The Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care is financial assistance paid to parents who care for a child under age 18 who is in one of the following situations:

Situation A

The child is aged 2 and over and has physical impairments or a mental function disability causing severe and multiple disabilities that prevent him or her from carrying out the life habits of a child of his or her age.

Expected duration of the disabilities: at least one year

Situation B

The child is between ages 0 and 18 and requires complex medical care at home for which parents have received training at a specialized centre in order to learn the specific techniques for using the required equipment. The care must be administered by the parents. They must also be able to respond to any potentially life-threatening change in their child's clinical condition.

Expected duration of the care: at least one year

Situation C

The child is under age two and is in one of the following situations:

  • he or she has a severe chronic established illness, without known treatment and also has:
    • severe, multiple and persistent disabilities, including very severe motor disabilities;
    • significant and persistent daily symptoms that require several complex medical care;
  • he or she has a neurogenetic, congenital or metabolic disease, without known treatment that limits his or her life expectancy to childhood and is associated with very significant symptoms from the first months of life due to severe, multiple and persistent disabilities.

The Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care is an amount that is added to the Supplement for Handicapped Children. It is intended to increase the financial support granted to parents to help them provide for a child who is seriously ill or has very severe disabilities. The parents must assume extraordinary responsibilities in administering care to the child and ensuring the child's safety.

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

Eligibility for the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care is determined based on all the information contained in your 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 from medical or paramedical sources (contemporary scientific literature, assessment reports and follow-up notes from health professionals, examination results, etc.). Information from the school, daycare and psychosocial workers who know your child well is also considered.

Tiers

The Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care has two tiers of eligibility. Depending on the severity of the child's condition and age, he or she may be eligible for either Tier 1 or Tier 2.

The eligibility requirements are stricter for Tier 1 than for Tier 2. That is why a higher amount is granted for Tier 1 than for Tier 2.

Preconditions

The child's family must receive for him or her:

If you are not receiving Family Allowance for the child, you must file an Application for Family Allowance before sending us your application for the two supplements for handicapped children (Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care and the Supplement for Handicapped Children) or send them at the same time.

You can apply for the Supplement for Handicapped Children and the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care in a single step by completing a simultaneous application. Retraite Québec must first determine whether your child is eligible for the Supplement for Handicapped Children before assessing the child's eligibility for the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care.

Eligibility requirements and disabilities

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

Eligibility for the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care is determined based on defined requirements. It is not based on diagnosis alone. The requirements take into account one or several of the following elements:

  • the presence of severe and multiple disabilities;
  • the severity of the child's disability (severity of the limitations in carrying out his or her life habits based on his or her age);
  • the need for complex medical care.

Procedure

The document entitled Application for the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care allows families who assume extraordinary responsibilities regarding the care and safety of a child who has severe and multiple disabilities, and/or whose medical condition requires complex medical care to apply for the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care.

The document includes:

  • the Application for the Supplement for Handicapped Children Requiring Exceptional Care
  • 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.