The AISH program, established in 1979, provides financial and health related assistance to eligible adult Albertans with a disability.
"[4] According to the September 2020, Alberta Community and Social Services Open Data report, eligibility to the provincial AISH program's financial and health benefits includes a number of criteria including evidence that the adult Albertan has a severe and permanent disability or disabilities that substantially prevent them from earning a livelihood.
[1] Criteria for determining AISH benefits also includes evaluating the existing income and assets available to the applicant through the client and their cohabiting partner.
[1] Once approved, an AISH beneficiary may have access to financial and health related benefits needed to assist them to live as independently as possible.
[5] This includes most prescription medications, some dental, optical, ambulance, some Alberta Aids to Daily Living (AADL) and transits services, as well as some essential diabetic supplies.
[6][7] AISH benefits include a dental checkup and cleaning every six months, and all necessary fillings; one routine eye exam and a new pair of eyeglasses every two years; about C$41 for people with diabetes who require a special diet; and fees for some ground ambulance service.
Some municipal areas offer transit options for eligible AISH recipients that may include a subsidized monthly pass.
"[8][9] Decision on eligibility is made by the AISH director, based on relevant medical or psychological reports from a qualified health professional(s).
[10] In April 2012, the provincial government clarified limits on the amounts of Employment Income an AISH recipient could receive before a clawback.
In April, the UCP Alberta government announced that a "family receiving AISH benefits would see the first $875 fully exempt from the CERB, but any money over and above that is deducted at a rate of 75 per cent.
In Canada, at 65, individuals become potentially eligible for federal financial supports, such as Old Age Security (OAS), the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), and CPP.
[Notes 2] Then Premier Allison Redford, who won the 2012 Alberta general election, increased AISH monthly benefits by C$400 to C$1,588 in 2012.
[14][10] In 2018, the New Democratic Party (NDP) government, under then Premier Rachel Notley, connected some social benefit rates for financial assistance programs—which included AISH and seniors benefits—to the Consumer Price Index through Bill 26: An Act to Combat Poverty and Fight for Albertans with Disabilities.
[2] The October 24, 2019 provincial budget, tabled by Finance Minister Travis Toews during the Premiership of Jason Kenney, included "cuts to spending programs and the elimination of hundreds of bureaucracy jobs" as well a corporate tax cuts in order to fulfill the United Conservative Party's (UCP) key campaign promises outlined in their 4-year plan to balance the budget.
Along with AISH in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Ontario have basically similar income support for persons with disabilities programs.