CYSN Funding Transition Fact Sheet

Key Facts

• For children birth to age 19 with the highest functional support needs
• Two tiers: $6,500/year or $17,000/year
• Expected to serve 12,000–15,000 children (~9,000 with autism)
• No reassessment required if you already have documentation
• Once eligible, funding continues for the duration of childhood (to age 19)
• If there is no level on autism diagnosis, it does NOT automatically exclude a child

Pathways to eligibility

Automatic Pathway (Diagnosis-based)

Needs Assessment Pathway

• Profound or moderate intellectual disability
• Certain genetic syndromes (e.g., Angelman syndrome)
• Degenerative muscular disorders
• Some forms of cerebral palsy
• Autism co-occurring with intellectual disability

• Children with level 1 or level 2 autism (plus significant functional needs)
• Children waiting for diagnosis
• Children with multiple diagnoses whose combined needs are high
• Assessed by clinical professionals (not frontline MCFD workers)
• MCFD will provide the clinical professionals to conduct these assessments — families do not need to source or pay for their own assessor

Key Facts

• Income-tested payment for families with children with disabilities
• Maximum: $6,000/year per child
• Requires child to hold the Federal Disability Tax Credit (DTC)
• Automatically deposited into your bank account — no application needed if DTC is in place
• Completely flexible — spend it however your family needs
• Families can receive both the Benefit and the Supplement

Income-reach

• Phases out at ~$200,000 net income (~$275–300K gross) for a family with one child
• 80–88% of families currently receiving MCFD services expected to qualify
• 46% expected to qualify for the maximum amount
• 74% of current families have net income under $100K (eligible for $4,500+/year)

Applying for the Federal Disability Tax Credit (DTC)

• It’s a functional needs-based assessment (not diagnosis alone)
• Can be completed by a doctor, nurse practitioner, OT, or physiotherapist
• Current AFP funds can be used to cover any fees associated with completing DTC paperwork

Key Facts

• Community investment increasing by 40% over three years
• Priority areas: behavioural intervention, mental health for neurodiverse children, programming for ages 6–18, navigation services
• Delivered through existing established providers (child development centres, etc.) — not new hubs
• Families access both direct funding and community services — it’s not either/or