Federal disability benefit leaves episodic conditions out, advocates say
Canada's disability benefit program uses a narrower eligibility definition than the law that created it, excluding people with episodic disabilities like multiple sclerosis that vary day to day.
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Canada's new disability benefit program contains a significant gap that excludes people with episodic disabilities—conditions whose symptoms fluctuate day to day or week to week—even though the law that created the program explicitly includes them.
The benefit, launched in June 2025, offers low-income people with disabilities up to $2,450 per year, or just over $200 per month. The legislation borrowed its definition of disability from the Accessible Canada Act, which defines disability to include "physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment—or a functional limitation—whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature."
But the benefit program itself uses the much narrower definition from the Canada Disability Tax Credit, which requires that a restriction be present "all or almost all of the time (generally at least 90 per cent)." That threshold excludes people like Amanda Fraser, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 12 years ago and has been on long-term disability since 2020 after leaving her career as a registered nurse.
Fraser, who volunteers as an advocate with MS Canada, explained the reality of her condition: "The last week, yes, 90 per cent of the time I've been using an electric wheelchair to get around my home. I've needed my husband to cook our meals and do dishes, and had my mother-in-law come by to help. But two weeks ago, I was doing that all on my own."
MS Canada has advocated for years for the government to recognize episodic disabilities in its benefit programs. Fraser has travelled to Ottawa to meet with MPs. "Every member of Parliament that I personally met with agrees that we need to be included on it and doesn't understand the bureaucratic mismatch," she said.
Dr. Kelly O'Brien, Canada Research Chair in episodic disability at the University of Toronto, said episodic disabilities are poorly understood. "Depending on the features of health challenges, things such as fatigue or headaches or cognitive dysfunction may not be visible or constant, which makes it particularly challenging for individuals to articulate their health challenges," she said.
The federal Jobs and Families Department did not address the definitional gap in a statement, instead praising the benefit program's launch.
Will the federal government amend the benefit program to match the broader definition in the Accessible Canada Act?
How many Canadians with episodic disabilities are currently excluded from the benefit program?
What timeline do advocates expect for a policy fix?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
By the numbers
How much does Canada's disability benefit program offer?
The benefit, launched in June 2025, offers up to $2,450 per year, or just over $200 per month, to low-income people with disabilities.
What definition of disability does the benefit program use?
The benefit program uses the definition from the Canada Disability Tax Credit, which requires that a restriction be present 'all or almost all of the time (generally at least 90 per cent),' excluding episodic disabilities that fluctuate day to day or week to week.
