Alberta Seniors Benefits: Top 2 of Them

To live a happy and good life, our lovely older ones need to be financially secure. Luckily, many provincial governments of Canada set some financial benefits plans for them.

The Alberta Seniors benefits program helps older people to live a happy retired life.  These benefits give good support to the retired persons of the country, helping them lead a great post-retirement life.

1. Let’s Know the Details of Alberta Senior’s Benefits

Every old person wants to live a happy life after retirement from a job. Mainly in Alberta, different kinds of seniors financial assistance programs are set by the Alberta government. Therefore, it helps seniors to have a tension-free life after retirement and also be financially secure.

There are various seasons of retirement communities available in Alberta. These communities provide seniors with multiple options for living a great future. The government of Alberta takes great care of older persons.

From this article, you will have a detailed idea about the multiple benefits provided by Alberta to seniors.

At the time of retirement, your older one may have some individual requirements. The retirement age of your older one may not be fulfilled with provincial coverage.

Therefore benefits providers offer a wide range of plans to complement government coverage. Besides this, a supplementary accommodation benefit is also provided by the government.

This benefit helps qualified seniors who stay in a nominated supportive living or any long-term care provision. But this care provision must be with monthly accommodation charges.

Now let us discuss what is Alberta Seniors Benefit, requirements to apply, and steps needed to follow during applying.

1.1 About Alberta Seniors Benefit

The Alberta seniors benefit program or plan is proposed by the government of Alberta. This benefit provides great financial assistance to seniors.

Through this program, Alberta seniors get paid a monthly stipend from the government. However, the stipend amount is based on certain factors such as marital status, accommodation, income and much more.

1.1.1 Requirements to Apply for Alberta Senior’s Benefits

Only eligible seniors can apply for Alberta senior benefits program. Therefore, the necessary things required to meet the conditions to apply for Alberta Senior’s benefits, are listed below

1. The age of applying person must be at least 65 years.
2. A person must have to reside in Alberta for a minimum of three months.
3. Must need to be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of the country.
4. Also, need to be a recipient of Old Age Security or OAS payouts.

Despite, these requirements some specific income conditions need to be met. Later, the officials will take a look at whether your older loved one’s income from last year helped them to qualify for the benefits or not.

1.1.2 Steps Need To Follow for Applying Alberta Seniors Benefits Scheme

After meeting all the above requirements, the monthly benefit payments of your older folk will be decided. As soon as the payment is decided, the steps need to follow to get the payment are listed below

1. Fill out the Form of Seniors Financial Assistance Application. To complete the step follow the given steps below

• Fill out the estimated income form. If your older one is applying for the Alberta Seniors benefit for the first time or if your older person’s income from last year is less than required. Then this form needs to be filled out.
• Next, fill out the income information form. This form is required to fill out if your older one has not filled out their income tax return for the last year.
• Fill out the direct deposit form. This form is eligible for your older ones if they want to receive their monthly stipend by bank transfer.
• Promise to administer benefits and also incapability certificate.
• Finally, the last part of the first step is representative of authorization. This form is required, if your older one wants someone else to act for them and to take care of their Alberta Seniors Benefit program.

2. Next, the step is to submit a valid photocopy and also documents for identification verification. Documents to submit for identification verification like driving license, birth certificate, passport, etc.

3. Finally, step three is to submit the application form. By two ways you or your older one can submit the form. The first process is to submit online, through the official website of the Alberta Seniors Financial Assistance portal or send the application by mail.

The top 2 Alberta senior benefits programs are discussed below

2. Extended Health Benefits by Alberta Blue Cross

Alberta Blue Cross financial assistance group aims to provide health-related services to older persons. The facilities include dental and optical assistance for seniors, massage therapy, physiotherapy and much more.

The person needs to be consistent with other financial support of the government. However, your older one must meet the income conditions to apply for Alberta Blue Cross Alberta Blue Cross your older one has to meet the income conditions.

To apply for a dental financial assistance program, there is a provision for basic dental coverage. The coverage has a tune of 5000 dollars, for every fan’s gap.

Things that are included in this dental service are examination of teeth, scaling or rooting planning, fillings of gaps in the teeth, extractions, root canals and also dentures.

While the optical assistance for Seniors program provides up to 230 dollars in the financial assistance benefit. With this amount your older one can buy eyeglasses as per the prescription on every 3 years.

This benefit also provides the service of annual optometry checkups for older persons. Therefore, these are all the benefits included in the optical assistance for Seniors benefits.

However, your older one needs to contact the Social and Health Service Department, to know whether they can apply for Alberta Blue Cross Health benefits.

If they said that your older one can apply for the benefit then, you have to find out the process of applying.

3. Benefits of Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Program

Another major offering of Alberta seniors benefit is the Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Program. In short, it is also known as SHARP.

This service gives people to get home loans at a low-interest rate. The Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Program provides equity loans to help older persons, do maintenance of their homes, and repair and renovation fees. 

These repairs and maintenance help older persons to enhance the efficiency of energy at home. And also this benefit helps to improve the house owner’s life quality.

Screenshot from Alberta.

The maximum loan amount a person can get from this program is 40,000 dollars. This loan can be paid by the house owner during the sale of the house or maybe in another way at any time.

However, the Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair scheme is very important to check out that monthly payment is not needed.

3.1 Things Necessary to Apply for Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Scheme

To apply for this program your older person needs to pass some basic criteria. The required criteria are listed below

1. The age of the applying person must be more or equal to 65.
2. The person must reside in Alberta for at least three months.
3. Applying individuals must have their residential property in Alberta.
4. The annual household income of the person must not exceed the limit of 75000 dollars.
5. An individual should have held at least 25% equity in their house.
6. In the case of property qualification, individuals need to qualify for a grant. However, the grant is only applicable if your loved one property is their primary residence.
7. Annual income for a single senior will not increase by 29,630 dollars.
8. For a senior couple, the combined annual income should not increase by 48,120 dollars.

It is good to mention that, low-income seniors are not eligible for the Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair program. However, low-income seniors can apply for SHARP grants.

The SHARP grants are also a program provided by the Alberta government.

3.2 Procedure To Apply for Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Scheme

In case your older one wants to apply for this program then, they need to fill up the application form for the Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair scheme. As soon as the form fill-up is complete they need to proceed to mail the signed form, to the office of SHARP.

The steps need to follow for the Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair benefit are

1. Visit the official website.
2. Read the information given carefully.
3. Sign the application form and agreement form. Don’t forget to include the supporting information of your application.
4. Finally, along with your complete signature, mail your application form.

The mailing address of the Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair program is PO Box 1050 STN Main Edmonton in Alberta. The postal code is T5J 2M1.

As soon as the mail reaches the Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair program office, their staff will check your details. Later, if required they might call you for more information.

After the completion of the review, you will get a written notice of your eligibility status. For the repayment of the loan, your old one doesn’t need to pay a certain amount monthly.

3.3 Seniors Home Adaptation and Repair Program Repayment Process

Your old individual can choose the time of repayment by themselves. However, at some specific conditions, the amount automatically gets due. The conditions are

1. When your older one sells the house.
2. Your older individual is not a registered owner anymore.
3. Thirdly, the house is not your older individual primary residence any more.

4. Other External Alberta Seniors Scheme

Except for these facilities, Alberta seniors get some more benefits as well. The two other benefits provided by Alberta are

4.1 Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program

The Senior Property Tax Deferral Program gives your older one home equity loans at a low-interest rate. This service allows the older one to defer all and also some portion of their property tax payment.

The government of Alberta supports older individuals who are eligible, by paying their residential property taxes directly. However, the beneficiaries have to pay their loan when they sold their house or before if they can.

4.2 Special Needs Assistance for Seniors

Another great benefit is provided to seniors by the government of Alberta. This is a one-time payout plan for seniors.

Therefore, this plan helps older ones to cover their health, personal household and also other household expenses. The maximum amount an older beneficiary can get from this scheme is 5,105 dollars, on each payment period.

Despite, these benefits the recipient will also get an extra amount of 100 dollars for continuous six months. This payment has already started from January to June.

4.3 Special Offerings

The government of Alberta has also guaranteed 100 dollars monthly payment to seniors, whose income is less than 180,000 dollars per annum.

This benefit will also apply to vulnerable people who get Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped or AISH, income support, disability payments or seniors benefits.

The Canadian government issued an order for a one-time payment of 500 dollars. It will be provided to old-age security recipients whose age is more than 75 or equal.

However, this payment will not affect determining the Alberta seniors’ financial assistance programs. To get more information about the payment you can contact their official number 1-800-277-9914.

5. Things Available in Alberta’s Seniors Package

Package of Alberta’s senior benefits include

1. Albertans whose age 65 years or more will get older premium-free coverage for prescription drugs.

6. How The Benefits are Set

If your older one is a single senior then, income will not to more than 29,630 dollars per annum. While in the case of senior couples, their combined income will not be more than 48,120 dollars.

The older ones whose income has a full Old Age Security pension are also eligible for the program. Therefore, the steps by which your Alberta senior’s benefit amount will determine are

1. The combined income of both older husband and wife.
2. If you are getting the federal old age security pension.
3. Category of accommodation.
4. Marital status.

 Period to Apply for Alberta’s Seniors Benefits:

The older ones who are eligible for Alberta seniors benefit can apply up to 30th June 2023. According to the Affordability Action Plan, Alberta Seniors Benefit grow up to 6% in 2023.

Conclusion

The Alberta government provides good benefits to the older Canadian citizen. These benefits include almost everything. Older ones can get dental, house, security pension, health checkup facilities and much more.

Meeting some conditions allows your older one to apply for the Alberta Seniors benefit. This plan provides them with good beautiful financial assistance.

Through this program, older ones can live a tension-free post-retirement life. Don’t be too late to apply for this program.

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