Canadians invited to comment on proposed regulations for the Canada Disability Benefit

GATINEAU, QC, June 28, 2024 /CNW/ - Persons with disabilities face significant barriers to financial security, making it hard to cover the costs of today, or save for the expenses of tomorrow. To assist with financial pressures, the Canada Disability Benefit will provide a social safety net between existing federal benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit and Old Age Security pension for persons with disabilities.

Today, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, Kamal Khera, invites Canadians—especially persons with disabilities, their caregivers and family members, disability stakeholders and organizations dedicated to working with persons with disabilities—to comment on draft regulations for the Canada Disability Benefit that have been published in Part I of the Canada Gazette. This consultation will remain open until September 23, 2024.

Budget 2024 provides an investment of $6.1 billion over six years beginning in 2024–25, and $1.4 billion ongoing for the Canada Disability Benefit, with the intent of supplementing existing provincial and territorial benefits. Residents between 18 and 64 years old may qualify for all or some of the CDB, up to a maximum of $2,400 per year, if they have a Disability Tax Credit (DTC) certificate and a net family income below $45,000 (if single), $58,500 (if they have a spouse or partner who doesn't qualify) or $70,500 (if their spouse or partner also qualifies). As proposed, this Benefit is estimated to increase the financial well-being of over 600,000 low-income persons with disabilities.

The Government of Canada welcomes the early indications from the Governments of Nunavut, Manitoba and Nova Scotia to ensure Canadians are better off by not clawing back the Benefit. At the same time, the Government also applauds the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for bolstering their support for persons with disabilities who are eligible to receive this Benefit.

As provinces and territories play a critical role in providing supports and services to Canadians with disabilities, the Government of Canada will continue to engage with them to understand how the Canada Disability Benefit may interact with existing provincial and territorial income-tested programs, including disability programs and social assistance, to avoid persons with disabilities facing claw backs.

To ensure access to the Canada Disability Benefit for eligible Canadians, and to reduce financial barriers, Budget 2024 further provides funding of $243 million over six years, beginning in 2024–25, and $41 million per year ongoing, to cover the cost of the medical forms required for the DTC application process. Additionally, the Government is investing $23.5 million to work with community non-profit disability stakeholder groups to help more eligible Canadians access the DTC and navigate further disability-related federal benefits.

The Government will analyze and consider the feedback received before finalizing the regulations that will be published in Part II of the Canada Gazette. Payments for the Benefit are to start in July 2025, following successful completion of the regulatory development process.

Quote  

"With the release of the draft regulations, we have reached another significant milestone in our work to make the Canada Disability Benefit a reality. We look forward to hearing feedback from the disability community on the regulations as we deliver this historic Benefit to Canadians with disabilities."

The Honourable Kamal Khera
Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities

Quick facts  

• The Canada Disability Benefit Act received royal assent on June 22, 2023, and came into force recently, on June 22, 2024. As required by the Act, persons with disabilities from a range of backgrounds must be provided with meaningful and barrier-free opportunities to collaborate in the development and design of regulations for the Canada Disability Benefit.
• Building on engagement activities that took place in 2021 and 2022, the Government launched a two-phase engagement process in summer 2023, to inform the development and implementation of regulations for the benefit. All the input received from over 8,000 Canadians through ministerial and technical roundtables, bilateral meetings and an online engagement process was considered by the Government as it developed the draft regulations.
• Budget 2024 proposes other key measures to support persons with disabilities including investments to expand the disability supports deduction; ensuring access to essential drugs and medical devices; creating a new Youth Mental Health Fund; and improving recruitment and assessment processes for persons with disabilities through the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities.

Associated links  

• Canada Gazette Part I - Draft Canada Disability Benefit regulations
• Summary of the proposed Canada Disability Benefit Regulations
• Overview of the Canada Disability Benefit
• Starting the engagement process to design the Canada Disability Benefit Regulations
• Canada's Disability Inclusion Action Plan 
• Landmark Canada Disability Benefit legislation receives royal assent 
• Budget 2024

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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada

For media enquiries, please contact: Patrick Vaughan, Deputy Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, [email protected]; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]