Advocacy Access Help Sheet 13 BC Disability Benefits	Download in PDF format.
Rate Amounts for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers to Employment (PPMB) Benefits
This Help Sheet funded by the Legal Services Society of BC, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada: Homelessness Partnering Strategy and the Health Sciences Association of British Columbia.
In This Sheet Shelter Allowable costs Minimum shelter allowance Rate amounts for PWD and PPMB Supplements Comforts Allowance Frequently Asked Questions		The Help Sheet series is prepared by BCCPD's Advocacy Access program.

The BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD) has prepared this Help Sheet to show the assistance rates for PWD and PPMB benefits. Both the PWD and PPMB benefits are divided into three parts: shelter, support and supplements.

Shelter

The shelter portion of your benefit is the money the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) gives you to pay for your housing. The maximum amounts that the MSD will provide to PWD and PPMB recipients are shown in the tables on page 3. For example, a single person on PWD or PPMB gets a maximum of $375 for shelter; a couple who are both on either PWD or PPMB get a maximum of $570.

To get the shelter maximum, your rent or housing payments must be equal to or more than the maximum amount. For example, if you are a single person on PWD with no dependents, your rent must be at least $375 to get that much from the MSD. However, the shelter portion of your benefits may be used to pay for items, like your phone or hydro, if your rent is less than the shelter maximum. See a full list of these items below.

For example, if you are a single person with no dependents on PPMB, your maximum shelter allowance is $375 a month. If your rent is $350 a month, you can put $25 of your shelter allowance toward the cost of your phone, as long as you show the Ministry your phone bill.

If your rent is $375 or more, you will not receive any extra money from the Ministry for your phone or other bills.

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Allowable costs

If you rent your home, and your rent does not exceed the shelter maximum, the Ministry may pay for the following utility costs:

1. Heating fuel
2. Fuel for cooking meals
3. Water
4. Hydro
5. Garbage disposal provided by a company each week or every two weeks
6. Rental of one basic residential single-line telephone (includes cell phone).

If you own your home, shelter costs also include:

1. House insurance premiums
2. Property taxes
3. The actual cost of maintenance and repairs for the family home if it is owned by a person in the family unit. These costs must first be approved by the Ministry.

If the costs for your utilities, like phone and hydro change, the MSD may set its own average winter and summer rates.  The winter period begins on October 1 and ends on March 31, and the summer period begins on April 1 and ends on September 30.

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Rate Amounts for PWD and PPMB Benefits (April 1st 2007)

For both PWD and PPMB, the support allowance does not increase if there are more
than 3 people in a family.

 

Household Size and Type	Support	Shelter Maximum	Benefits Total
PWD
Single Person	$531.42	$375.00	$906.42
Couple: One person on PWD	$700.56	$570.00	$1,270.56
Couple: Both people on PWD	$949.06	$570.00	$1,519.06
Two-parent family: One child, one person on PWD	794.45	$660.00	$1,454.56
Two-parent family: One child, both people on PWD	$1,043.06	$660.00	$1,703.06
One-parent family: One child	$672.08	$570.00	$1,242.08
PPMB
Single Person	$282.92	$375.00	$ 657.92
Couple: One person on PPMB	$396.22	$570.00	$ 966.22
Couple: Both people on PPMB	$452.06	$570.00	$1,022.06
Two-parent family: One child, one person on PPMB	$490.06	$660.00	$1,150.06
Two-parent family: One child, both people on PPMB	$546.06	$660.00	$1,206.06
One-parent family: One child	$423.58	$570.00	$ 993.58

Please Note: If you do not fit one of the “Household Size and Types” listed in the tables above, please visit these websites for the complete tables:

• MSD Disability Assistance Rate Table at www.mhr.gov.bc.ca/mhr/da.htm
• MSD Income Assistance Rate Table at www.mhr.gov.bc.ca/mhr/ia.htm

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Shelter Maximums for PWD and PPMB by Household Size up to a 7-member family

*The Shelter Maximum increases by $35 for each family member above a family size of 7.
Source: Based on Ministry of Housing andSocial Development Assistance Rate Tables.

Household Size	Shelter Maximum
1	$375.00
2	$570.00
3	$660.00
4	$700.00
5	$750.00
6	$785.00
7*	$820.00

 

In some situations, you may only be eligible for PWD or PPMB Hardship Assistance (HA). The HA rates are the same as the PWD and PPMB rates, but they may be time-limited, subject to review, repayable, and you may not be eligible for supplements, such as the diet allowance.

Other Benefits for People with Children

If you have children, you are eligible for the Family Bonus and the National Child Benefit. The amount you will receive depends on your specific situation. For example, the age of your child, or whether or not you are single parent, will affect the amounts. A single person on PWD or PPMB with one child under 7 years old, may get about $200 a month in addition to the support portion of their benefits. The Family Bonus and National Child Benefit are administered by the federal government. For information, please call 1-800-622-6232.

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Supplements

Supplements are extra benefits you can receive from MSD in addition to your shelter and support allowances. These include monthly diet allowances, nutritional supplements and crisis grants. You should talk to the Ministry about whether or not you qualify for any of these supplements. You may also want to look at our Help Sheet 3: Checklist for the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) Benefit (PDF or online) and Help Sheet 7: Health Supplements for People with Disabilities (PDF or online).  

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Comforts Allowance

Some people who live in group homes or residential facilities may be eligible for a $95 monthly allowance.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some questions we are often asked at Advocacy Access.

Q. What if I am paying room and board for my accommodation?
A. The Ministry will pay you the same amount you pay for your room and board, plus an additional $60 per month. If you have dependent children, you will receive $40 per child, up to the combined shelter and support maximum for your family size (please see the table in this Help Sheet). If you are receiving room and board from a parent or a child, the MSD will only give you your support maximum.

Q. Why do some people with the same family size and rent receive more or less benefits than me?
A. Different factors can change the amount of benefits a person receives. These include supplements, like a diet allowance, that will increase the amount of a person’s cheque, and repayment agreements to the Ministry which will reduce the amount of money a person receives. You have the right to ask the Ministry to explain how your benefit rate has been calculated.

Q. If I live in a housing Co-op can I include insurance payments in my shelter costs?
A. Yes, all Co-op members are homeowners and must have insurance. If you are living in a Co-op and are not receiving the shelter maximum, talk to the Ministry about your monthly insurance premiums.

Q. What if I have shared custody of a dependant child?
A. You may receive an extra allowance for each child that stays with you for more than 40% of each month. To qualify, you must have either a shared custody court order or a shared parenting agreement.

Q. What if I own my home and need to renegotiate the terms of my mortgage. How will this affect my shelter allowance?
A. The MSD can provide you with the maximum shelter allowance that you are eligible for based on your monthly mortgage payments and other available shelter costs (see page 2). It is a good idea to talk to the Ministry or an advocate before you change any of your mortgage financing.


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