StatsCan links disability severity and accessibility barriers to higher unmet care needs in 2022
More than two-thirds of Canadians with disabilities reported at least one unmet need for essential health supports in 2022, according to Statistics Canada’s new study Factors associated with unmet needs for disability supports.
The finding comes as the federal government begins rolling out the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), a program advocacy groups say offers insufficient relief and excludes many eligible individuals.
The report draws from the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability and identifies persistent gaps in four key support areas: health care services, prescription medication, assistive aids or devices, and help with everyday activities.
According to Statistics Canada, 66.1 percent of persons with disabilities experienced unmet needs in at least one of these areas.
Health care access emerged as the most common gap, with 45.7 percent reporting they lacked or needed more health services.
Unmet needs were highest for physiotherapy, massage therapy or chiropractic treatments (28.7 percent), and counselling services (18.5 percent).
Support for daily living also showed significant shortfalls: 32.7 percent lacked help with everyday activities such as housework or errands, while 22.7 percent reported needing but not having assistive devices.
Financial barriers continue to impact medication adherence.
Statistics Canada reported that 13.5 percent of persons with disabilities either skipped or reduced their medication due to cost.
Of those using prescription medications, 44.2 percent incurred out-of-pocket expenses, with over 41 percent spending more than $500 in the previous year.
According to the report, severity of disability strongly correlates with unmet support.
Individuals with very severe disabilities had nearly four times the odds of lacking assistive aids or help with daily activities, compared with those with mild disabilities.
They also had over double the odds of unmet needs for health services or medication.
Encountering barriers to accessibility further amplified these odds: those facing a high number of environmental or systemic barriers had three to 3.5 times the odds of having unmet needs across all categories of support.
Sociodemographic and well-being factors also played a role.
As per the study, women had greater odds of experiencing unmet needs for health services, medication, and everyday help, while individuals aged 65 and older were more likely to lack assistive devices and support for daily activities.
Those with negative self-rated health, feelings of loneliness, or housebound status consistently reported higher unmet need rates.
Amid these gaps, the Canada Disability Benefit—a six-year, $6.1bn initiative under the federal Disability Inclusion Action Plan—was designed to offer monthly financial support to eligible persons with disabilities.
But as reported by CTV News, many advocacy groups argue the program’s impact is limited.
The maximum monthly amount of $200 is not expected to lift recipients out of poverty.
According to a report by Disability Without Poverty cited by CTV, an individual would need at least 30 percent more income to reach Ontario’s 2024 poverty line of $2,221 per month.
In Alberta, the provincial government will treat the CDB as non-exempt income, offsetting it against provincial disability assistance, resulting in no net benefit for recipients.
Eligibility rules have also drawn criticism.
As reported by CTV, the federal government based qualification for the benefit on eligibility for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), despite opposition from consulted advocacy groups.
Advocates such as Rabia Khedr of Disability Without Poverty stated that many Canadians face barriers completing the DTC application due to a lack of access to a familiar medical professional, associated fees, or the DTC’s stringent criteria.
Trevor Manson from the ODSP Action Coalition echoed concerns that individuals are routinely required to re-prove their disability, adding that persons with mental illness or invisible disabilities often have the hardest time qualifying.
According to CTV, Minister Patty Hajdu’s office said the government chose the DTC as the most efficient mechanism to deliver the benefit “on time” and confirmed ongoing review of the DTC application process.
Toronto resident Leisa Muthra, who lives with sickle cell anemia and is unable to work, told CTV she is waiting seven months for her DTC application to process before she can access the CDB.
After paying rent, she and her daughter live on $583 per month.
“I come from a profession that is very specialty and that is high end. Now I’m sitting here and living on nothing and not very happy about this,” she said. “My illness has taken that away from me.”
