As a person with a disability, I should probably have strong opinions on the new Canada Disability Benefit. I don’t, really. A couple extra grand a year isn’t going to fix a whole lot of anything if you’re looking at things systemically since disability rates in this country tend towards being so low they ought to be illegal, but on an individual level, it certainly can’t hurt. Anecdotally, I know for absolute certain that there are folks for whom the $200 more each month will make a difference. Maybe they can eat a little better. Maybe they can buy some new clothes. Maybe, over time, those little bumps can translate into bigger and better things for some. But it ain’t going to help anyone suddenly be able to afford expensive, ongoing necessary services or medical treatments that governments have chosen not to cover, so plenty of people are still going to be left with their biggest problems unsolved. Basically, the disabled are going to be right where we’ve always been, but with a few extra sandwiches to show for it. It’s not nothing, but a society as wealthy as ours is capable of so much more.
I guess that’s an opinion.
While I’m having those, here’s the one I originally opened this post for. Why in the world do people have to apply for this thing?
The benefit is available to persons with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64 who meet several requirements.
Some of these requirements include qualifying for the disability tax credit (DTC), filing a 2024 income tax return with the Canada Revenue Agency, or having a spouse or common-law partner who has also filed their 2024 income tax return, if applicable.Eligible Canadians can apply starting June 20 online, by phone or in person at a Service Canada office.
Applicants will need a social insurance number (SIN) and direct deposit information.
If I’ve filed my taxes, why should I have to do anything else to get what I’m owed? Why must I fill out an extra form to give the government information it already has? It knows whether I’m claiming the disability tax credit. It knows how much money I made and whether or not that entitles me to something like the GST rebate, which is then automatically applied. It knows whether I’m single or married. It knows whether or not I’m a citizen. It has my SIN number. It knows how to send me direct deposits. That’s how I get my refunds. It’s how I get my carbon rebate, or at least it was until we decided we don’t care about the climate anymore. Long story short, there’s a lot of info in there and the government can do a lot with it without needing any more of my help.
But if you’re still not convinced and would like to argue that an extra application is required, then please make sure that part of your argument contains an explanation for this bit here.
The federal government will also send letters in June to eligible Canadians to apply. The letters will include a unique application code and instructions on how to apply.
According to the program’s website, Canadians who do not receive a letter but believe they are eligible can still apply. To do so, they must provide a mailing address and their net income (line 23600) from their 2024 notice of assessment.
YOU KNOW I’M ELIGIBLE! JUST APPLY ME, DAMMIT!
All of this is silly at best and mean spirited at worst. On my end it feels like an unnecessary hoop, and on the government’s end it sure looks a lot like unnecessary busywork. Instead of having someone sitting there sorting applications, have him sit there with a list of people with valid disability tax credits. If the government is in possession of a database that’s worth a fuck, it should be fairly simple from there to match those people with their tax returns and then sort the yeses and the nos. If you’re actually serious about getting this money into the hands of people who need it, just get it there. Don’t slow walk it and make life that much harder on people for whom things are already plenty hard enough.