Grants and contributions to provide income support to on-reserve residents and First Nations in Yukon

1. Introduction

Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) provides funding for social services as a matter of policy.

• Grant and contribution funding for Income Assistance (IA) and Assisted Living (AL) is targeted to clients or beneficiaries who are ordinarily resident on reserve or who, for the purposes of these programs, are deemed to be ordinarily resident on reserve.
• Grants and contributions to eligible recipients under the Income Assistance program are intended to provide financial assistance to low-income on reserve residents to support their basic and special need, at standards reasonably comparable to the income assistance or disability income support programs of the relevant province of residence or Yukon, and to help them become more self-reliant.
• Grants and contributions under the Assisted Living program are intended to support the special needs of chronically ill and disabled persons for non-medical personal care services, for non-medical institutional care and for public education and awareness.

These programs are intended for First Nations people.

2. Legal and policy authority

The following legislation and policy decisions support Income Assistance and Assisted Living programs:

• Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Act, R.S.C. 1985 c. 1-6, s. 4, R.S.C. 1985 c. I-6, s. 4
• Department of Indigenous Services Act, S.C. 2019, c.29, s.336

3. Purpose,objectives and expected results

Performance indicators that apply to these programs are found in the Income Assistance and Assisted Living Performance Information Profiles. These programs align with the 2023 to 2024 ISC Departmental Results Framework under the service area Children Aand families and contributes to the departmental result that Indigenous peoples are culturally safe and socially well.

Within the Income Assistance Performance Information Profiles the program contributes to the following expected outcomes:

1. Eligible clients and dependents have access to the on-reserve Income Assistance program
2. Eligible clients and dependents have access to and use pre-employment supports and services
3. Eligible clients and dependents have access to disability income supports
4. Capacity exists in First Nations communities to deliver the Income Assistance program
5. Basic and special needs of eligible clients on reserve are met
6. Eligible clients and dependents are transitioning to the workforce, education or other support programs
7. Indigenous people are self-sufficient

Within the Assisted Living Performance Information Profiles, the program contributes to the following expected outcomes:

1. Capacity exists in First Nations communities to deliver eligible Assisted Living program services
2. Barriers to access to social support services on reserve are addressed and overcome
3. In-home care, adult foster care and institutional care social supports are accessible are accessible to eligible low-income individuals
4. Assisted Living program clients have the ability to maintain functional independence within their home communities

4. Eligibility

G=Grants
C=Contribution

5. Type and nature of eligible expenditures

G=Grants
C=Contribution

6. Total Canadian government funding and stacking limits

Under contributions, the stacking limit maximum level of funding to a recipient from all sources, including federal, provincial or territorial or municipal for any one activity, initiative or project is 100 percent of eligible costs.

7. Method for determining the amount of funding

8. Maximum amounts payable

The annual amount for each recipient will not exceed the following dollar values listed in table 4 of this document.

1. For Income Assistance, direct costs of serving clients, the maximum amount payable to any recipient in respect to any client is the applicable rate published by the reference province or territory for the eligible expenditures in accordance with the applicable income assistance program or disability income supports program, except in exceptional circumstances when approved by the ISC Income Assistance program Assistant Deputy Minister, as may be revised from time to time by the reference province or territory
2. For Assisted Living, the maximum amount payable to any recipient with respect to any client is the actual costs of the eligible expenditures associated with that client for In-home care, foster care and institutional care consistent with applicable provincial/territorial programming.

9. Basis on which payments will be made

The transfer payment, to recipients will be subject to pre-established eligibility and other entitlement criteria, and will also be based on program risk, recipient risk and departmental cash and agreement management policies.

Payments, including installments and advances, will be made throughout a fiscal year to accommodate cash requirements of the recipient. Where recipients have demonstrated a past history of successfully managing funding agreements, advance payments may be based on pre-determined amounts as per appendix K of the Treasury Board Directive on Transfer Payments.

Income Assistance SDPMII and Assisted Living Disabilities Initiative projects are approved based upon project proposals, submitted on an annual basis by eligible recipients to ISC regional offices. Proposals are reviewed and approved based on merit and availability of funds. Payments are made to reimburse actual eligible expenditures.

10. Application requirements and assessment criteria

Before entering into a funding arrangement, ISC shall confirm its authorities to enter into an agreement with the recipient and to fund the proposed activities. The departmental review procedures for verifying eligibility, entitlement and application approval, including risk assessments are set out in relevant departmental program directives and procedures.

In cases where ISC funds Income Assistance and Assisted Living directly to eligible clients or recipients, ISC regional offices accept applications for income support from residents of communities where chief and council have not made arrangements to administer the program.

Income Assistance and Assisted Living applicants or their guardians or maintainers on their behalf must demonstrate their eligibility for funding. Applicants must meet the qualifying requirements of their province or territory of residence, including an assessment of financial need which covers their employability, family composition and age, and financial resources available to their household.

For Income Assistance, the qualifying requirements can only be adapted from province or territory of residence in exceptional circumstances to take into account special local conditions, lack of ancillary services, or to ensure federal policy coherence and with approval from the ISC Income Assistance program Assistant Deputy Minister.

For Assisted Living, before funding an eligible recipient, ISC will verify that the associated care facility can demonstrate that:

• it operates according to the licensing or accreditation guidelines applicable to the facility type of the relevant province or territory
• the care services for which the institution is invoicing ISC do not exceed Types roman numeral 1I and roman numeral 2II care, federal classification or equivalent

11. Due diligence and reporting

The 2008 Treasury Board Policy on Transfer Payments requires effective monitoring and oversight for program management as follows:

12. Official languages

Where a program supports activities that may be delivered to members of either official language community, access to services from the recipient will be provided in both official languages where there is significant demand. In addition, the department will ensure that the design and the delivery of programs respect the obligations of the Government of Canada as set out in part roman numeral 7VII of the Official Languages Act.

13. Intellectual property

Where a grant is provided for the development of material in which copyright subsists, conditions for shared rights will be set out in the funding agreement.

Where a contribution is provided for the development of material in which copyright subsists, conditions for shared rights will be set out in the funding agreement.

14. Repayable contributions

Provisions for repayable contributions do not apply. Any contributions made to private firms under these programs are not intended to generate profits or to increase the value of a business.

15. Redistribution of contributions

Recipients are not agents of the federal government in making redistribution of contributions. Where a recipient further distributes contribution funding to another service delivery organization, for example an authority, board, committee, or other entity authorized to act on behalf of the recipient, the recipient shall remain liable to the department for the performance of its obligations under the funding agreement. Neither the objectives of the programs and services nor the expectations of transparent, fair and equitable services shall be compromised by any redistribution of contribution funding.

16. Other terms and conditions

Annex A - Eligible recipients

Table 1. Grants and contributions eligible recipients: Income Assistance, Income Assistance SDPMII, Assisted Living and Assisted Living Disabilities Initiative

1. Recipients of Income Assistance funding must agree to deliver the program at standards reasonably comparable to the relevant province or territory of residence and in accordance with the ISC program guidelines, conduct compliance reviews, provide a redress mechanism and provide reports as per the funding agreement.
   
   For Income Assistance reasonably comparable is defined as providing support to First Nations, within the limits of funds available to ISC for the Income Assistance program, to deliver on reserve the range and scope of income assistance services or disability income supports as defined in the legislation, regulations or guidelines of the reference province or territory for proximate non-reserve communities. The features of reasonably comparability are rates of support and eligibility criteria that are the same as the reference province or territory, but which may be adapted in exceptional circumstances to take into account special local conditions, lack of ancillary services or to ensure federal policy coherence and capacity to manage the program.
   
   In adapting rates or eligibility criteria, approval from the ISC Income Assistance program Assistant Deputy Minister must be sought. ISC will assess the validity of the adaptation taking into account related federal or provincial or territorial benefits to avoid funding duplication as well as the views of the reference province or territory to assess whether the change will unduly affect mobility or migration on or off reserve.
2. For Income Assistance SDPMII, recipients will confirm they are councils of First Nations bands recognized by the Minister of ISC or First Nations organizations. No 2 entities will be funded for the same purpose for the same population catchment area. Approval from the ISC Income Assistance program Assistant Deputy Minister must be sought.
3. Recipients of Assisted living in-home care funding must have:
   • established program guidelines for the delivery of Assisted Living programs and services, referencing program guidelines and provincial or territorial programs, standards and guidelines
   • established management and accountability guidelines
   • confirmed that the actual in-home care services being provided correspond to and meet or make up part of a care plan that meets the client's assessed needs
   • supporting documentation relating to past program delivery this provision does not apply to a new recipient
4. Recipients of Assisted Living foster care or institutional care must:
   • operate according to the licensing or accreditation guidelines applicable to the facility type of the reference province or territory
   • ensure that the actual foster care or institutional care services being provided correspond to and meet or make up part of a care plan that meets the client's assessed needs
   • ensure that the care services for which the care facility is invoicing for service do not exceed eligible expenditures as defined in Annex C
5. Assisted Living Disabilities Initiative Funding recipients that engage in disability-related information services will receive funding subject to availability, based on project proposals, as outlined in program guidelines. The applications for this funding will include clearly-defined objectives, a work plan and proposed outcomes, and should demonstrate that they are designed to improve the coordination and accessibility of existing programs and services for persons with disabilities ordinarily resident on reserve.
6. First Nations band councils and tribal councils may deliver programs directly; share services with other recipients or enter into agreements for service delivery with other recipients. Contributions are subject to the redistribution of contributions, set out in section 15, above.

Annex B - Client eligibility criteria

Table 2: Eligibility of clients for Income Assistance, Assisted Living and Assisted Living Disabilities Initiative for Income Assistance

1. For Income Assistance, the client must:
   • be ordinarily resident on reserve;
   • be eligible for basic needs, special needs assistance, or disability income, as defined by the eligibility criteria of the province or territory of residence unless in exceptional circumstances when approved by ISC Income Assistance program Assistant Deputy Minister
   • demonstrate a requirement for income assistance programs and services support and demonstrate that they have no other source of funding to meet basic needs
   • With approval from the ISC Income Assistance program Assistant Deputy Minister, these criteria may be adapted in exceptional circumstances for the purpose of ensuring federal policy coherence, such as but not limited to, establishing earnings exemptions to prevent claw backs from federal income supports, including the Canada Disability Benefit, as well as monies received as a result of a settlement agreement
   • In exceptional circumstances, ISC may provide funds to cover basic funeral and burial expenses of non-Income assistance recipients, where a means test shows that there are insufficient funds within the family, the estate of the deceased or other sources
2. For Assisted Living in-home care, adult foster care, and institutional care services, clients must be:
   • ordinarily resident on reserve;
   • formally assessed by designated social service and/or health professionals, as defined by the department, as requiring 1 or more of the eligible expenditures, using the care assessment criteria prescribed by the department
   • unable to obtain such services themselves, or access other federal or provincial or territorial sources of support, as confirmed by an assessment covering employability, family composition and age, and financial resources available to the household
3. For Income Assistance, Assisted Living, and Assisted Living Disabilities Initiative, an individual who is ordinarily resident on reserve means that an individual client:
   • lives on reserve and does not maintain a primary residence off reserve
   • is off reserve for the primary purpose of obtaining required medical care or social service support because there is no reasonably comparable service available on reserve, and lived on reserve immediately prior to receiving the medical care or social service support
   • For Income Assistance, Assisted Living and Assisted Living Disabilities Initiative reserve is as defined in the Indian Act, includes Yukon and excludes lands which have been designated for commercial purposes, for First Nations operating under the Indian Act or leased for commercial purposes, for First Nations operating under the First Nations Land Management Act
4. For Income Assistance, Assisted Living and Assisted Living Disabilities Initiative, a student who is registered and attending a secondary or post-secondary education or training program and is receiving federal, band or Indigenous organization education or training funding continues to be considered ordinarily resident on reserve if he or she:
   • maintains a residence on reserve
   • is a dependent of a family that maintains a primary residence on reserve
   • returns to live on reserve with parents, guardians, caregivers or maintainers during the year, even if they live elsewhere while attending school or working at a temporary job
5. For Income Assistance, Assisted Living and Assisted Living Disabilities Initiative, the residence of a child who comes into the care of a mandated child welfare authority is derived from the residency of the child's parent or guardian at the time the child is taken into care.
   
   In the case of children, clients must be formally assessed as requiring such services, but only in cases where the responsibility for the funding and provision of such services does not lie with other agencies or programs.
   
   Children Out of the Parental Home (COPH) are eligible to be funded following guidelines and legislation of each province or territory. Additional conditions relating to COPH funding are outlined in the ISC program guidelines.

Annex C: Type and nature of eligible expenditures

Table 3: Eligible expenditures: Income Assistance, Income Assistance SDPMII, Assisted Living and Assisted Living Disabilities Initiative

1. For Income Assistance, funding is provided for resources to deliver the program on reserve at rates and eligibility criteria reasonably comparable to those of the reference province or territory.
2. For Income Assistance, funding is for eligible basic, special needs, and disability income support items including, but not limited to rent and utilities, food, including special diets, clothing, including children's winter and school clothing, personal incidentals, essential household items, special transportation and moving costs, and funerals and burials, including the costs or repatriation of a body, if required, by rail, air or vehicle transport.
3. For Income Assistance, funding is for eligible employment and pre-employment cost items including, but not limited to, employment and training-related child care and accommodation, transportation and equipment, employment-related relocation costs, training, and career and job-seeking skills counselling.
4. For Income Assistance, funding is for eligible employment and pre-employment financial assistance items in the reference province or territory including, but not limited to, training allowances, wage subsidy associated with work experience, transfers to employers, other institutions and governments for training and employment services, for example, Work Opportunity Program, Aboriginal Social Assistance Recipient Employment Training Initiative, Job Corps.
5. For Income Assistance, Income Assistance SDPMII and Assisted Living, funding is for service delivery and administrative costs directly attributable to program and service delivery including:
   • Salaries, wages and benefits, travel, transportation, accommodation, training and professional development, office supplies, instructional and information materials, office equipment, telecommunications, computer systems, printing and professional services
   • Data collection and management activities required for program monitoring, planning, reporting and evaluation, maintenance and upgrading of systems
   • Development and implementation of case management systems including structured client assessment, referral, job placement, re-assessment and counseling, training and professional support for administrators and case managers and development of operational policy implementation projects and delivery options to encourage local integration or aggregation of services, for example, management control framework, aggregation models, income support and labour market programs for more effective delivery and administration of the programs
6. For Assisted Living, the type and nature of eligible in-home care expenditures include meal programs and meal preparation, menu planning, day programs, attendant care, short-term respite care, group care, light housekeeping, laundry, ironing, mending, carrying wood, home cleaning both light and heavy cleaning, minor home maintenance, for example, fixing a door knob or attaching a railing along stairs and non-medical transportation.
   1. Model A: The Canada Assistance Plan Model: Under this model, eligible adult foster and institutional care expenditures align to cost-shareable facility-based care services, as per the Canada Assistance Plan, 1966 to 1996. Where this model has been implemented, eligible expenditures are understood to be limited to the actual cost of care services which may not exceed type roman numeral 1I or type roman numeral 2II care, as defined in Health Canada's 1973 Federal Classification System for Institutional Care.
   2. Model B: The Subsidized Co-Payment Fee Model: Under this model, eligible adult foster and institutional care expenditures align to comparable income-tested benefits and supports provided to individuals residing in facility-based care by the reference province or territory. Where this model has been implemented, eligible expenditures must align to the subsidized co-payment fee* of the reference province or territory, for example, the difference between the income-tested reduced rate and the full co-payment fee that would have otherwise been charged to the individual, per the co-payment fee rate structure and income-testing criteria of the reference province or territory.
   
   *Co-payment fee" refers to the fee charged directly to individuals, or their trustee or family, residing in care facilities, normally associated with room and board type expenditures. The term used to describe this fee may differ across jurisdictions, facility-types etc., for example, co-insurance fee", user fee, residential fee.
   
   For models A and B:
   
   
   • Eligible expenditures are inclusive of care provided in both facilities located on and off receive, provided other criteria are met, for example, the individual is ordinarily resident on reserve
   • Expenditures for care provided in a facility that is not operating according to the licensing or accreditation guidelines applicable to the facility type of the reference province or territory are not eligible
   • the resident of an institution is expected to pay the provincial/territorial government established co-payment fee as well as clothing and personal expenses to the extent their individual circumstances permit
   
   In exceptional circumstances and on compassionate grounds, transitory provisions that exceed eligible expenditures defined here can be made upon demonstration that no other federal or provincial sources of support are available, a remedial plan is in place and where failure to provide this interim support would result in a denial of service on the basis of residency.
   
   Specialized medical and capital items are not eligible expenditures.
   
   
7. The type and nature of eligible public education and awareness activity expenditures include the following advocacy work, public awareness products and services, regional workshops and group administrative costs.