Province backs off from massive cuts to the AISH program
Programs supporting Albertans living with disabilities took smaller cuts than anticipated in the 2021 provincial budget released Thursday, as the UCP government appeared to back off from previously threatened reductions.
Premier Jason Kenney had hinted at cuts to the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program this year following a provincial review, with an eye toward a possible shift in program eligibility. Nearly 70,000 Albertans with severe disabilities rely on AISH for income to afford basic needs such as food and housing, receiving a maximum of $1,685 per month.
Thursday's budget included funding of $1.36 billion for AISH this year, about $4 million less than what the government forecasted one year ago. The UCP also forecasted an allocation of nearly $1.43 billion to AISH in 2022-23, or roughly $15 million less than it forecasted in 2020 for that fiscal year.
Nearly $1.5 billion would go toward AISH in 2023-24, according to budget estimates released Thursday.
In September, Postmedia revealed the government was considering cuts to the program that wouldn't be “minor in nature,” according to a senior source within Community and Social Services, which operates AISH. Questioned about that report, Kenney said his government would examine eligibility criteria and “the number of people qualifying” for AISH.
Amid widespread backlash, Community and Social Services Minister Rajan Sawhney took to her own social media pages in September to vow AISH benefits wouldn't be cut.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Alberta's most vulnerable citizens the hardest,” Sawhney said in a statement.
“Supports to help people make ends meet, live safely and independently and find employment in their communities are needed now more than ever. I am very pleased that Budget 2021 maintains current levels of support for all Community and Social Services programs to continue to help vulnerable Albertans through this challenging time.”
Last year, the UCP spent roughly $1.33 billion on AISH. The government noted this year's budget builds on that by around $33 million and is the largest budget AISH has ever had.
Both the AISH and Persons with Developmental Disabilities programs have seen temporary lower caseload growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the province. But the UCP'S 2021 budget anticipated a return to pre-pandemic growth rates in the coming year.
The total AISH caseload as of December 2020 was 69,800.
The government said those recipients would continue receiving benefits at the established rates. It added it would also continue looking for ways to streamline program delivery in light of caseload growth and cost pressures.
Thursday's news brought “relief” to AISH recipients like Don Slater, who advocated against potential cuts. He said many AISH clients were expecting the worst.
“As long as the increases meet demand, then that's wonderful news,” Slater said.
“I do feel like we have been heard. Everybody's always on edge in the disabled community because everybody's just always sneaking by in life. What really caused alarm in the community were announcements like, `AISH is for people who are severely handicapped.' It caused a lot of panic because people are always feeling like we're going to get booted off.”
Matt Wolf, the executive director of issues management for Kenney, tweeted in the fall that thousands of people with diagnoses of anxiety and ADHD received AISH coverage and that it was “not unrealistic to look at” the program if AISH “is truly focused on `severe handicaps.'”
Statements like that “hurt” the community, according to Slater.
“When the government makes announcements that minimize the community and their concerns, it causes a lot of unnecessary alarm,” he said. “It just caused us to worry.”
NDP community and social services critic Marie Renaud said she still had concerns.
“They're not very transparent with their plan,” Renaud said. “I certainly am happy to see they didn't slash and burn AISH as many people feared, but the sad reality is even with the 2.5-percent (funding) increase, we know that just isn't enough to meet the caseload growth.”
In late 2019, the government announced the de-indexation of AISH payments from inflation, meaning benefits would no longer increase with the rising cost of living.
Other disability services programs would also see less funding than previously anticipated in coming years, according to new budget estimates. The government plans to allocate $1.3 billion for disability services this year, down about $30 million from last year's forecasts.
The disability services budget forecast for 2022-23 was also down roughly $93 million compared to estimates in last year's provincial budget.