Home » Living With Hep C » Financial help in your region

Getting help with costs in your region

Print Page  |  Font Size + -

If you are sick or having trouble finding a job, you may need help paying for food, rent or medicine. There are different programs that can help you with some of these costs. Income assistance, also sometimes called financial assistance or social assistance, is for people who need help paying for these basic needs. If you apply for income assistance, you may want to talk to your case worker about your health and money concerns so they can get you the most help possible.

 
Programs in Yukon

Social Assistance

In Yukon, you can apply for Social Assistance if you need help paying for basic needs such as food, rent, utilities, clothing and medicine. The amount of money you can get every month depends on how much money you make, the size of your family and where you live.

There are two main types of assistance:

  1. General Assistance (money for food, clothing, utilities and rent)
  2. Items of Supplementary Need (money for things like special health-care costs, furniture and moving)

Depending on your situation, you may be able to get both types of assistance. When you receive Social Assistance, you will get help paying for your health-care needs, including prescription drugs and transportation to medical appointments. If you have kids and you need assistance getting child support money to help care for them, you can talk to your case manager to see what programs and services you can apply for. To apply for Social Assistance, you can call your local Social Assistance Office to make an appointment.

If you receive Social Assistance and you are able to work, you can also get help with job training, counselling and finding employment. The Employment and Training Services Unit works with you to help find short-term training programs (less than one year long) that will help you get a job as quickly as possible. You can talk to your case manager about what program may be most helpful.

If you have hepatitis C and you can’t work, you may be able to get extra money every month on top of your regular Social Assistance cheque. This is called the Yukon Supplementary Allowance (YSA). The YSA is for people who either cannot work for at least one year because of a disability or who get Old Age Security (OAS) and need extra money to meet their needs. You can ask your case manager about the YSA to see if you can apply.

If you have a disability or a chronic disease like hepatitis C, you may need more money to help pay for your special health needs. You can talk to your case manager to see if you can apply to get extra money on top of your Social Assistance cheque to help pay for these costs.

If your application for Social Assistance is turned down or you think that the amount of your monthly cheque is wrong, you have the right to challenge the decision by requesting a Review Hearing. You can talk to the supervisor at your local Social Assistance Office to get the forms you need to request a Review Hearing.

 
Programs in Canada

Canada Pension Plan (CPP)

If you’ve worked before in Canada, your employer probably made deductions on your paycheque for Employment Insurance (EI) and CPP. When you retire (usually when you’re 65) you can collect CPP but CPP also has a disability program for people who can’t work because they’re sick.

Programs in Canada

Canada Pension Plan (CPP)

If you've worked before in Canada, your employer probably made deductions on your paycheque for Employment Insurance (EI) and CPP. When you retire (usually when you're 65) you can collect CPP but CPP also has a disability program for people who can't work because they're sick. Click here for more information on how to apply for CPP Disability and remember you have the right to appeal if they say you don't qualify.

Employment Insurance (EI)

EI is a program for people who have stopped working because they were laid off (EI Regular Benefits), had a baby (EI Maternity and Parental Benefits) or are too sick to work (EI Sick Benefits). EI payments cover a shorter period of time and it's for people who have had a job in the last year or so.

Jobs with Benefits

Some jobs come with sick pay or disability benefits that can pay you if you have to stop working. You can ask your Human Resources (HR) department what coverage you have at work. You can also ask about Employment Assistance Programs (EAPs) which help people with short-term counselling or referrals.

Published 2010.