[Financial Assistance] Special Needs Assistance for Seniors

Seniors with low-income can get financial assistance to help afford the cost of appliances and specific health and personal supports.

Online services

Make a request online: you can use your MyAlberta Seniors account to provide your Special Needs Assistance for Seniors claims and review your claims history online. This is the fastest option for processing claims and provides you access to benefits without paper documents.

MyAlberta Seniors Account is a free and secure way to access various online government services. Create your account.

Provide documents online: this online option is the easiest way to send your claims, receipts, estimates and updated information to the Special Needs Assistance for Seniors program.

Important dates

The benefit year for the Special Needs Assistance for Seniors program starts July 1 of one year and ends June 30 of the following year.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this program you must:

• be 65 years of age or older
• be an Alberta resident
• be a Canadian citizen or have been lawfully admitted to Canada for permanent residence
• meet financial eligibility criteria
• have provided a Seniors Financial Assistance application

If you or your spouse, or both, have deferred receiving the Old Age Security pension, you are not eligible for Special Needs Assistance for Seniors.

Any expenses you have before your 65th birthday are not eligible for funding. Special Needs Assistance for Seniors does not help with individuals under 65 years of age, including spouses, dependent children and grandchildren.

Income levels for assistance

The maximum assistance available in a benefit year is $5,872 The amount you may be eligible to receive is determined by:

• your accommodation category
• your marital or cohabitation status
• your income – combined with your spouse/partner's income

In general, a single senior with a total annual income of $32,690 or less, or a senior couple with a total combined annual income of $53,800 or less, may be eligible to receive assistance.

Your (and your spouse or partner’s) total income, line 15000 of your previous year’s income tax return(s), is used to determine your eligibility for the current year’s benefits.

Eligible items are funded at primary or secondary income levels.

Eligible items

Special Needs Assistance for Seniors considers specific items that fall into one of the following 3 categories:

• health supports
• personal supports
• appliances or furniture

Your income level determines whether you are eligible for primary or secondary items.

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