Traditionally, parents have been expected to provide their children with food, clothing and access to health care. For the parent of a disabled child, it becomes difficult to satisfy all of those expectations. Often a disabled child needs all sorts of special devices, all of which cost money.
The public schools get called on to do their part. Like businesses, schools do have to make certain accommodations. Today, some students get free lunches. Moreover, the government has started paying more attention to the nutritional value of such lunches. Yet despite the introduction of such programs, the parents of a disabled child continue to have added expenses. That is why it helps to have personal injury lawyer in Brampton take care of the injury claim.
The original solution
Among members of the public in Ontario, certain groups have put pressure on the local government. In some regions the parents of disabled children can benefit from creation of an assured income for severely handicapped residents. It serves as a source of money that can be used as a living allowance, a way to cover health benefits or supplementary benefits and a source of added funds for the children of disabled adults.
Unfortunately, the one thing that the assured income did not address related to plans for the future. The parent of a disabled child must plan for the future, for the time when the parents’ help will no longer be available. In the past, some families have sought to address that problem by establishing a trust in the child’s name.
Yet those that established the assured income program did not want money going to families that had a good income, and had ready access to needed funds. The program tried to find some yardstick that could be used for measuring a family’s monetary needs. In an effort to find that yardstick, the program’s administrators focused in on trust funds.
Hence, when first introduced, that program ruled out disbursements to any family that had set up a trust fund. Eventually, that provision came under question, as parents tried to come up with a way to plan for their child’s future. As the parents raised their voices, the administrators of the program listened.
The updated solution
Now the assured income program stands ready to implement changes. It will start allowing families to set up trusts. The program administrators understand that such trusts will get used to provide for the future of a disabled child.
Thanks to the foresight of such administrators, families will no longer have to sacrifice the creation of future planning measures, in order to take care of a child’s present living expenses. The parents’ plans will help a disabled son or daughter to become productive adults, and in that way contribute to society.
