The 25% nobody tells you about

It is a City of Toronto program, run by Toronto Employment & Social Services, that helps low-income residents pay for medically based items and services. For equipment that matters here, it does two things: it pays the 25% that Ontario's Assistive Devices Program leaves behind on wheelchairs and approved scooters, and it funds items ADP does not cover at all, including hospital beds, patient lifts, rollators and bath safety equipment.

Yes. It is a municipal program for residents of the City of Toronto, which includes Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke, East York and York. Brampton, Mississauga, Caledon, Vaughan and Markham are not covered, regardless of income. Peel, York and Halton run their own discretionary benefits, and March of Dimes HVMP is available across Ontario.

For wheelchairs and approved scooters ADP funds 75% of the approved amount, leaving the applicant the last quarter. Toronto's published rule is that people who are not receiving social assistance may qualify for help with health-related expenses, where ADP pays 75% and Toronto Employment & Social Services pays the remaining 25%. For someone on a low income, that difference decides whether the chair happens at all.

Not to the Hardship Fund. If you receive Ontario Works, Emergency Assistance or ODSP you go through your caseworker instead, and you are generally better off: ADP funds 100% rather than 75% for people receiving social assistance. The Hardship Fund exists for low-income residents who fall outside those programs, which is often the working poor and people on a fixed income.

The City states that low-income Toronto residents who are not receiving assistance from Ontario Works, Emergency Assistance or ODSP can apply regardless of their immigration status. If you are a refugee claimant receiving benefits under the Interim Federal Health Program, some items such as incontinence and ostomy supplies must be requested through that program instead.

By telephone. Call the City's Application and Support Centre on 416-338-8888, and for help with the cost of medical items choose option 3, select your language, and follow the prompts. There is no form to download. You will need details of your financial situation, and details plus a cost estimate for the item you need.

No, and this is the mistake that costs people money. The City says plainly that you should apply before paying for any services. Approval is given in advance against a cost estimate; it is not a reimbursement scheme. If you cannot wait, renting is a sensible bridge and we can arrange that in the meantime.

No. The City states that it does not pay for porch and stair lifts or home modifications, and it names March of Dimes and Toronto Renovates as the alternatives. March of Dimes HVMP funds stairlifts, modular ramps, vertical platform lifts, tub cutouts and ceiling track lifts, and its application form treats each as a named category.

No. The City is explicit that it does not fund ceiling track lifts, and directs applicants to March of Dimes or Easter Seals Ontario. Floor lifts are different: electric hoyers, manual lifts, portable lifts, free standing lifts, bath lifts and slings are all on the City's covered list.

Yes, and this matters because ADP does not fund hospital beds at all. The City covers manual and electric hospital beds, therapeutic pressure relief mattresses, rails, wedges, trapeze bars, fall mats, mattress covers and bumper pads, and it covers repairs. The occupational therapist assessment must give the diagnosis, explain why a manual or electric bed is needed, and state whether the bed is required to prevent wounds or skin breakdown.

It varies by item, which is what the lookup on this page is for. Most items need either an occupational therapist assessment or a doctor's prescription with a diagnosis, plus a cost estimate from a vendor. ADP items also need the relevant ADP application form and an estimate from an approved ADP vendor. Bath and toilet aids are the exception worth knowing: they need a home safety assessment from an OT and estimates from two separate vendors.

For most equipment, yes. Hospital beds, lifts, bath and toilet aids, walkers, rollators, transport chairs, threshold ramps and aids for daily living all require an OT assessment. Wheelchairs and scooters accept an assessment from an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist. Ask your family doctor for a referral, or contact Ontario Health at Home for publicly funded OT services.

Yes, but the City does not publish a figure per item. Its guidance repeatedly says it will cover the cost up to a maximum amount, without stating the maximum. That means nobody, including us, can tell you in advance exactly how much will be approved. Call 416-338-8888 and ask about your specific item before you commit to anything.

Then this program does not apply. The City states that there is no funding available through Employment & Social Services for medical benefits or supplies to people residing in institutions, and it names long-term care homes, homes for the aged, jails, convalescent homes, treatment and special care facilities, group homes and chronic care facilities.

Yes, for several categories, but the order matters. A cost estimate must be with the City before any work is done. For hospital bed and mattress repairs, the estimate has to state whether the parts are covered under warranty or whether the warranty has expired. One exception from the City's guidance: it does not pay for lift repairs or batteries for people receiving ODSP.

Often, yes. ADP does not fund walkers or rollators at all, and the City funds both directly on an OT assessment. The same logic covers transport chairs, which ADP excludes and the City funds. Where the City will not help is items ADP is responsible for and has turned down, because the 25% top-up only applies to approved equipment.

We handle the equipment side. We produce the itemised cost estimate the City asks for, complete ADP forms where the item goes through ADP, and work with your occupational therapist so the assessment and the quote describe the same equipment. The financial side of the application is between you and the City, and only they can approve it.

The City does not publish a timeline for the Hardship Fund. What it does say is that ADP can take up to six months to approve a mobility device, so for a wheelchair or scooter the ADP side is usually the longer wait. Items funded directly by the City, such as a bed or a lift, avoid that step entirely.