The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) is designed to meet the unique needs of people with disabilities and their families who are in financial need or who want to and are able to work and need support.
The program has two parts: Income Support and Employment Supports.
Income support provides financial assistance and other benefits to eligible people with disabilities and their families. This assistance can include help with accommodation and basic living expenses as well as prescription drugs and basic dental care.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the ODSP Income Support:
- you must have a verified physical or mental disability that is expected to last a year or more;
- the disability must make it difficult for you to care for yourself, participate in community life or to work;
- you must be financially eligible;
- you must be 18 years of age or older; and
- you must be a resident of Ontario.
You may also be eligible for ODSP Income Support if you qualify financially and:
- receive disability benefits under the Canada Pension Plan (CPP);
- are 65 or older and are not eligible for Old Age Security (OAS);
- live in a psychiatric facility;
- live in a facility under the Developmental Services Act or in a home under the Homes for Special Care Act; or
- are about to turn 18 and currently get a benefit called the Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities Benefit (this used to be called Handicapped Children's Benefit).
The amount of money you receive from the ODSP will vary depending upon your rent costs and family size. You may also be entitled to benefits such as drug and dental coverage, special diet requirements, special needs items, Community Start Up and Maintenance Benefits and Employment Start Up Benefits, and financial assistance for eyeglasses, hearing aids, etc.
How to apply for financial assistance under the Ontario Disability Support Program
The first step is to contact the Ministry of Community and Social Services ODSP office nearest you in order to make an appointment.
The office will send you a letter confirming the day and time of the appointment, and a list of all the things that you need to bring to the appointment.
If you need special help, (for example, a sign language interpreter, large print forms etc.) let the office know, so that they can make all the arrangements.
Your appointment will take about 1½ hours. At this appointment, you'll go over in detail, how much money you make and how many bills you have to pay.
The person you talk to at the ODSP office will have to determine if you qualify for the program.
What you need to do if you qualify for supports
If you qualify financially, you will be given a package of forms to fill out. This package is called the Disability Determination Package (DDP). The forms are:
- Health Status Report and Activities of Daily Living Index
To find out who can fill out each part of this form, please read the list on the front of the form.
- A Medical Consent Form
You must sign this form so that your doctor or medical professional has your permission to release medical information to us.
- A Self Report
This is your chance to tell us, in your words, what it's like to live with your disability. Please note: you do not have to fill out this form — but we would like to hear what you have to say!
Once you’ve completed the forms, you will send them to the Disability Adjudication Unit (DAU) of the Ministry of Community and Social Services. You must have your forms filled out and sent to the DAU in 90 days from the date of your interview:
Disability Adjudication Unit
Social Assistance and Municipal Operations Branch
Ministry of Community and Social Services
PO Box B18
Toronto ON M7A 1R3
Staff at the DAU will review your file to see if you qualify for supports.
Before you get ODSP Income Support, you may have to review your expenses, income and assets with someone from the ODSP office one more time. This is a quick review and can be done by phone. We may do this, because in the time it took to have your file looked at, your circumstances could have changed.
Once you start collecting ODSP, the money will be put into your bank account automatically. If you do not have a bank account, staff will help you make other arrangements.
For more information, please contact the Ministry of Community and Social Services ODSP Income Support office nearest you.
If you need immediate emergency financial assistance, contact your local Ontario Works office.