Tag: disability assistance

New Service Alert: Tax Assistance & Information for People with Disabilities

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Today’s post introduces a New Service from Disability Alliance BC, a Clicklaw Contributor.

Who can use this service?

People receiving BC disability benefits: the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) or Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers (PPMB) benefit and need help filing income tax returns from past years.

Click here to learn more about BC disability benefits.

What can this new service do for you?

  • Help you gather the documents necessary to file your taxes
  • Meet with you one-on-one to help you file your basic
    income tax return
  • Provide information and advice (in-person, or by phone and/or email) about filing income tax returns – See their informational page on the Benefits of Tax Filing
  • Provide referrals to community organizations in your area that can help with more complex tax returns
  • Access advice and support for you from a chartered accountant if your tax return is complex

How do I get started?

Find Contact Information, Hours of Service, and more at Disability Alliance BC‘s Service Listing for this service on the HelpMap:

Click here for Tax Assistance & Information for People with Disabilities – Service Listing

The end of assigning maintenance rights: What does it mean?

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To continue assignment, contact MSDSI by June 5, 2015

By Legal Services Society
Cross-posted from the Factum

The Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation (MSDSI) recently sent some of the people who get income or disability assistance a letter about changes to the requirement to “assign maintenance.” Some people still have questions about this change, so The Factum will try to make sense of them here.

As of September 1, 2015, child support payments will no longer be deducted from income/disability assistance payments. This is good news as parents won’t have their child support clawed back.

The old rules

Before May 1, 2015, if you were divorced or separated and getting income/disability assistance, you had to sign over your rights to maintenance (child support) payments to the ministry. This “assignment of rights” allowed the ministry to take your spouse to court and get a court order for child support. If your spouse refused to pay, the ministry could send the court order to the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program, who would collect the payments for you. Then the ministry would deduct that amount from your income/disability assistance.

The new rules

As of May 1, 2015, you don’t have to assign your maintenance rights to the ministry anymore.

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