scrubbedexpat091

Social Assistance, disability, seniors supplement and comfort allowance will be increased in BC.

Starts with payments issued in April.

Social Assistance & Disability will increase $175, will affect approx. 300,000 British Columbian's. This is the 3rd increase since 2017 and the largest permanent increase ever.

Senior Supplement will increase $50 per recipient. Will affect approx. 80,000 seniors. First increase since the seniors supplement was created in 1987.

People on income assistance living in special care facilities will see their comfort allowance increase $20 to $115 per month, first increase since 2005. The allowance allows those in care facilities to buy basic personal items.

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021SDPR0024-000483

The annual earnings exemption for people on disability assistance increased to $15,000 per year in January as well.

scrubbedexpat091

https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/c...e_rates_helps/

Always the same.

PWD = everyone on it is a drug addict in the eyes of many.

PWD = Free money life is super great in the eyes of many.

This is why society never changes.

beckiwoo

Good to know, the majority of my caseload will be a little better off after April.

Plus rent freeze until 10 July and can only be increased by 1.6% this year (I believe)

scrubbedexpat091

Now if we can just get the government to build massive amounts of subsidized housing and bring down the BC Housing waitlist to more realistic levels.

BristolUK

Just been looking at some of our figures.

The NB Low Income Seniors Benefit (lump sum to those on GIS) went from $200 to $300 in 2009 and then to $400 in 2010 which seems generous so soon but it was an election year and it remains $400. No change for 11 years.

The income points at which the prescription premiums and co-pays are the same since the system began in 2014. The £/$ exchange rate has seen steady improvement so the gradual and minor increases in my income is just about to be more than wiped out with higher drug costs.
According to an inflation calculator the value of the income point for me should leave everything unchanged.

scrubbedexpat091

It's $400 annual in NB? And not monthly?
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/s..._Benefit_.html

"To assist low-income seniors in New Brunswick, the government offers an annual benefit to qualifying applicants."

BC's senior supplement is monthly, so currently $49 per month for a single senior so about $591 per year and will be going to $99 per month so 1,188 per year.

But this is apparently the first increase since the supplement started in 1987.



When the BC Liberals back in their last term when it was not looking good for them, raised rates a bit to make it look like they cared, but they had almost 17 years in office and did really nothing until they were losing.

Would still be nice if they would raise the housing supplement to realistic levels, $375 a month for a single doesn't get housing in BC unless your able to get into a subsidized unit.

BristolUK

Yes, annual. It probably goes further here than the bigger sum does in BC.
Prescriptions for those seniors cost $9.05 and no premiums. How does that compare to BC?

beckiwoo

That definitely does not get you far.

A lot of my guys have been grand fathered in with their housing so they manage that and the extra subsidy allowance through the program.

I have some clients that want to leave to find cheaper and better accommodation - these are ones that pay around $900 for a 1 bedroom by main and Broadway area lol

scrubbedexpat091

I am not sure how prescriptions work for seniors, beyond fair pharma care. I am not a senior so someone older than myself will need to chime in.

For those under 65 and on disability or general assistance medications on the formulary are covered as is the filling fee so $0 cost, medications not on the formulary are paid out of pocket. Occasionally I get a prescription that isn't covered, such as the allergy medication 2 springs ago, or the steroidal spray a couple months ago for my sinuses, so sometimes I wont fill a prescription due to cost and lack of coverage. But the majority of what is prescribed is covered for us.

Mental health drugs are covered under Plan G and needs to be applied for, but it's an easy process.

scrubbedexpat091

I don't know how singles on PWD survive, we get by as the couple rate is higher, but after rent, there still isn't much left, but the increase will help, we may actually begin to be able to buy food at the grocery store again.

Took almost 7 years but we did finally have intake with mental health nursing at BC Housing which is a slow step forward, but still requires someone moving out of one of the 5 buildings they allowed us to choose and well BC Housing nurse said they have very low turn over of tenants, so I wont hold my breath.

In 2012 or 2013 when I was on general assistance, I rented a room, and at the time the rate was $610 total with the housing, rent was $580 a month, leaving about $1 per day for food, and anything else I might need in the month. Abby at that time (maybe still?) had very little resources available, once a week Salvation Army had soup for $1 for lunch, the food bank was 2 times a month but very little actual food, a lot of baked goods from Starbucks though.

Luckily the bus drivers were understanding and often would let me ride for free to get to/from doctor appointments and other appointments I had, but sometimes I ended up having to miss appointments due to no transportation, Abby is very spread out place, hard to get around on foot.