Accessing Disability Benefits in Ontario
Program Design Continues to Make Access to ODSP a Challenge
Jun 23, 2009
In Ontario, unemployed persons who are ineligible for Employment Insurance and have no other resources can turn to one of two programs. Ontario Works, or “welfare’, is for people who are able to work, but who have temporarily fallen on hard times. Ontario Disability Support Program, or ODSP, is for persons with disabilities who are deemed as such by the Disability Adjudication Unit, a government office in Toronto that is staffed by medically trained professionals that assess applications for eligibility.
Since the formation of the ODSP program in 1998, increased numbers of persons receiving Ontario Works have been found to possibly be eligible for ODSP, but for various reasons, have been unable to access the program. ODSP, while still imperfect and its rates still fall far below any official “poverty measure”, pays approximately double what Ontario Works pays as its recipients are expected to require assistance over a longer period of time.
Many receiving ODSP can and do wish to work, but have disability-related barriers to employment that make it difficult for them to find and keep a job. Many receiving Ontario Works find themselves in the same position, although their barriers are not recognized. When ODSP was first put into place, the government of the day expected its rolls to grow over time. Its reasoning is that as people get older, they are more likely to develop disabilities and be in need of this kind of support.
Many Disabled Ontarians Face Barriers to Getting ODSP
However, persons with disabilities that continue to struggle on Ontario Works often lack a family physician or even a stable address in order to apply for and deal with the Disability Adjudication Unit and if turned down, file an appeal in a timely manner. Many suffer from learning disabilities that prevent them from understanding the complexity of the administrative system they need to fight in order to acquire benefits. Others lack access to community support workers and advocates that can help them deal with timelines and acquire timely legal advice to put in an appeal.
Long-term reliance on Ontario Works leads to psychological devastation and entrenched poverty that makes it difficult for many people to move ahead, find and keep decent housing, get decent clothes to wear to a job interview or even have a reliable means for prospective employers to contact them. The solution is not to simply force them to “get a job”. There needs to be better screening employed by caseworkers that can identify individuals with multiple barriers including disabilities. They then need to refer them to appropriate legal support and/or advocate services to access ODSP and continue to work with them after to assist them in improving their housing and other personal circumstances.
Perhaps, once these people do stabilize their lives on ODSP, they would be able to take advantage of some of the support programs available for persons with disabilities to find part-time work or to upgrade their skills. The current competitive mood in today’s declining economy has unfortunately brought about a backlash against all vulnerable persons, with persons with disabilities being no exception.
