Changes to the province’s Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) and the introduction of the new Alberta Disability Assistance Program (ADAP) take place July 1. The programs usher in what the province says is better benefits for those who are able to work. One man with disabilities says he can and wants to work, but that he can’t get ahead on the new ADAP. Rob Arkell is one of the tens of thousands of Albertans who received a letter earlier this month saying he would soon be moved from AISH to ADAP. Arkell has a severe learning disability, a spinal condition and epilepsy. He says he has capacity to work, so he was curious about the benefits of the new program. He was disappointed to learn that after the July 1 transition, the amount he’s allowed to earn monthly before his personal benefit is reduced is lower than the current amount. “Quite a bit of it is very troubling. From what we were told, this program was supposed to encourage Albertans with disabilities to go out, find work, because the headline says you’ll be able to keep more of the money you make,” he told CTV News Edmonton. “We were under the impression that OK, that means we can make more money, and the trade-off is that we’re getting less government funding.” On AISH, Arkell is able to earn up to $1,072 before government deductions. As of July 1, people on AISH will now only be allowed to earn up to $350 a month before they’ll see reductions. On ADAP, government reductions begin at $700. Like everyone else moving to ADAP, he’ll also see a $200 drop in benefits in 2028 when the government discontinues its transition benefit. The province says a quarter of AISH clients moving to ADAP are currently employed and the new system is a way to ensure “the most generous employment earning exemptions in the country.” “This figure does not capture individuals who chose to limit their employment or earnings due to the way employment income affects benefits on most disability income assistance programs, including AISH,” Alberta social services ministry press secretary Jonah Pickle said in a statement to CTV News. “ADAP was created in response to long-standing feedback from Albertans with disabilities, disability advocates and service providers that AISH disincentivizes employment.” A report released last week by the University of Calgary’s (U of C) School of Public Policy says there’s a better way. “It’s really to redesign reform around what actually helps people work, which is often stable income, employment supports, higher earnings exemptions, continued health benefits, fair appeals processes and accessible workplaces,” U of C public policy professor Jennifer Zwicker said. The report calculates that a single recipient of AISH earning $900 monthly in part-time work would be eligible for a full benefit of $1,940, meaning their complete take-home would be $2,840 per month. Under revised AISH rules, that same recipient earning $900 is deducted $350 with a 100-per-cent “clawback” applied to that remaining $550, meaning their monthly take-home is reduced to $2,290. Under ADAP, with those same wages but under a new $700 threshold, monthly income would become $2,632 – better than revised AISH rules, but worse than the original program AISH recipients operated under. “While this represents a statistically ‘better’ result … the ADAP net outcome remains inferior to the original AISH standard. In both cases, the net effect is a meaningful reduction in total monthly income relative to the previous system, for precisely the population the program is designed to support into greater economic participation,” the report reads. Arkell isn’t currently working but he says the new rules around spousal income means he and his partner will take home $70 less a month starting Wednesday. “In this new program, they’re giving her a limit on how much she’s allowed to make before I get deducted. How does that make sense? The old program had a family limit. The new program doesn’t have that,” he said. “We’re not just losing $200 a month, we are losing the ability to support ourselves with our own money.… These changes are horrific.” The province says those on ADAP will receive customized one-on-one support and access to resources they need to gain new skills and work to their full potential. ADAP participants will continue to receive program benefits if they are unable to find a job with that help, however, the government warned against refusing employment services: “Your eligibility for continued ADAP financial assistance may be impacted.” The province says participation requirements are individualized and developed while taking health needs, goals and barriers to employment into account, rather than being based on a fixed number of hours or a one-size-fits-all approach. More than 80,000 Albertans currently use the AISH program. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nicole Weisberg
