Assured income for the severely handicapped, AISH

Financial and health benefits for eligible Albertans with a permanent medical condition that prevents them from earning a living.

University of Calgary researcher Susan Samuel is leading the Transition Navigator Trial to improve the transition of young people from paediatric to adult health care. The team is enrolling 600 young people into the project to help these individuals as they learn to manage their health-care needs. Photo courtesy Edge Productions

AISH eligibility	What you get with AISH
To be eligible for AISH, you must meet age, residency, financial and medical criteria.	Coverage may include financial and health benefits for you, your spouse or partner and your children.
How to apply for AISH	AISH payment details
Follow these steps to apply for AISH financial and health benefits	Find out how to receive your AISH payments and when funds will be deposited.
Report a change to AISH	AISH overpayments and underpayments
Report changes to your finances, medical or living situation to make sure you get the benefits you are eligible for.	Information about receiving more or less AISH benefits than you are eligible for.
AISH terms and definitions	Contact AISH
Common terms used by the AISH program.	Get information about AISH and other support by phone, email or in-person.

Overview

The Act to Strengthen Financial Security for Persons with Disabilities is now in effect.

This means people with disabilities will still be eligible for the AISH program if they are the beneficiary of a trust.

As of April 1, 2018:

having a trust will not affect your eligibility for AISH
if AISH recipients receive an inheritance or lump sum payment, they have one year to set up a trust or transfer those funds to an exempt asset

News: Proposed AISH Act changes allow financial security (Mar. 19, 2018)

Eligibility

You have a medical condition that substantially limits your ability to earn a living.
Your medical condition is likely to remain permanent.
There is no medical treatment, therapy, rehabilitation or training available that will help improve your ability to earn a living.
You are at least 18 years old and not eligible to receive an Old Age Security pension.
You live in Alberta and are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
You are not in a correctional facility or some mental health facilities such as Alberta Hospital Edmonton.
You meet financial eligibility criteria.

Find out more about eligibility

What you may get

Depending on your situation, you may get:

a monthly living allowance – money to pay for your living costs such as food, rent and utilities
a monthly child benefit – money to assist you with raising your dependent children
health benefits – assistance to cover health needs for you, your spouse or partner and your dependent children
personal benefits – money over and above your monthly living allowance for specific needs such as a special diet or assistance in an emergency

Find out more about what you get

Application timeline

AISH reviews applications in the order they are received.
Applicants who are receiving end-of-life palliative care and/or have been diagnosed with a terminal illness are prioritized.
Application processing times vary depending on the number of applications AISH receives from Albertans and how quickly we get all the financial and medical information we need for each person’s application.

For more information

Source Alberta Human Services in Government of Alberta
Updated 30 April 2019

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