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Leaving ODSP for paid work

ODSP can help you and your family even if you leave ODSP for a paying job.

How can ODSP help me and my family if I leave ODSP for work?

ODSP can:

• give you the Employment Transition Benefit to help you move from ODSP to employment
• help you and your family pay for some of your health costs if they are high or if you don’t get health benefits from your employer, and
• offer you support at your job (for example, accommodations for your disability).

What is the Employment Transition Benefit?

If you and your family are leaving ODSP for paid work, you may be able to get a $500 Employment Transition Benefit. This benefit can help you move from income support to employment.

Paid work can be a full-time or part-time job, a paid training program or running your own business.

How can I get the Employment Transition Benefit?

You need to let your caseworker know that you’re leaving ODSP for paid work.

Your caseworker will determine whether you are eligible for the Employment Transition Benefit. We will add the benefit to your last monthly income support payment if you are eligible.

If I have high health costs, how can ODSP help me and my family?

If you leave ODSP because your income is too high, and you or members of your family have high health costs, you may still be able to get coverage for some health benefits from ODSP. This coverage is called the Extended Health Benefit.

What health benefits does the Extended Health Benefit cover?

Depending on your needs, the Extended Health Benefit can cover:

• prescription drugs
• dental services
• eyeglasses and hearing aids
• diabetic supplies
• surgical supplies and dressings
• transportation to and from necessary medical appointments, and
• some of the cost of an assistive device, such as a wheelchair, that is funded in part by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's Assistive Devices Program.

For more information about the Assistive Devices Program visit the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care website.

If I don’t get health benefits from my employer, how can ODSP help me?

ODSP will first look at your situation to see if you qualify for the Extended Health Benefit (see above). If you don’t qualify, and you left ODSP for a paying job, self-employment or a training program, you may be able to qualify for the Transitional Health Benefit.

What is the Transitional Health Benefit?

The Transitional Health Benefit can help you pay for prescription drugs, dental services, and vision care costs if you leave ODSP for a job and you don’t receive the same level of health benefits from your employer.

Can I get any help at my job after I leave ODSP?

If you’re not already working with a service provider as part of ODSP employment supports, you will first need to apply for ODSP employment supports. If you qualify, your caseworker can then work with you to pick a service provider.

A service provider will work with you and your employer to:

• help you get disability accommodations, if you need them, and
• help resolve any problems you may have while you’re working.

For more information about ODSP’s employment supports, please talk to your caseworker, or read our information sheet ODSP employment supports: Preparing for work, finding work and advancing my career.

Can I come back to ODSP if I lose my job, stop working or make less money?

Yes. But, if you are no longer working, the first thing you need to do is find out if you qualify for Employment Insurance. To find out if you qualify for Employment Insurance, please call Service Canada at 1-800-622-6232.

If you still need help from ODSP, you can come back to ODSP quickly and easily so long as you are eligible financially and meet certain conditions. This is called rapid reinstatement.

For more information about rapid reinstatement, please talk to your caseworker, or read our information sheet Returning to ODSP.

Don’t agree with a decision?

You can ask for an internal review. Someone at ODSP will review a specific decision that affects your ODSP. The review will make sure the decision followed ODSP rules.

You must ask your ODSP office for an internal review within 30 days of when you received the decision.

Need more information?

For more information, please contact your caseworker at your local ODSP office.

To find contact information for your local office and learn more about ODSP visit: ontario.ca/socialassistance.

For general questions, please call ServiceOntario at:

Telephone: 1-888-789-4199
Teletypewriter (TTY):1-800-387-5559