ADAP Changes Announced

You may have seen that the Government of Alberta published some changes to their previously announced design for ADAP.

https://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=958074F76C1F5-DB50-6EA4-800353A97E6E903E

Our friends at Inclusion Alberta created this breakdown to illustrate the changes and what remains to be addressed:

The changes are:

Initial ADAP design

• $350 per month fully exempt employment income on ADAP

• AISH will only be for those deemed permanently unable to work. This was specified to include individuals in palliative care or continuing care facilities.

• Individuals reapplying to get back on AISH from ADAP would have to obtain a new medical assessment at their own cost.

Revised ADAP design March 9, 2025

• $700 per month fully exempt employment income on ADAP

• AISH will only be for those deemed permanently unable to work. In addition to individuals in palliative care or continuing care facilities, we know that this will include individuals between ages 60 and 65, and individuals with a severe and profound developmental disability, and/or who are deemed eligible for or are receiving Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) services. 

• The government will pay for one and only one medical assessment for individuals reapplying to get back on AISH from ADAP. 

This did not address the other outstanding problems with ADAP:

1. $200 cut to benefits from AISH to ADAP

2. Labelling certain categories of persons with disabilities as permanently unable to work

3. Clawing back every dollar someone on AISH earns over $350/month

4. Lower exemptions for parents and spouses

5. Limiting which decisions can be appealed and prohibiting any appeal of the decision to transfer a person from AISH to ADAP

6. Indexation of benefits is removed from the legislation, so whether annual cost-of-living increases occur will be determined by the Minister or according to a regulation that the minister can change

7. Individuals are still subjected to repeat assessments and uncertainty

8. All core program elements—eligibility criteria, benefit levels, income and asset rules, exemptions, appealable decisions—will be determined through regulation, not statute.

This afternoon is the main estimates meeting from 3:30 – 6:30 pm where Minister Nixon and his senior staff will be questioned by MLAs regarding the budget for disability supports. I encourage you to either attend in person or watch the proceedings online: https://assemblyonline.assembly.ab.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20260310/-1/19970