Retroactive payments - As the CDB is modeled on the Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplements, we suggest 11 months at minimum.
Question: Correction of administrative errors - Yes, administrative errors should be corrected.
Question: Recovery of overpayments - The process of recovering overpayments should take into account the person’s ability to repay the overpayment, allowing for partial recovery when circumstances warrant.
Question: Representatives of applicants and beneficiaries - Persons with disabilities, if needed, should have access to supported decision-making and must not be required to have a guardian and/or trustee to apply for or receive this benefit?
Question: Reconsiderations of decisions under the Act - There should be a reconsideration process accommodating for a person’s disability.
Question: Appeals - An administrative appeal process must allow for further access to the judicial system if required. Decisions related to eligibility, retroactivity, overpayments, underpayments, calculation of income, etc. should all be appealable.
Remember to go right to the end and click submit.
We want to thank you for taking the time and helping to make the CDB a reality for Canadians with disabilities.
If you have questions, please contact us at mail@inclusionalberta.org or by calling 1-800-252-7556.”
-Inclusion Alberta