Alberta scales back disability program after thousands left short hundreds monthly

The Alberta government announced Tuesday it would restore full benefits for couples where both partners receive disability payments, and allow simplified reapplication to the previous AISH program, after the July rollout of its new Alberta Disability Assistance Program left thousands receiving $200 less per month.

Thousands of Albertans transitioned from AISH (Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped) to ADAP (Alberta Disability Assistance Program) in July. The new program was touted as a way to help people with disabilities pursue meaningful employment, but households with two adults receiving benefits received only 88 per cent of the full individual benefit as of August.

The province said couples would receive retroactive payments fully reimbursing the difference back to August. Every ADAP client will be contacted by an employment supports worker to identify strengths, interests and supports needed for meaningful employment.

Julie Andrew and her husband both receive disability payments. "The rent goes up and inflation, the grocery budget doesn't go nearly as far as it used to," she said. "What else are you gonna cut but your groceries?" She was among many who received incorrect amounts in early paycheques and said she remains cautious about trusting the reversal: "Let's not count our chickens before they're hatched."

Zachary Weeks, a disability rights advocate in Edmonton, said the reversal came after months of hardship. "It came on the backs of people suffering for months on end … over these harmful policies," he said. He questioned the government's motives: "It's clear that this government really screwed up in terms of implementing the transition from AISH to ADAP and now they're trying to … make amends on that. But I think the ship has sailed, the trust there has been broken."

The province also said it would reach out to the federal government to make Employment Insurance more accessible for people with medical conditions preventing them from work.

As HOC reported in July, the disability payment system faltered after the ADAP transition, leaving thousands short hundreds of dollars.