Alberta is proposing changes to financial trusts to further assist people with disabilities.
Social Services Minister Irfan Sabir says new legislation would exempt assets in trusts when determining whether someone was eligible for funds under the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program.
Trusts are estate planning tools that help provide ongoing care and financial help for people with disabilities. Currently, the AISH program can claw back — or even deny — benefits if a recipient has one of these trust accounts valued at more than $100,000.
Families have long said this causes tremendous uncertainty as parents look for ways to provide for their children after their deaths.
Income from a trust could still reduce how much a person was eligible to receive.
READ MORE: Alberta overhauls assistance program for province’s most vulnerable
The bill does not propose changes to how trust income would be treated under the program.
Sabir says the intent is to give peace of mind to those with disabilities and to family members trying to help them through trusts.
-With files from Tom Vernon
READ MORE: Alberta’s auditor general criticizes how AISH program is managed
Watch below: On Nov. 7, 2016, Tom Vernon filed this report after Alberta’s auditor general criticized the AISH program for being too hard to navigate.
Comments