Caregiving, Home Care & Long-term Care
Family Caregiver Tax Credit: a 15-per-cent non-refundable credit on an amount of $2,000 that will provide tax relief to caregivers of all types of infirm dependent relatives including, for the first time, spouses, common-law partners and minor children.
o It is estimated that over 500,000 caregivers will benefit from the Family Caregiver Tax Credit. This measure would apply for the 2012 and subsequent taxation years.
o It is estimated to reduce federal revenues by $40 million in 2011–12 and $160 million in 2012–13.
o Amounts to a maximum of $300 per year provided you have taxes to pay
Family Care Employment Insurance Benefit: A new six-month insurance benefit so that more Canadians can take time off work to care for gravely ill family members at home without having to quit their jobs.
o Lower eligibility requirements for family caregivers, changing the nature of the required doctor’s certificate.
o Will build more flexibility into the program by allowing the six months to be claimed in smaller blocks of time over a year-long period and allowing family members to share the six months to provide care.
o Cost $250M
o Will not increase EI premiums
o 30,000 family caregivers
A new Family Care Tax Benefit: Modeled on the Child Tax Benefit, to help low and middle-income family caregivers who provide essential care to a family member at home.
o The new benefit would provide individuals with a tax-free monthly payments of $112, up to $1,350 per year.
o This new benefit will work like the Canada Child Tax Benefit, and will be available to all family caregivers with family incomes under $106,000 who produce a medical certificate affirming that their ill family member requires a significant amount of personal care and assistance with daily tasks. .
o Families with sick children who meet the criteria will also qualify. .
o Will Apply to an estimated 600,000 family caregivers each year at an annual cost of $750 million. .
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Employment Insurance Compassionate Care Benefit: to permit family members to take up to six months leave from work to tend to relatives near the end of their lives, up from the current six weeks
Caregiver Benefit: modelled after the Child Tax Benefit, to assist low and middle-income families in tackling the costs of everyday needs while caring for elderly or dependant family members.
o Eligible family members will include children, spouses, parents and other family members, and will be able to receive up to $1,500 per year;
Home Care: Establish a new designated federal home care transfer of funds to the provinces to guarantee a basic level of home care services to all Canadians wherever they live.
Home Adaption for Seniors’ Independence Program: Double the funding for forgivable loans under the Home Adaption for Seniors’ Independence Program (HASIP) to help seniors remain in their own homes.
Inter-generational Home Forgivable Loan Program: Will introduce an Inter-generational Home Forgivable Loan Program, modeled on a Manitoba Government initiative, to help up to 200,000 families a year retrofit their homes to create self-contained secondary residences for senior family members. Families will be eligible for a forgivable loan to cover 50 per cent of the costs of a renovation up to a maximum of $35,000.
Long-term Care: Initiate a new designated federal long-term care transfer to begin addressing the shortage of quality care spaces across the country.
