A pilot program from the provincial government, designed to give people on disability assistance more financial flexibility and dignity, is being extended to all.
The Annualized Earning Exemption program was first introduced in January 2013 and run as a pilot. It allows individuals receiving disability assistance with earnings from employment to use their exemption on an annual basis instead of monthly, without a monthly maximum. The government provides just under $1,000 per month for people on disability and allows them to earn up to $800 each month before they start to lose part of their assistance money.
Don McRae, minister of social development and social innovation, announced the program expansion which has been welcomed by community inclusion advocates.
Lilla Tipton, executive director of inclusion Powell River, said the expansion is a welcomed step forward. “It’s a great idea.” She explained that most people who are on disability assistance who work can not really afford a reduction in those benefits if one month they happen to earn money over the limit. “They budget to the penny. After they pay rent and some bills most of it is gone,” she said.
Tipton said community inclusion advocates would like to see an increase in the amount of monthly assistance. Inclusion BC has been calling for the province to increase the amount to $1,200 per month.
The Disability Without Poverty Network, as well as mental health and community inclusion advocates, have said this is an important step toward helping British Columbians who live on disability assistance live with greater dignity and independence.
With the changes, people will be able to earn more money during periods of wellness without breaching the monthly limit, and have more income to live on when their symptoms are more severe and they may be unable to work.
The program starts January 2015.
