The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected the lives and health of all Canadians, and disproportionately affected Canadians with disabilities as they continue to face many long-standing barriers further heightened by the pandemic.
The federal government to ensure that the needs of persons with disabilities are supported. This includes the one-time non-taxable and non-reportable payment of up to $600 to support Canadians with disabilities to help with additional expenses incurred during the pandemic.
The Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, Carla Qualtrough, announced that the deadline to apply for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) to receive the one-time payment has been extended from September 25, 2020, to December 31, 2020. This will help more Canadians with disabilities access the benefit, as the COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges for some to collect the information needed to complete the DTC application process. An extension of the deadline will give clients more time to submit their applications, and the Government of Canada time to issue decisions regarding eligibility.
The one-time payment will help persons with disabilities deal with the expenses incurred during the pandemic, such as:
- expenses related to hiring personal support workers and accessing other disability supports;
- paying for increased costs for medical supplies and medication;
- the purchase of personal protective equipment;
- higher costs associated with physical distancing and working from home; and,
- the increased use of transportation and home delivery services to obtain groceries and prescriptions.
The vast majority of eligible Canadians – nearly 1.6 million people – will begin receiving their payment on October 30, 2020, using direct deposit and mailing information from existing government programs. These are individuals who, at the time the information for the one-time payment was collected at the end of September 2020, had an existing valid Disability Tax Credit (DTC) certificate, or were a beneficiary as at July 1, 2020 of:
- Canada Pension Plan Disability; and/or
- Quebec Pension Plan Disability Pension; and/or
- one of the disability supports provided by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC).
