B.C. pays over $1.2M to shortchanged disability caregivers

British Columbia’s ombudsperson says he’s satisfied the provincial authorities has fixed a occupation that shortchanged caregivers of children with disabilities to the tune of much than $1 cardinal successful national funding.

But Jay Chalke says B.C. inactive hasn’t responded to his proposal from 3 years agone that it enactment with Ottawa to hole different systemic inequities successful national authorities that helium says contradict immoderate caregivers entree to benefits meant to enactment children with disabilities.

In 2022, Chalke’s bureau recovered that the monthly national kid disability benefit, intended to assistance attraction for disabled children, was being kept successful the province’s coffers alternatively of being passed connected to qualifying families.

An update published Thursday says the provincial Ministry of Children and Family Development has since transferred payments totalling astir $1.2 cardinal to 251 eligible caregivers arsenic of the extremity of April 2024, to screen the shortfall retroactive to April 2019.

He says it has besides ensured an magnitude adjacent to the national benefit, astir $264 per period per child, is present paid to kinship caregivers of children with disabilities connected an ongoing basis.

A connection from Chalke says that without national legislative change, different inequities volition continue.

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The connection provides an illustration of immoderate caregivers not being capable to assertion the national disablement taxation recognition connected their income taxation returns adjacent erstwhile their dependents qualify, leaving families astatine further disadvantage, particularly those connected constricted incomes.

“I powerfully impulse the state to recommit to moving with national counterparts to guarantee caregivers of children with disabilities person the fiscal supports they need,” Chalke says successful the statement.

“The province’s nonaccomplishment to determination this important enactment guardant with the national authorities perpetuates inequitable attraction of these children. My bureau volition proceed to show its advancement connected this remaining proposal and volition study publically until we are satisfied that it has been successfully implemented.”