If you receive disability benefits, you can also receive additional supplements for health-related costs.
Many British Columbians face health challenges that make daily life more difficult. It could be a medical issue that makes it hard to hold a job. Or a physical impairment that makes routine tasks an uphill battle. Disability benefits are a form of welfare for those dealing with physical or mental health problems. Learn about the types of disability benefits available.
What you should know
“A few years ago, I started having problems with my eyes. It got worse, to the point it wasn’t safe for me to keep working in my construction job. Now, I rely on a service dog. I’m so grateful for disability assistance. With the monthly payments, I can get by.”
– Thomas, Kamloops, BC
Welfare is a form of financial assistance provided by the provincial government to help those in need. If you qualify for welfare benefits, you receive money every month to help pay for your support (daily living costs) and shelter (housing expenses).
Disability benefits are a type of welfare. They provide targeted help to people facing health struggles that make it very difficult for them to work or to do certain daily living activities. They’re administered by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. This is the provincial agency that oversees BC’s welfare program. In this guidance, we refer to it as the ministry.
An agency supporting those with disabilities
Disability Alliance BC is an organization that provides support to British Columbians with disabilities. They offer free services and programs to assist with everything from applying for disability benefits to filing taxes. They also publish free publications on many issues, including disability benefits. Visit their website to learn more.
In BC, there are three types of disability benefits available. Each pays a monthly amount to help with support and shelter costs. But the amount you receive differs, depending on which benefit you qualify for.
Disability assistance is available to those with a severe mental or physical impairment that restricts their ability to perform daily living activities.
Benefits for persons with persistent multiple barriers to employment (PPMB) are available to those with a medical condition that makes it difficult or impossible to look for work or keep a job.
Hardship assistance is available to those who, for specific reasons, don’t qualify for either of the two benefits listed above.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these benefits.
Disability assistance is a type of welfare specifically for people with a severe mental or physical impairment. Under BC law, those who qualify for disability assistance can get money from the government every month to help pay for their essential needs. Like basic income assistance, disability assistance payments include a support and shelter allowance.
To get disability assistance, you have to apply for the persons with disabilities (PWD) designation. To get this designation, you must meet the law’s definition of a “person with disabilities.” You must:
have a severe physical or mental impairment that is expected to continue for at least two years,
be significantly restricted in your ability to perform daily living activities, either continuously or periodically, for extended periods, and
require assistance in your daily living activities from another person, an assistance device, or an assistance animal.
The PWD designation is generally considered a permanent designation. While the government does have the right to review these designations, this has not been their practice.
We explain the steps to apply for the PWD designation.
How much you may receive in disability assistance
Under the law, the amount you receive in disability assistance depends on your age and the size of your family unit. Your family unit includes you and your dependents. Your spouse (married or unmarried) who lives with you is a dependent. So is a minor child who lives with you more than half the time and relies on you for necessities, like food and shelter.
Your total monthly payment is made up of a shelter allowance and a support allowance. Here are some examples of monthly support and shelter allowance rates for disability assistance as of October 2025.
Family unit size | Age | Support allowance | Max shelter allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
One adult with the PWD designation | 18 and over | $983.50 | $500 |
Single parent with the PWD designation with one child | 18 and over | $1,133.50 | $695 |
Two parents, one with the PWD designation, with two children | Parent without PWD designation is under 65 | $1,478.50 | $840 |
Here are the current support and shelter allowance rates for those on disability assistance.
You may be entitled to child benefits
The Canada child benefit, administered by the federal government, is a monthly payment to help eligible families with the cost of raising a child under age 18. Families can receive welfare benefits and the Canada child benefit at the same time. For details, visit the federal government's website.
Benefits for persons with persistent multiple barriers to employment (PPMB) are a type of welfare for people with a long-term medical condition that makes it difficult or impossible to work, and who face at least one other barrier to employment. Those who qualify for this assistance get money from the government every month to help pay for their essential needs. Like basic income assistance, PPMB benefits include a support and shelter allowance.
To get PPMB benefits, you have to apply for the PPMB designation. To get this designation, you must meet the law’s definition of a “person who has persistent multiple barriers to employment.” You must:
be at least 19 years old,
be receiving income assistance or hardship assistance,
have a health condition that seriously impacts your ability to look for work or keep a job, and that
has lasted for at least one year and is expected to continue for at least another two years, or
has occurred frequently in the past year and is likely to continue for at least two more years.
In addition, you must be facing at least one other barrier that makes it difficult for you to look for work or keep a job. Examples of other barriers include:
being a victim of domestic violence
experiencing homelessness
needing English language training
having a criminal record
Unlike the PWD designation, PPMB is not a permanent designation. You must provide updated information or reapply when asked by the ministry.
For more on PPMB benefits, see this help sheet from Disability Alliance BC.
How much you may receive in PPMB benefits
Under the law, the amount you receive in PPMB benefits depends on your age and the size of your family unit. Your family unit includes you and your dependents. Your spouse (married or unmarried) who lives with you is a dependent. So is a minor child who lives with you more than half the time and relies on you for necessities, like food and shelter.
Your total monthly payment is made up of a shelter allowance and a support allowance. Here are some examples of monthly support and shelter allowance rates for PPMB assistance as of October 2025.
Family unit size | Age | Support allowance | Max shelter allowance |
|---|---|---|---|
One adult with the PPMB designation | Under 65 | $610 | $500 |
Single parent with the PPMB designation with one child | Under 65 | $760 | $695 |
Two parents, one with the PPMB designation, with two children | Both under 65 | $1,105 | $840 |
Here are the current support and shelter allowance rates for PPMB benefits.
If you’re struggling to meet your needs but you don’t qualify for disability benefits, you may be eligible for hardship assistance. This is a temporary form of support that’s paid on a month-to-month basis. You may receive hardship assistance if you have the persons with disabilities (PWD) or persons with persistent multiple barriers (PPMB) designation but don’t qualify for those benefits.
The ministry only provides hardship assistance in certain situations. For example, if you’re waiting for other income to come in, like employment insurance, and in the meantime you don’t have enough money to meet your essential needs.
Some (but not all) hardship assistance payments are repayable. That is, those receiving hardship assistance may run up a debt owing to the ministry. There may also be time limits involved. For example, in some cases you can only receive hardship assistance for three consecutive months at a time.
How much you may receive in hardship assistance
The amount you may receive in hardship assistance depends on whether you, or another person in your family unit, has the PWD or PPMB designation.
If no one in your family unit has either of these designations, you’ll get up to the same support and shelter allowance as a family unit of your size on income assistance. Note that the shelter amount you’re entitled to is based on your actual expenses, so you may not get the maximum. Here are the current hardship assistance rates for those without a disability designation.
If you have the PWD designation but don’t qualify for disability assistance, you may be entitled to hardship assistance. You’ll receive up to the same support and shelter allowance as a family unit of your size on disability assistance. Here are the current hardship assistance rates for persons with disabilities.
Similarly, if you have the PPMB designation but don’t qualify for PPMB benefits, you may be able to get hardship assistance. You’ll receive the same support and shelter allowance as a family unit of your size getting PPMB benefits. Here are the current hardship assistance rates for those with persistent multiple barriers to employment.
If you qualify for welfare benefits, you may be eligible for additional support in the form of supplements. Supplements are extra money the ministry pays to those on welfare to help them with a particular need. These payments are on top of the support and shelter allowances described above.
Supplements are paid on a case-by-case basis, and each supplement has different eligibility criteria.
Basic medical coverage and health supplements
Everyone receiving welfare in BC qualifies for basic medical coverage. This includes Medical Services Plan benefits and PharmaCare coverage for free prescription drugs. The ministry can apply for you to get basic medical coverage.
You may also qualify for health supplements. These are a separate category of supplements available to those who have certain health needs. Health supplements help pay for a range of health-related costs.
Some supplements help cover nutrition-related expenses. For example, if you have certain dietary needs to help manage a health condition you may be eligible for a diet supplement. There’s also a monthly nutrition supplement, available to those with the PWD designation who have a severe medical condition and are experiencing certain symptoms, to help pay for extra food items and vitamins and minerals.
There are supplements to help pay for a variety of medical services. For example, optical supplements help cover the cost of eye exams and basic eyewear. Dental supplements help pay for dentures, crown and bridge work, and orthodontic services.
The ministry may also provide you with medical supplies and equipment, free of charge. Examples of supplies they may provide include lancets, syringes, and ventilator supplies. Examples of equipment include wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, hearing aids, and lift devices.
Visit the ministry's website for the full list of health supplements available and a table showing who’s eligible.
General supplements help cover a range of additional costs
General supplements help with expenses relating to housing, employment, transportation, family, and more.
For example, the confirmed job supplement helps pay for work-related items you need to start a new job. Housing-related supplements help pay security and pet damage deposits, and cover some moving expenses.
Family- and children-related supplements help cover camp fees and costs associated with children starting school.
A crisis supplement may be available to assist those facing an unexpected need or expense. It provides a one-time payment to prevent imminent danger to the health of the recipient or someone in their family unit.
People with the PWD designation are also eligible for a monthly transportation supplement of $52. You can elect to receive this supplement as cash or as an in-kind bus pass.
For a full list of general supplements, see the ministry’s website.
If you no longer qualify for disability benefits
If you cease to qualify for disability assistance or PPMB benefits for specific reasons, you may still be able to get certain health-related supplements. Through Medical Services Only (MSO), the ministry provides access to specific supplements to former recipients of assistance. This includes supplements to help pay for medical supplies, medical equipment, and infant formula.
If you have the PWD or PPMB designation and you stop receiving benefits, you may qualify for MSO. See the ministry’s website for details.
