News Release: Manitoba Minister Responsible for Persons with Disabilities
Improvements to Exemptions for People with Disabilities Receiving Employment & Income Assistance Announced

MANITOBA GOVERNMENT NEWS RELEASE
News Media Services, Rm 29, Legislative Bldg.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3C 0V8
Ph: (204) 945-3746 Fax: (204) 945-3988
E-MAIL nmservices@leg.gov.mb.ca

April 14, 2003

IMPROVEMENTS TO EXEMPTIONS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES RECEIVING EMPLOYMENT AND INCOME ASSISTANCE ANNOUNCED

Manitobans with disabilities living in the community can now use certain lump-sum payments to improve their quality of life, without affecting their Employment and Income Assistance (EIA) benefits, Family Services and Housing Minister Drew Caldwell, minister responsible for persons with disabilities, announced today.

The new exemptions for EIA were developed with the community and allow people to obtain enhanced disability supports. This latest change complements other enhancements to EIA launched in late 2001 when people with disabilities who are working began receiving higher earnings exemptions and improved incentives.

"These latest improvements acknowledge what community groups have been saying for some time now, that there are additional costs associated with disabilities," said Caldwell. "The changes mean other sources of income can be used to purchase disability-related supports that will bring better quality of life for people, without reducing their EIA benefits."

The changes mean a person with a disability living in the community and receiving money, such as an inheritance or life insurance policy, will not have their benefits reduced, as long as they set up a trust fund for the purchase of equipment or services to improve their quality of life. These trust funds can accumulate up to a lifetime limit of $100,000 per person with a disability. These new rules do not reduce existing benefits.

The funds can come from various sources, such as:

• proceeds from an estate (inheritance) or life insurance policy;
• compensation payments, except for loss of income;
• gifts from family, guardians or friends;
• proceeds from the sale of a home or land; or
• investment growth from the trust.

People may pay for disability-specific goods and services, including:

• technical equipment, such as upgraded hearing aids;
• extended homemaker services;
• increased rent, for disability reasons;
• the purchase of a primary residence or a vehicle, for disability reasons; or
• modifications to their primary home, workplace or vehicle.

These latest improvements were a key commitment made in the strategy paper Full Citizenship: A Manitoba Provincial Strategy on Disability which was created by the government at the request of community groups. The province has also acted on other commitments including:

• establishing the new Disabilities Issues Office, a central reviewbody for all provincial departments, to assess new policies and programs for people with disabilities;
• hosting the first annual round table on disabilities, with participation from a wide variety of representatives from the disabilities community; and
• adopting new building design guidelines, making Manitoba the first province to require new government buildings to exceed building codes related to access for people with disabilities.

In June 2002, the province contributed $147,000 in support to the University of Manitoba for a new master's program in disability studies. The program, to be offered in September 2003, will be one of only a few in the world that will provide post-graduate training for students in the field of disability studies.

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Page last updated April 15, 2003