Ontario has announced a two percent increase in income support, an enhancement that is being met as welcome news by individuals who rely the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) and Ontario Works. Both programs provide support to nearly 900,000 vulnerable adults and children every day.
As close to 50 percent of recipients on ODSP have mental illnesses as a primary diagnosis, CMHA Ontario, in collaboration with a broad spectrum of stakeholders, has actively supported government initiatives to improve Ontario’s income support system. These collaborative efforts have resulted in:
- A significant simplification of the ODSP medical review process with the introduction of a new form that is easier for ODSP recipients and health care professionals to complete.
- An increase in medical and business travel kilometre rates in both ODSP and Ontario Works to 41¢/km in Northern Ontario and 40¢/km in the south. The new rates apply to social assistance recipients who drive to medical appointments using personal vehicles or who use transportation agencies that do not set their own travel rates.
For more on improvements to Improving Ontario’s Social Assistance Programs, see the Government of Ontario website.