Changes Mean Increased Income For Social Assistance Recipients Who Work

TORONTO – The McGuinty government is helping people on disability support pursue job opportunities and keep more of what they earn by improving the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), Minister of Community and Social Services Madeleine Meilleur announced today.

“We have made changes to better support those who are working and, at the same time, encourage more people on the ODSP, who are able, to move into the workforce,” said Meilleur. “A job means increased income, but it can also mean a chance to contribute to the community, to connect with others and to achieve personal goals.”

Several changes have been implemented to help people on the ODSP get on the path to a brighter financial future, including:

• Introducing a new straightforward 50 per cent flat rate exemption, combined with a new $100 monthly Work-Related Benefit – allowing recipients to keep more of their earnings 
• Increasing the maximum amount recipients can claim for informal child care costs from $390 to $600 per month – boosting a valuable support for working families
• Providing ongoing health-related benefits to recipients who leave the ODSP for employment until they receive comparable employer health coverage – so people don’t have to worry about how they will pay for their prescription drug, dental and vision care expenses.

“The government has taken a creative and effective approach to providing incentives for people on ODSP to work,” says David Barber, president of Community Living Ontario. “These changes will help many people, who can and want to work, be productive citizens in their communities.”

Improving incentives is just one of the ways the government is helping social assistance recipients and their families become employed and move toward financial independence. Other recent changes include:

• Creating the Employment Innovations Fund to engage employers in expanding opportunities in the workplace for people on social assistance
• Improving access to a range of employment services, such as job placement and retention services, to help ODSP recipients find real, sustainable jobs
• Eliminating the “Quit/Fire” rule so recipients will no longer be afraid to accept a job for fear of losing financial support if that job does not work out.

“We’re on the side of people who are working hard to improve their lives,” said Meilleur. “By investing in people, we’re investing in the future prosperity of our province.”