Section 12 - Aged; Blind and Persons With Disabilities; Assistance to Children with Mental Disabilities
12.1.1 Aged
Participants 65 years of age and older policy (PDF 134 KB)
Legislative Base
Section 5(1)(a) of The Manitoba Assistance Act provides authority for the granting of assistance to those persons who, because of age, are unable to earn sufficient income to meet the cost of their basic necessities and those of their dependants. For the purposes of the Act, an aged person is a person who is 65 years of age or older.
Employment Expectations
Participants enrolled in this category do not have employment expectations.
Assessing Need
For those persons who were 65 years of age or over and who were receiving income assistance at the pre-added rates as of January 31, 1979, assistance is issued in accordance with Manitoba Regulation 260/89.
For all other persons applying for, or receiving assistance under this category because of age, basic needs are assessed in accordance with Manitoba Regulation 404/88 Schedule A.
Assessing Resources
All resources such as government and private pensions, etc., are considered available for the maintenance of the aged with the exception of specific assets and payments contained in section 8 of the Regulation.
12.1.2 HS Eligibility for Persons 65 Years of Age or Over
Eligibility for EIA Health Service (HS) only enrolment, for aged applicants, shall be based on the greater of:
- Actual monthly health care costs, after the availability of Pharmacare has been taken into consideration. (Those persons in receipt of HS prior to October 1979 shall not be assessed in light of the Pharmacare program.)
- $10.00 per month for each aged and adult member of the family.
12.2.1 (deleted)
12.3.1 Children's disABILITY Services
The mission of Children's disABILITY Services (CDS) (formerly Children's Special Services), in collaboration with families and community resources, is to provide supports for children with disabilities and to strengthen families, using a flexible individualized family-centred approach that respects families, facilitates self-sufficiency and inclusion and accommodates regional differences.
Children's disABILITY Services is not a legislated program. As a non-statutory program, CDS is voluntary and discretionary. This means that:
- services are provided to eligible families who wish to access the program; and
- eligibility for services does not confer automatic entitlement to service for children with disabilities and their families.
Rather, the delivery of services and supports are subject to assessed needs, eligibility criteria, and based on available resources, regional allocations and appropriate human resources.
To be eligible for Children's disABILITY Services children must:
- Be under 18 years of age
AND
- Be a resident of Manitoba, and live with his or her birth, extended or adoptive family
AND
- Present with one of the following:
- A mental disability, with an IQ of 75 or less
- A developmental delay , with a DQ of 75 or less
- A lifelong physical disability with significant functional limitations in mobility
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which includes Aspergers, PDD-NOS, PDD-Autism, and Autism
- Have life-long, extreme, complex medical needs (URIS Group A) in combination with one or more of the above criteria
OR
- Have a high probability of developmental delay due to:
- A condition of known etiology where mental retardation is a probable outcome ( e.g., Down Syndrome, PKU, children who are both deaf and blind)
- A parent who is mentally disabled
- Significant prematurity (1500 grams or less) with a combination of medical and/or biological factors, including but not limited to metabolic abnormalities, central nervous system lesion or infection, multiple congenital anomalies or genetic disorders
Services may include: respite from the ongoing care and supervision of a child eligible for CDS, early intervention services, assistive technology, etc. The need for services must be the result of the disability of the child.
12.3.2 Referrals to Children's disABILITY Services
Referrals to Children's disABILITY Services can be made through the regional offices of Manitoba Family Services.
NOTE: Children who have a medical condition but do not meet the above stated eligibility criteria should be referred to their local Regional Health Authority.