[FEAT BC Admin]

This area is for discussions in general topics.

Topic

[Deleted User]

Jenny

How old is the child you are referring to? Services "free" or not and entitlement sometimes has a lot to do with age too.

My child has had services with several government funded agencies before diagnosis and before the age of 5. Technically after school age they look to the public school to offer and so you better get what you can. Your pediatrician should know more or your friends in this case.

Some developmental delays may also get referred to BC Centre for Ability but also they are limited to 5 and under.

Found this at the SunnyHill website:

The Child Development and Rehabilitation Program at SunnyHill serves children with:

Complex learning and behaviour needs. These examples may include: autism, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), hearing impairment or delayed development. These children may have difficulties with language, learning and/or behaviour. They may also have difficulty with cognitive, sensory, motor, social and/or emotional development. Developmental and Behavioral Services offer care for these conditions.
Conditions primarily affecting physical or motor development. These examples may include: cerebral palsy, children who are non verbal, or children who have difficulty swallowing, children who require mobility assistance, children with visual impairments, children needing adaptive recreation. Neuromotor Services offer care for these conditions.
Identified inpatient needs. The examples include: orthopaedic postoperative needs and acute brain injury rehabilitation. You can find more information in Inpatient Rehabilitation.

How can my child be referred?

When a child with complex needs requires a diagnosis and/or consultation for treatment, the process begins with a written referral from the pediatrician. Following referral, Sunny Hill works with the child’s family and community team members to determine the appropriate involvement of Sunny Hill staff and services. Location of service delivery will also be determined through the process. For further information, contact the intake coordinator.

You may wish to have your friend contact them directly as the staff there are generally really friendly. They usually answer a lot of questions for parents with concerns and may be able to give you more details about what they can do to help your child.

Contact us
Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children
3644 Slocan Street
Vancouver, BC
V5M 3E8
Phone 604-453-8300 / fax 604-453-8301

Hope this helps
Mr. M's mama

[Jenny Miller]

Hello,

I am curious whether anyone knows anything about treatment that Sunnyhill may provide. A friend is waiting for her child's name to come up on the Sunnyhill list and her paediatrician told her that the reason to be involved with Sunnyhill is that her child may receive OT, PT, speech, etc., until age 19 through Sunnyhill if "deemed necessary." I'm assuming the paediatrician meant *free* treatment to have this be any kind of benefit. Has anyone ever heard of this?? I have not heard any parents on this forum or elsewhere mention any free therapies in the area but I wondered if I am missing something before I discourage her from getting an assessment there, especially because her child has developmental issues that are not clearly autism and need the attention of a good team.

Thank you!

Jenny

[Deleted User]

Dear all,

I found this article interesting and thought I would post it up. If anyone of you are self-employed and qualify, I believe this can help you with a good portion of your medical/dental/therapy/psychology/vision/etc receipts reimbursed and a tax benefit to your taxable income.

I will be checking this out because due to single income from my husband, we have not had any kind of health benefits outside of MSP and this may help other families.

For those that have employers, you may want to have a look and discuss with your employer since this also benefits him as well. Please see entire article below:

HEALTH AND WELFARE TRUSTS
AND
PRIVATE HEALTH SERVICES PLANS

“IF YOU ARE SELF-EMPLOYED OR OWN A CORPORATION, BIG OR SMALL, A HEALTH TRUST WILL SAVE YOU HUNDREDS A YEAR IN TAXES”

A health trust is an innovative way to tax-deduct money spent on all healthcare

and dental services. It can be used on its own or in combination with existing group

insurance coverage. With today's rising healthcare and dental costs and aging

population, a health trust is an ideal way to maximize tax-deductibility, customize

flexible benefits and reduce costs.

WHO QUALIFIES

Self-Employed individuals and un-incorporated organizations

Corporations

Self Employed Individuals

The Private Health Services Plan (PHSP) for self employed

individuals was first introduced by Honourable Paul Martin, P.C.,

M.P., and Finance Minister who said in his February 24, 1998 Federal

Budget speech, “The number of self-employed Canadians is growing

daily. Many operate through unincorporated businesses.

However, unlike those businesses that are incorporated, they cannot

deduct premiums they pay for their supplemental health and dental

plans. This is unfair. Starting this year, self-employed Canadians will

be able to deduct these premiums from their business income.”

A private health services plan utilizes the flexibility of

a cost plus account or a health care spending account, coupled with a

catastrophic insurance plan under the guidelines set fourth in the

Income Tax Act. This effectively allows self-employed individuals to

pay for their drug, health, and dental benefits with pre-tax dollars up

to the prescribed government maximums.

The PHSP also allows for piece of mind in knowing that catastrophic

health and drug claims are insured after satisfying the pre-set

deductible. The income tax bulletin 339 R2 defines that in order for

the plan to qualify it must be a plan in the nature of insurance, and it

is the opinion of the Canada Revenue Agency that a Cost Plus

Account or Health Care Spending Account, on a stand alone basis,

does not satisfy the definition above. It is for this reason that when a

self-employed individual establishes a Flexsave PHSP program that

Stop loss insurance is a mandatory feature of the program design.

In addition the government has established annual maximum tax

deductible PHSP limits, and they are as follows;

• $1,500 for the self-employed individual

• $1,500 for the spouse

• $750 per child under the age of 18

• $1,500 per dependent over the age of 18

Example a family consisting of a husband, wife, and 3 children, under

the age of 18, would have the ability to tax deduct up to $5,250

annually.

Self-Employed Individual Tax Example

Agent Dan is a self employed individual and, like most, saw no value in

paying $300/month for an individual Health benefits plan. Instead, Agent Dan uses his after tax income to pay for his family’s healthcare.

Without a PHSP

Taxable Income $35,000
CPP (4.95 or 9.90%) ($3,465)
EI (2.10% to max $819) N/A
Fed/Prov. Taxes (Approx) ($8,803)
———-
Net Income $22,732

Annual Healthcare Expense $3,000
Medical Tax Credit $ 533

Total Taxes + CPP Paid $11,735

With a PHSP

Taxable Income $35,000
PHSP Contribution ($3,000)
PHSP Admin+Taxes ($ 651)
———–
New Taxable Income $31,349
CPP (4.95% or 9.90%) ($ 3,104)
EI (2.10% to max $819) N/A
Fed/Prov. Taxes (Approx.) ($ 6,912)
———–
Net Income $21,633

Total Taxes + CPP Paid $10,016

By establishing a PHSP account and paying his healthcare cost with pre tax dollars,

Agent Dan lowered his Income Tax and the CPP he would normally pay by

$1,719.00

Figures are based on 2005 Marginal Tax Rates and CPP Payment Schedule for

Self-Employed Individuals.

CORPORATIONS

It is common for corporations who wish to self-insure their health and dental plans

to establish a Health and Welfare Trust. A Health and Welfare Trust provides

employees with a heightened level of security by segregating the funds earmarked

for benefits into a the trust and away from the corporation’s general coffers and

business expenses. Health and Welfare Trusts offer significant tax advantages to

both the corporation and its employees. Contributions to a health and welfare trust

, with a PHSP structured within it, from the corporation are tax deductible in the

year they are made, and the benefits are considered tax-free income to the

employee. Corporations can dictate the employee benefit allowances by class which

allows the corporation to accurately budget their annual benefit expenditures,

(Note: that benefits must be fair and equal amongst classes). In order to maintain

this tax-favoured status on health related benefits the plan must established in

accordance to the guidelines outlined in IT85R2 and IT339R2. In addition funds

placed on deposit by a corporation cannot revert back to the corporation or be used

for any other purposes other than providing health and welfare benefits for which

contributions are made.

In Province Medical / Travel Medical coverage

This addition of coverage is required for unincorporated and self-employed entities

to comply with Canada Revenue Agency and satisfy the "Element of Risk"

component of PHSP/Health Trust. Lack of this "Element" could invalidate your

account.

If you and/or your covered dependents require medical or surgical treatment in

your own province of residence, this plan will pay for the following covered

expenses after you have satisfied the deductible. Please note that each covered

expense is subject to a maximum of $25,000 per calendar year per accident or

sickness.

Deductible:
$1,500 for Single Coverage

$3,000 for Couple Coverage

$4,500 for Family Coverage

Covered Expenses

Semi-private hospital room & board
Private Nursing
Prescription drugs, sera (eg. Insulin), vaccines (obtained only by a written prescription)
Ambulance (including air)
Services of licensed practitioners, including chiropractor, podiatrist, osteopath, masseur, psychologist and speech therapist, to a maximum of $25 per visit per practitioner, and subject to an overall maximum of $25,000.

Out of Province Travel Medical

When you and/or your covered dependents require medical or surgical treatment

outside of your own province or residence, this plan will pay for the following

covered expenses, to a maximum of $1,000,000.

Covered Expenses

Semi-private hospital room & board (to a maximum duration of 12 months)
Hospital charges for out-patient services
Private Nurse (prescribed by a physician) to a maximum of $5,000 per accident or sickness
Prescription drugs, sera (eg. Insulin) and vaccines (available only by written prescription)
Charges for Physiotherapy to a maximum of $1,000 per accident or sickness
Ambulance (including air) to a maximum of $1,000 per accident or sickness
Expenses for blood plasma, whole blood or oxygen, x-rays and laboratory examinations
Rental or purchase of casts, cervical collars, crutches, trusses, splints and braces
Artificial limbs, eyes or other prosthetic appliances to a maximum of $2,000 per calendar year
Expenses for medical care and surgical procedures performed by a physician
Services of licensed practitioners, including chiropractor, podiatrist, osteopath, masseur, psychologist and speech therapist, to a maximum of $25 per visit per practitioner, and subject to an overall maximum of $25,000.
Emergency dental treatment to a maximum of $2,000.
Repatriation to a maximum of $3,000
Emergency Air Transportation (including stretcher accommodation and an attendant)
Family transportation and accommodation
Return or vehicle
Access to International SOS Assistance program
Anesthesia
Premium breakdown

Note that the Out of Province Travel Medical is included with the In Province Medical coverage.

The costs of these benefits are:

Annual
PAD

Single
$85.44
$7.55

Couple
$162.84
$14.38

Family
$209.16
$18.48

(Coverage selected must have a deductible equal to the Account maximum benefit. If the Account maximum is $4,500, then select Family coverage.)

Frequently Asked Questions about a Private Health Services Plan (PHSP) and a Health and Welfare Trust (H&WT)?

Q.: What is a PHSP/H&WT)?

A.: A Private Health Services Plan ( PHSP) for self employed individuals and a Health and Welfare Trust for Corporations is a Canada Revnue Agency approved plan designedwith strict adherence to the guidelines set forth in Revenue Canada Agency’s (CRA) Income Tax Bulletin – IT 339 R2. The plan adheres to the CRA Guidelines of both IT 339 R2, and IT 85 R2.

Q.: What is the maximum allowable annual deduction for self employed individuals?

A.: Since 1998 Self- Employed individuals have been allowed to tax deduct the cost of a PHSP up to a prescribed limit of $1,500 for themselves, $1,500 for their spouse, and $750 per child under age 18, and $1,500 per dependent over age 18.

Q.: What is the maximum allowable annual deduction for incorporated companies?

A.: Corporations are not regulated in the same manor as Self-Employed individuals in regards to set limitations, Corporations have been granted the right to decide the employee’s annual benefit allotment by class. While they haven’t been regulated on dollar amounts, CRA has indicated that benefits should be reasonable within relation to the employee’s remuneration package.

Q.: What are the taxation rules governing a PHSP/H&WT?

A.: Both a PHSP and a H&WTqualifies as a “cost-plus” or “trust account” Private Health Services Plan. The premiums paid to a PHSP by an employer are business expenses deductible against business income. The amounts are non-taxable benefits to the employees. This obligation is implied by enrolling in a PHSP/H&WT program.

Q.: What expenses qualify for reimbursement with PHSP/H&WT?

A.: The Expenses must qualify for reimbursement for an “eligible medical expense” as defined under subsection 118.2(2) of the income tax act( or IT 519 R2), which includes many items not covered by most traditional medical and dental insurance plans.

Q.: What happens if one of my employees or their family members become catastrophically injured or ill?

A.: For Corporations H&WTgenerally provides coverage for expenses up to the limit funded by the employer within the programs plan design, however employers can implement a Catastrophic, Stop Loss insurance to protect their employees. For self employed individuals, Stop Loss insurance is a mandatory requirement in-order to satisfy the “Acts in the nature of insurance” definition as listed in paragraph 3, subsection 2of IT 339 R2. HUB has partnered with Citadel General Insurance to provide a health and drug catastrophic stop loss in both these situations.

Q.: What are the costs associated with a PHSP/H&WT?

A.: There is a one time setup fee of $200, in addition, there is per claim standard administration fee of 10% + applicable federal and provincial taxes.

Q.: Can I expense Provincial Health Care premiums through my PHSP/H&WT program?

A.: Provincial Health Care premiums cannot be expensed through a PHSP/H&WTprogram. However, premiums that an employee or their spouse pays towards private, extended health and dental plans can be reimbursed through PHSP/H&WT program.

Q.: My spouse has a group insurance plan at work, do I need one myself?

A.: Many people may be covered by a spousal plan, but they can still benefit from a PHSP/H&WTplan. Traditional group insurance generally has deductibles, co-insurance, and benefit caps on important coverage, or they exclude important coverage. A PHSP/H&WT plan offers the flexibility of being able to expense theses items that you currently pay with after tax dollars.

Q.: After my claim is made, how soon can I expect reimbursement?

A.: Your claims will be reimbursed directly to your bank account via electronic fund transfer within 2 to 5 business days.

Q.: Can I qualify if my health is poor?

A.: Unlike many insurance based programs, there are absolutely no health declarations or medical exams to be able to participate in a PHSP/H&WTprogram.

[Tyla Frewing]

This is a reminder about the FEAT of BC workshop coming up on February 9th at the University of Victoria. Please register soon, as space is limited to 50 people!!

FEAT of BC Autism Behavioral Therapist Training Workshop at the University of Victoria.

Mark your calendars! FEAT of BC is presenting a one-day workshop in the basics of applied behavior analysis and discrete trial instruction, at the University of Victoria, Victoria, BC.

Workshop location: University of Victoria,
David Strong Building (DSB). Room C112.

Workshop Date: Saturday, February 9th, 2008

Time: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm; in addition to a morning coffee break, time is
available to purchase lunch.

Registration: The registration form can be found at: http://www.featbc.org/downloads/abtw.pdf
Please reserve early — space is limited to 50 people.

Cost: $30 per person (parking is $6.00 per day)

Topics to Be Covered:
• the core elements of discrete trial instruction
• the importance of and key issues in using reinforcement
• when and how to prompt
• the process of teaching from introduction to mastery
• issues of professionalism and confidentiality
• the process of accurate data collection

Who Can Benefit From This Workshop?
• present and potential behavioural therapists
• classroom assistants
• aides or other individuals interested in working with children
with autism spectrum disorders
• parents of children with autism spectrum disorders

About the Workshop Presenters:
Tyla Frewing and Danielle Eeuwes are both Program Coordinators with a broad range of experience in the behavioural treatment of children with autism. Together their experience includes training numerous new therapists, overlapping and providing ongoing training for established teams, training and overlapping with school aides, working as school aides, designing individualized data collection methods, training and overlapping senior instructors as well as providing ongoing training for senior instructors, leading training workshops and overlapping junior instructors.

[Norm Tailless]

Another TAX Question – Line 318

When I filed our taxes last year with our T2201 Disability Certificate, they sent me a letter telling us how much child tax credit we get etc. They noted that I had not put anything in Line 318 and told me how I could re-file etc.
This was pretty nice of them of course!

But I can't figure out who can claim line 318 (Disability amount transferred from a dependant). I thought a "dependant" had to be an adult. Can I claim it for a 6 year old?

Thanks!

tailatrophy at yahoo dot ca

By the way, for those who asked before about Disability Tax Credit Certificate:

We had no problem getting it with a simple application (form T2201) through "normal" routes for our verbal Asperger son. The psychologist who diagnosed him and had done it before filled it for us and we sent it in.

[Cathy Fitzhugh]

Dear FEATers,

I Need Taxes Advice and Help!

Recently attending the North Shore Lecture, I realized that for years I have NOT been making any Medical Claims.

I am now feeling very foolish and am totally confused about what needs to be claimed Federally, and what should be claimed Provincially.

Is there anyone out there who has been doing this for a while that can help me document everything properly and get started on the right track?

I'd be so grateful.

E-mail me at scissorhappy at shawmail.com
or call me at 604-709-6003

Thank you,
{Cathy}

[Deleted User]

Amber
I have therapy (ABA) for my son starting soon and I can't believe that this is the first time I am smiling and happy about it.

But yes…we do often feel cheated and ripped off so finding the right person to diagnose accurately is quite a journey in itself. But as I have posted in the past, it is this hard work and the peserverance that I honestly believe every single one of our children will remember.

There will be times where dishes are not done every meal or the laundry drags on for a week (at most I hope) or even the spouse goes a little astray here and there but it is because of our LOVE for our child(ren) that we will never give up.

I used to feel sad about the "label" that the public school system so affectionately refer to this process – NOT.

But during this time I have learned many things about Mr. M and I have read many more from postings from people like Mr. P's dad that have made me cheer us on.

What is important is that you are fighting not for a mere label but in actual reality an opportunity to give your child a chance at the world and for them to have a right to be respected for who they are.

The blinders people put on at the name autism or special needs really disgusts me because who was the One that decided that they are "different".

Truly the stuff and the IQ tests that we have gone through shows me a real pure mind and a very brilliant one at that inside Mr. M. He has taught me a thing or two on the world I tell you.

I love the fact that Mr. M loves being who he is and he is not afraid to be who he is. In fact he likes to tell people that he is on the spectrum because he is special. I say he is not ASD (autistic spectrum disorder) but Absolutely Special and Dynamic!!

The journey is long my friend but there are many companions along the way. I will email you privately to share my info and feel free to chat with me anytime. I am making my next and most important career change in life.

I am advocating for those who cannot speak up for themselves and I am determined to help as many as I can. Knowledge is power my friend, knowledge is power.

Regards,
Mr. M's biggest fan and mama

[Amber Armstrong]

Thanks to everyone for their responses and wisdom. I truly appreciate it. This is one of the toughest things I have ever had to deal with. Its really hard fighting for something you really really don't want (ASD diagnosis) while looking after my boys and giving what little I have left to my marriage- I have heard that a lot of marriages don't make it through this nightmare.

I am glad I found FEAT. Anyone who wants to chat or share their experience/advice please feel free to email me amber 81 @ gmail . com (no spaces )

[Deleted User]

Jenn

Thx for posting your story. It is really important for Amber and any new members on board to know ALL the truth of this sad sad scenario of diagnosis.

My personal experience leads me to believe that FHAN (which is Fraser Health Autism Network) when I was in touch with them but now changed to Fraser Health Assessment Network), is paid by the government and not by us so they will try to put the cases that are hard to diagnose into the "if" pile and then drag it on. The only person that did not see the "autistic features" during our session was the psychologist on their team. After we begged them we then went to BCAAN which is BC Autism Assement Network, I believe) with a home video of our child to prove that he IS autistic.

At the end of the day our child is just another file number to these people but in either autism or no autism it is life altering for us.

It is sad because when your hopes and dreams come to a bit of a halt then you have to rise up and fight the system that your child IS on the spectrum. That is disgusting to me and I will never understand that.

p.s. I believe since the funding is drastically reduced when you are over 6 years old so that is why most people are left to wait. By making the cases where the child is hard to diagnose wait for next year and then another year, by the time they get the money it is not $12,000/annual but $6,000/year.

I was going to be on a possible wait list to for my son to be reassessed in 2008 and I started trying to get my pediatrician to realize he is in need. My pediatrician (I stopped seeing him in 2003) took my case and pulled my file out and wrote SunnyHill saying that they do not need to do assessment based on his (pediatrician) view that because my son is verbal he is not autistic.

By the way, SunnyHill pushed all the cases from Burnaby, Tri-cities and beyond to the Fraser Health Authority which runs FHAN. BCAAN is the authority over FHAN and that is who you have to seek if you do not agree with their diagnosis.

OK…hope this helps. I have more to share but one posting could not finish sharing all the terrible people we have dealt with.

Our compliments to Dr. Melvin deLevie of Vancouver and Dr. Keith Marriage of Children's Hospital, Psychiatry dept. They are the ones rooting for our kids because they care about the results of our child's ADI-R and ADOS tests.

Like I said, if I know what I know now I would not have tried to do diagnosis with FHAN. But I was fortunate I did not have to pay for my alternate assessment privately done.

I believe you can too. I can email you the names of contacts I went through if you want to persue them.

Regards,
Mr. M's mama

[Jenn Ralph]

To Amber and all others in similar positions:

I will share what happened to us in the hopes that you will save time and your children will get treatment sooner….

We waited about 8 months to get into Sunnyhill (which they now call FHAN I assume) for a diagnosis. Thankfully, someone suggested earlier to get private diagnoses, which we did, but everyone we saw (child psychologist, paediatricians) either said not to do ABA outright or downplayed it significantly, even though they all agreed my daughter had autism. The child psychologist (not from ABLE clinic by the way) told us not to do ABA but to do "play therapy" with her, in her office, 3 times a week (at $150/hour with no data supporting…hmm).The doctor at Sunnyhill verbally told us not to do ABA ("too harsh for our child") and said speech therapy was her greatest need and to get on wait lists. This, after he diagnosed her with autism disorder w mild to moderate mental retardation. (By the way, I have yet to see any controlled studies showing quanitfiable improvement from speech therapy, not to mention the fact that he would have known that even if we got speech therapy, it would not be intensive intervention! So if you ask me, he broke his hippocratic oath of "First, do no harm". I can't believe this is still going on – they should have their medical licenses taken away from them…). We then waited..waited…on these wait lists for community based speech therapy and OT (which my child actually never really needed) – we didn't know any better at this point – what parent does? – which would translate into an hour or two a week if that, once you finally got to the top of the list.

Thankfully, we found FEAT through other parents(though not from any of the doctors, SLP's, OT's, "Supported Child care" or MCFD social worker – the list goes on – everyone purportedly in "autism support services") and started our ABA program, albeit 9 months later than we could of, and we have NEVER looked back! It was the turning point where all of our lives changed for the better.

So my advice to you, is:

1. Get the diagnosis the fastest way possible (that's probably privately), to get the funding as soon as possible, to start the ABA program as soon as possible. Despite what SO MANY people will tell you…THIS IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE YOUR PRIORITY, and it needs to be 40 hours/week.

2. Get on wait lists now for consultants – there are more children than qualified ABA consultants.

3. Use the experiences of those with many years of knowing who is who and who is qualified – the families who are on this chat board. You can post a question eg. "if anyone has feedback about Joe Smith, contact me at_____". That is what this forum is for…

Knowing that the situation has not improved that much since we went through it 5 years ago…it still makes me so mad – and sad for our children. But there is hope, and it is in getting evidence based treatment- and it is called ABA. It is worth every minute and every cent. You will see.

[Author]

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