Kevin Connew struggled to navigate the health-care system for 10 years before he was recently approved for financial assistance through Ontario’s disability assistance program.
But even if the province recognizes his disability, that’s not enough to qualify him for coverage under Canada’s new national public dental insurance program.
Instead, he will have to prove to Ottawa that he is disabled through several more applications.
“What more proof does the government need?” he said. “If you’re recognized as disabled under state and federal programs, I don’t see why that shouldn’t qualify you for basic dental coverage.”
The federal government’s Canada Dental Care Plan (CDCP) is gradually expanding eligibility for dental subsidies to low- and middle-income Canadians who don’t have private insurance, and on June 27 it was announced that people with disabilities can now apply.
But advocates say it would only cover a small proportion of people with disabilities.
Recent Report of the Parliamentary Budget Officer As many as 1.4 million Canadians with severe disabilities could be eligible for the Canada Disability Benefit Act, the minister said, a statistic that advocates say shows how many people with disabilities should have access to the benefit.
The problem, advocates say, is that the Canadian government uses the disability tax credit to determine whether people qualify for programs like the CDCP and the Canada Disability Benefit.
“The disability tax credit is increasingly becoming a gateway to social welfare programs, but that’s not what it was designed to do,” said Michelle Hewitt, president of the advocacy group No Disability Poverty.
The tax credit, administered by the Canada Revenue Agency, primarily provides tax relief to middle- and upper-income earners with disabilities and was not targeted to those most in need, she said.
“The federal government believes this is the easiest list of severely and extremely disabled people to get on, but it’s very hard to get on that list,” Hewitt said.
Hewitt said the number of people receiving the tax credit is low, mainly because of the cumbersome application process.
To get approved for the tax credit, a doctor must complete a 16-page medical form, even if they’ve already completed similar medical documentation for other government disability benefits — a big hurdle for people with disabilities, even if they’re lucky enough to have a doctor, Hewitt said.
“Every government talks about wanting to make things as barrier-free as possible for disabled people,” she said. “There are a lot of hurdles that disabled people have already overcome.”
In response to those concerns, the federal government has pledged to pay $243 million to doctors who fill out the medical paperwork needed to qualify for the tax credit.
Health Minister says tax credits are the fairest option
Health Minister Mark Holland said the federal government chose to use the disability tax credit to identify Canadians with disabilities who qualify for dental care subsidies because it’s the fairest standard across the country.
Holland acknowledged that some people with disabilities are overlooked.
“I accept that not everyone is like that, but a lot of people are,” he told CBC News. “This was a good starting point.”
Holland said many Canadians with disabilities who currently don’t receive tax credits will be eligible for the CDCP program next year when it is expanded to all low- and middle-income earners.
But Green Party MP Mike Morris said the federal government is still misleading Canadians by saying people with disabilities are also eligible for dental care.
“The government seems to be putting policies in place to trick the country into believing that more is being done for disabled people than is actually the case,” Morris said.
Morris said while it’s good news that some people with disabilities will soon be able to get subsidized dental care, the federal government tends to not provide enough support to the disability community.
“This government has let down expectations and then failed to deliver,” he said.
Conyu agreed.
“I feel like they’re treating us like bank votes by promising us nice things,” he said, “but it only applies to a small percentage of people who are in need.”
Accessing assistance programs is a “total nightmare”
When asked, a Health Canada spokesman declined to say how many people with disabilities have been approved for CDCP coverage or received subsidized dental care so far.
Conu said he fears the figure is low because many Canadians with disabilities have trouble navigating the application process for tax credits and dental insurance.
Konyu said her diagnosis of mental illness and chemical sensitivity has made applying for various government programs a “total nightmare.”
“I’m very anxious. I now suffer from migraines, cognitive impairment, brain confusion and it’s difficult to just go about my daily life,” he said.
“I can’t express to you how anxiety-inducing this process is for someone like me.”
Conu said she was relieved when she was able to receive dental coverage through the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) a year and a half ago.
But last month, she received notice from her dentist that her insurance would only continue if she applied for and was rejected under the federal health insurance program.
When contacted by CBC News, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services said ODSP recipients will not lose their dental coverage and do not need to apply for CDCP.
Conu said he is now trying to figure out whether his dental insurance will cover it, and that even the social worker trying to help him is confused.
“I’m pretty nervous about what this is going to do to me,” he said.
“People who suffer from sometimes debilitating conditions should not be burdened with having to go through these bureaucratic procedures.”
Have questions about how Canada’s new dental plan affects you? Email us at ask@cbc.ca .