New Westminster's Member of Parliament Peter Julian has been giving a Disability Tax Credit (DTC) seminar for over ten years. This year's event was attended by over a thousand people and held at Century House in uptown New Westminster on March 16th. Just in time for submitting your income tax, the seminar was informative on a host of tax credits and rebates that are available to many with a disability. Julian stated several times in the seminar that many of these tax credits are not well publicized by the current federal government.

And yet a qualified person could easily receive a thousand dollars a year and could back-date their application up to ten years retroactively. To qualify for the basic DTC you must have your doctor attest that you have a severe or prolonged impairment within ten specific categories. These include vision, speaking, hearing, walking, eliminating (bowl and bladder), feeding, dressing, mental functions needed for everyday life, life-sustaining therapy (such as dialysis) or a cumulative effect of significant limitations.  You can also qualify if you have significant limitations in two or more of these categories. Julian then clarified exactly which kind of medical practitioner would need to complete the form for which specific type of disability. 

There was a lot of information packed into a 40-minute presentation. He let them know where to submit their completed T2201 forms. They were available at the seminar for attendees to pick up. He also walked the audience through the recently added process for applying online. 

There was information for families supporting family members with a disability.  The audience was walked through the process to transfer the DTC to a family member that lives under the same roof as the disabled person. 

The remainder of the seminar looked at other programs a person could qualify for once their DTC eligibility has been established.

Starting in June of this year, those who qualify for DTC will also be able to sign up for the new Canadian Dental Care Plan. Another benefit outlined in the talk was the Registered Disability Savings Plan. This plan helps parents of children with disabilities save for long-term financial security because the contributions will not be included as income for the beneficiary when they begin to withdraw them later in life. Funding is available through either Canada Disability Grants or Canada Disability Savings Bonds. 

For low-income workers who are disabled, the Canada Workers Benefits is a refundable tax credit. It is intended to supplement low-income workers and is tied to the DTC. There is also the Canada Caregiver Credit for spouses and common-law partners of those qualifying for the DTC. For parents of young children there is the Child Disability Benefit if the child is under 18 with a severe or prolonged physical or mental impairment. 

For all of these programs medical expenses can also be claimed. This was outlined in the talk, with a list of what could be included, such as artificial limbs, wheelchairs, hearing aids and more. For a complete list you may want to go to Medical Expenses 2023 on the CRA website.

The seminar went by quickly and was filled with important information for anyone with a disability or who lives with someone who is disabled. Councillor Ruby Campbell, who was at the seminar, stated "This is critically important information for anyone who is disabled or who cares for one. Seminars like this are invaluable to our community."