The Supplement for Handicapped Children is financial assistance for parents who care for a child under age 18 who has an impairment or a mental function disability that significantly limits him or her in carrying out his or her life habits compared with what is expected for a child his or her age. The expected duration of the disabilities must be for at least one year.

Retraite Québec has a team of health professionals who assess the applications for the Supplement for Handicapped Children. It is made up of physicians, speech-language pathologists, psychologists and nurses.

Eligibility for the Supplement for Handicapped Children is determined based on all the information contained in the child's file. In addition to the information provided by the family who files an application, Retraite Québec’s team of health professionals takes into account all relevant information provided by medical or paramedical sources (contemporary scientific literature, assessment reports and follow-up notes from health professionals, examination results, etc.). Information provided by the school, daycare and psychosocial workers who know the child well is also considered.

Preconditions

Parents must receive Family Allowance for the child concerned by the application for the Supplement for Handicapped Children. If it is not the case, they must file an Application for Family Allowance Payments before sending their application for the Supplement for Handicapped Children or send it at the same time.

The eligibility requirements for the Supplement for Handicapped Children differ from those for other programs, including the programs administered by the Canada Revenue Agency, because they are governed by different laws. Consequently, a child can be eligible for one program without necessarily being eligible for another program.

Eligibility requirements and disabilities

The Supplement for Handicapped Children is governed by the Taxation Act, more specifically by the rules prescribed in the Regulation respecting the Taxation Act.

Additional information

If a child has severe and multiple disabilities, and/or his or her medical condition requires complex medical care at home, he or she could also be eligible for the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care.

Procedure

The document entitled Application for the Supplement for Handicapped Children allows families who are responsible for the custody, care and education of a handicapped child to apply for the Supplement for Handicapped Children.

The document includes:

  • the Application for the Supplement for Handicapped Children:
    • the Parent’s part, which must be completed by the parent;
    • the Professional’s part, which must be completed by the professional (physician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, etc.) who has assessed or treated your child and is most familiar with the child’s condition;
  • the educational report (school or daycare)
  • the Consent Regarding the Release of Medical, Psychosocial and Education-Related Information.

Assistance and information

For more information on financial assistance for handicapped children, visit the Handicapped children section on Retraite Québec website.

For assistance, contact Retraite Québec by telephone or email or the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec.