Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
Deleted User
MemberA CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Do you like to work with kids? Are you fun-loving, full of energy and love to share some laughs?
We are a family in North Burnaby (Brentwood Mall) area and we are excited to bring on enthusiastic people to our home team.
The shifts will be 3 to 4 sessions a week and will be 2.5 to 3 hours long. Training will be provided and a commitment of 1 year is appreciated. If you like our son and work well with this position, it may turn into a full time position at his school.
Our 7 year old is a very happy, gentle and full of laughs. His interests are the Australian Open (tennis) and famous ships like Titanic and the USS Arizona (PearlHarbor).
Our consultant is Kathryn Theroux from the well-established Able Clinic and she is going to be leading you into a rewarding career of making a BIG difference in this little boy's life. We encourage anyone interested in this opportunity and can make that difference to apply to : bubblepiggy2@hotmail.com
*************************MemberA CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Do you like to work with kids? Are you fun-loving, full of energy and love to share some laughs?
We are a family in North Burnaby (Brentwood Mall) area and we are excited to bring on enthusiastic people to our home team.
The shifts will be 3 to 4 sessions a week and will be 2.5 to 3 hours long. Training will be provided and a commitment of 1 year is appreciated. If you like our son and work well with this position, it may turn into a full time position at his school.
Our 7 year old is a very happy, gentle and full of laughs. His interests are the Australian Open (tennis) and famous ships like Titanic and the USS Arizona (PearlHarbor).
Our consultant is Kathryn Theroux from the well-established Able Clinic and she is going to be leading you into a rewarding career of making a BIG difference in this little boy's life. We encourage anyone interested in this opportunity and can make that difference to apply to : bubblepiggy2@hotmail.com
*************************MemberA CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Do you like to work with kids? Are you fun-loving, full of energy and love to share some laughs?
We are a family in North Burnaby (Brentwood Mall) area and we are excited to bring on enthusiastic people to our home team.
The shifts will be 3 to 4 sessions a week and will be 2.5 to 3 hours long. Training will be provided and a commitment of 1 year is appreciated. If you like our son and work well with this position, it may turn into a full time position at his school.
Our 7 year old is a very happy, gentle and full of laughs. His interests are the Australian Open (tennis) and famous ships like Titanic and the USS Arizona (PearlHarbor).
Our consultant is Kathryn Theroux from the well-established Able Clinic and she is going to be leading you into a rewarding career of making a BIG difference in this little boy's life. We encourage anyone interested in this opportunity and can make that difference to apply to : bubblepiggy2@hotmail.com
*************************MemberAndrew and Praveena,
I heard from one of my friends with a son that is classic autism – they just needed a letter written by their pediatrician and brought that with them to the airport, Disney etc.
Not sure where they get the "pass" you are referring to but hope this helps.
does your child need the letter though? We thought about it for our travelling but we usually try to book trips that are pretty laid back. We can go with his flow and if he is not wanting a lot of things in one day then we just
spend the day at a certain exhibit/museum or we
just do what he likes.No matter how laid back it is so long as he is happy then we are able to have a good vacation. It is important to bring them out to these different places so they can enjoy the same things all kids do but try to have a flexible schedule.
We did a repositioning cruise (not round trip) in the pacific coast and it was great. We flew to LA and then came back to VCR by boat. The cost was minimal and we could do as much or as little as we wanted. It was perfect. That is all he can handle so we just book 3-4 day trips at a time.
Hope my experience with our son helps.
MemberHey all, just wanted to pass on that there is a new show on CTV called Eli Stone, involves a family with a boy with ASD and their lawsuit against a company claiming that a flu shot caused his ASD, protrayed as intelligent, speaks very little and in the first sene he was in he said there are over 500,000 words in the english language and then they show the blocks he is stacking with hundreds of words spelled out in a room full of blocks! Interesting…..
MemberJenny
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 childs 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 604-453-8301Hope this helps
Mr. M's mamaMemberDear 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 PLANSIF 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 familys 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 $22,732Annual Healthcare Expense $3,000
Medical Tax Credit $ 533Total 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 $21,633Total 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 corporations 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 breakdownNote that the Out of Province Travel Medical is included with the In Province Medical coverage.
The costs of these benefits are:
Annual
PADSingle
$85.44
$7.55Couple
$162.84
$14.38Family
$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 Agencys (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 employees annual benefit allotment by class. While they havent been regulated on dollar amounts, CRA has indicated that benefits should be reasonable within relation to the employees 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.
MemberAmber
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 mamaMemberJenn
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 mamaMemberAmber
Smart that you are not going through FHAN. Not only do they take long but often if the child is not easy to diagnose then it will be a very difficult and long process.
I went through FHAN and two private assessments myself. I did not pay! If you want to know more or anyone else on the board, email me privately and I will share my true story of my son's assessment process.
yipee@shaw.ca
** BTW, Ron Schmidt is a wonderful psychologist and I think he will do a great job should you persue Able's services. Do you plan on doing therapy?Don't wait to get diagnosis in to line up. Get on waiting list for behavioral consultants and interventionist first. That's is what I learned because most wait list are 3-18 months long depending on what is available and how good they are. By the time you get a diagnosis and if he is on the spectrum you are ready to go the next step.
However if he is not on the spectrum and does not have autism then you can always call to cancel the spot. Does that make sense?
Anyways looking forward to your email so I can share my private assessments. My diagnosis started in May 2005 and took me till July 2007 so some of the info may help you avoid the things I was not made aware of.
Take care.
Mr. M's mama -
AuthorPosts