September 6, 1996
(Social Services)

Changes to Home Support Program for People with Disabilities

Joan Marie Aylward, Minister of Social Services, met today with advocacy groups for people with disabilities and outlined changes to the Home Support Program for People with Disabilities. The minister said changes were necessary to allow the provision of home support to as many people as possible, while minimizing the impact on current clients and still living within the 1996/97 budget allocation of $16.5 million. She explained that although the budget was increased by $6.3 million this year it would still not be enough to meet the escalating costs of the program. The department has admitted approximately 200 new clients to the program this year and many more are on a waiting list for services.

The minister said: "We are implementing program changes in an effort to accommodate more people than ever before." On July 15, 1996 the department implemented a 10 per cent reduction in home support hours for people who receive more than $500 of services per month but excludes those receiving 24 hours of paid home support services per day. Exemptions may be permitted based on individual assessments.

For the immediate future, the program will be restricted to people requiring emergency services only. A service limit of $3,000 per month will also be implemented for all new admissions. This amount is among the highest in the country and Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province which offers 24 hour home support service. "In an effort to maintain these services, we had to make certain changes," said the minister.

Clients who are currently receiving more than $3,000 per month for home support services will have their cases reassessed and if possible reduced to the service limit. This measure may affect 139 people or 11 per cent of the current caseload. However, these people may be permitted exemptions depending on their individual assessments. It is important to stress that each case is assessed and evaluated on its own merit.

The department will eliminate funding provided to people for the purpose of hiring agencies/individuals to provide the client with administrative services such as cheque writing, employer/employee deductions, and remittances. For the high majority of clients this amounts to less than $50 per month.

The minister said: "We were very pleased we were able to increase this year's budget and admit new applicants without too much disruption to current clients. We will continue to work with advocacy groups, families, and individuals to explore the best options for the provision of quality home support services."

Contact: Glenn Bruce, Director of Public Relations, (709) 729-4062.