After you apply

What happens when your application is approved?

You will get a ‘notice of determination’ letter saying you have been approved for PWD status.

You will also get:

• An information letter. Here is a Sample letter: Information to New Persons with Disabilities Designation
• A Persons with Disabilities brochure.
• A direct deposit brochure.
• A brochure explaining how to complete the Monthly Report Form.
• A My Self Serve client information sheet.

Eligibility for Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) benefits

You might also get a letter about applying for Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPPD) benefits. Some people get this letter as soon as they have applied for PWD status. Others get it after they have been approved for PWD status. Some people might get this letter months or years after they have been approved for PWD status. Here is a Sample letter: CPPD Information Letter for Approved PWD Applications – Initial Letter.

What you will get when you have Persons with Disabilities (PWD) status

If you are a single person without dependents, you will receive $983 in support plus up to $375 for shelter per month. Check the Disability Assistance Rate Table for the amounts you can expect to receive in your situation.

You will not be expected to look for work.

You will be able to keep up to $15,000 a year in earned income if you are a single person. Learn more about the Annual Earnings Exemption from the ministry website.

Benefits and coverage you get

You are automatically eligible for other benefits when you have Persons Disabilities (PWD) status. You do not need to get pre-approval from the ministry. Here is a list of what you can get:

• Services covered by Medical Services Plan (MSP)
• Prescription drugs covered by Pharmacare: The ministry will send eligibility information to PharmaCare for you. You do not need to apply to PharmaCare for this coverage.
• Dental coverage up to $1,000 every two calendar years (beginning on January 1 of every odd-numbered year). This is based on the dental fee schedules allowed by the ministry. You can check the Dentist fee schedule, Denturist fee schedule, and Hygienist fee schedule. Give the dental service provider your CareCard or your BC Services Card. They will check your coverage.
• Optical coverage for routine eye exams every two years and eyeglasses every three years. This is based on the optical fee schedules allowed by the ministry. You can check the Optometrist and ophthalmologist fee schedule and the Optician fee schedule. Tell the eye clinic or optical supplier that you have coverage. Give them your CareCard or your BC Services Card. They will check your coverage. You can also order eyeglasses online from Clearly.ca.
• B.C. Bus Pass (Compass Card) for travel anywhere within the TransLink and B.C. Transit service areas or a transportation supplement of $52 per month. Apply for the BC bus pass by calling the ministry at 1-866-866-0800 or use your My Self Serve account. If you decide not to apply for a bus pass, you will have a $52 transportation supplement added to your monthly assistance automatically. You can switch back and forth between a monthly bus pass and the transportation supplement month-by-month. You will need to contact the ministry by the 5th day of the month to start or stop the pass for the following month. Call 1-866-866-0800, email SDSIBUSPA@gov.bc.ca, or use My Self Serve to ask for a switch.

Learn more

Disability Alliance BC’s Checklist for the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Benefit help sheet

Disability Alliance BC’s Health Supplements for People with Disabilities help sheet

Other health supplements you may be able to get

When you have PWD status, you could get other health supplements if you meet certain requirements. Contact the ministry for details on applying for these health supplements:

• Alternative Hearing Supplement of $100 per month for people with permanent, profound hearing loss in both ears. To apply, your hearing health professional has to contact Pacific Blue Cross and submit an assessment form. Pacific Blue Cross will tell your hearing health professional what other documents are needed. Pacific Blue Cross will let you know in writing if you have been approved.
• Diet supplements of $10 to $40 per month to help meet the cost for therapeutic diets. There is no special application form to fill out. Your doctor must state in writing: your medical condition, the kind of diet you need, and how long you need it. The ministry can ask you to renew the request every year or two. There are nine diet supplements available but you can only get one diet supplement at a time. It is best to apply for the highest diet allowance that you think you are eligible for. Here is a Sample letter: Diet Supplement Review. Here is a Sample letter: Diet Supplement Denial.
• Drug and Alcohol Treatment of up to $500 a year. If you get treatment that is not a Ministry of Health service, you will need to get approval in advance from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
• Extended Medical Therapies to pay for chiropractic, massage therapy, physiotherapy, acupuncture, naturopathy, and non-surgical podiatry visits. You must have already used up the 10 visits for the year covered under the Medical Services Plan (MSP) supplementary benefits. A doctor must confirm you have a strong (acute) need for the service.
• Infant formula can be provided for a child under 12 months of age if the baby has a medical condition where special infant formula is needed. This is also available if the child is at risk of getting a disease from the mother’s breast milk. Your health practitioner has to confirm that your baby needs this supplement.
• Medical equipment and devices, including mobility aids. The ministry will ask for a prescription from a doctor or nurse practitioner. If the medical equipment or device you need is very specific, the ministry may ask for an additional assessment from a health professional such as an occupational therapist. The ministry must approve the cost in advance. Here is a Sample form: Medical Equipment Request and Justification.
• Medical supplies to pay for disposable medical and surgical supplies. Supplies must be prescribed by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
• Medical transportation supplement of 20 cents per kilometer to meet costs of travelling for essential medical treatment. The ministry must approve the costs in advance. To apply, your health practitioner must confirm your need to travel in writing. If the transportation is non-local, you must also submit a Request for Non-Local Medical Transportation Assistance.
• Natal supplement provides an allowance of $45 a month if you are pregnant with a child. Eligibility lasts up to six months following the date of the birth of your child. Your medical practitioner or midwife must say in writing that you are pregnant and the expected date of delivery. There may be fees to get this document and ministry will not cover those fees.
• Nutritional Supplements (short-term) provides products such as Ensure or Boost for a three-month period. Your doctor must say in writing that you need this supplement to prevent critical weight loss while recovering from surgery, a severe injury, a serious disease, or side effects of medical treatment. Your doctor must also provide a written prescription
• Nutritional Supplement (monthly) of $165 per month for food and $40 per month for vitamins or minerals. To apply, ask the ministry for application form HR2847. Review and sign Part B, and have a health professional complete and sign Part C. Here is a Sample form: Application for Monthly Nutritional Supplement. For help on how to apply and a letter to give to your health practitioner, use the Monthly Nutritional Supplement (MNS) help sheet.
• Tube Feed Supplement provides liquid nutrition products, equipment, and supplies to those who cannot take food by mouth or process it through the gastrointestinal system. Your doctor must say in writing that your main source of nutrition must be through tube feeding. Your doctor must also provide a written prescription.

Other ministry benefits

• Crisis Supplement provides a one-time payment to those who face emergency needs. The supplement covers up to $40 for food per person per month, $100 for clothing per person per year, and the cost of shelter. Shelter support depends on family size and has a maximum.
• Annual earnings exemption
• Christmas Supplement
• Guide Animal Supplement
• Moving, transportation, and living costs

Additional benefits for Indigenous people

• Monthly Nutritional Supplement provides additional financial support to people who have PWD status and have special nutritional needs. Learn more from the MNS information card and Monthly Nutritional Supplement Application instructions.
• Support for Indigenous Student Learning Program is a time-limited project for Indigenous students across Canada who have limited financial resources, including students living with disabilities.
• Indigenous Employment Engagement Program

More information on benefits:

Disability Alliance BC’s Checklist for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Benefit help sheet

Disability Alliance BC’s HS10 | People with Disabilities on Reserve: The PWD Designation | DABC (disabilityalliancebc.org)

Disability Alliance BC’s Health Supplements for People with Disabilities help sheet

BCANDS’s BCANDS Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Client / BSDW Forms

Government of British Columbia’s Health Supplements & Programs Rate Table lists the allowances of each supplement.