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Manitoba is a great province to make a home, offering an excellent standard of living. The province has grown over the last years and is now an ideal option for families who choose it as a place to settle down.
Still, financial challenges appear like anywhere else, and even if things have been great so far, you can find yourself in a tough spot. If you're a single parent, you know the struggles well.
To help you handle all the financial challenges that come with raising children on your own, the Manitoban government offers a set of benefits that can cover the necessities. Below, you will find the information you need on all available programs to see which you can qualify for.
• Children's Hearing Aid Program
• Children's Disability Services
• Children's Opti-Care Program
• Employment and Income Assistance
• Families First
• Manitoba Prenatal Benefit
• Manitoba Child Care Program
• Orthopedic Shoes Program
• Rent Assist
The Manitoba Department of Families has put together the Children's Disability Services program to help families with children living with different disabilities. The program's goal is to help cover the additional expenses necessary to care for the children's special necessities that they may have.
A wide array of resources are offered to help these families provide both a decent living for their children and give them the chance to progress. To be eligible, children need to be younger than 18, live in Manitoba, and have written proof of their diagnosis.
Many conditions are covered by this program, both physical and mental disabilities, like intellectual disability, developmental delay, or autism spectrum disorders.
If your child has such a disability and you haven't been referred to Children's Disability Services by your doctor or daycare, you can contact them directly. To apply, you need to fill in the Referral and Intake Application form and send it to the local office along with the medical document testifying to the disability.
Once your application is approved, the Children's Disability Services worker assigned to your case will assess your situation and give you all the information you need. They will help you benefit from the services you are entitled to, like child care facilities, schools, and organizations that can help you.
Financial emergencies can pop up at any time. Because disability payments are considered a consistent income source, families can use them to help qualify for disability loans from direct lenders. This option is especially helpful when dealing with unexpected financial obligations.
Hearing aids for children can be a significant expense, especially for a single parent. But the Children's Hearing Aid Program can help cover an essential part of these costs for children who qualify. To be eligible, the child must be under 18 and have a hearing aid prescribed by an audiologist or an otolaryngologist. If your child's hearing aid isn't already paid for by another official program, you can qualify for this one.
The costs covered by this program are as follows:
• 80% of a specified amount if you need an analog device, but not more than $500 for each ear
• 80% of a specified amount if you need a digital or an analog programmable device, but not more than $1800
• 80% of a specified amount if you need additional services, like an earmold or impression
You can claim one device for each ear every four years, with some exceptions connected to diagnosis changes. You should know that all claims have a $75.00 deductible, and costs for batteries, repairs, ear mold substitution, or lost devices aren't covered.
Suppose the recipient of the hearing aid is under 18 and eligible. In that case, the doctor that provides the device has to submit the Hearing Aid Claim Form, on behalf of their patient, to the Manitoba Health, Seniors, and Active Living.
If you need extra funding to pay for urgent expenses, online direct lenders offer loans for up to $1,500 in Canada to help you deal with financial emergencies.
The Children's Opti-Care Program is meant to provide help for families eligible for the Manitoba Child Benefit, partially covering the children's eyeglasses' costs. The average amount a family can get is $84 for every child needing glasses, but it can be higher for children with special vision needs.
You can usually make a claim every three years, but it can happen more often if the prescription changes or the frames have become too small for your child. You are eligible for this program if you are a Manitoba resident, have children under 18 living with you, and receive the Manitoba Child Benefit for the child who needs prescription glasses.
The document you need to fill in is the Children's Opti-Care Claim Form, and you must send it to the Provincial Services of the Manitoba Child Benefit – Children's Opti-Care Program.
The Employment and Income Assistance Program offers financial assistance for Manitoba residents who cannot cover their families' basic costs, like food. Single parents can benefit from this program if they are over 18 and living in Manitoba. They either have a dependent child or are in the last trimester of pregnancy, are unmarried, divorced, widowed, and in serious financial difficulty.
The assistance you will receive depends on your family's size, every member's age, and whether you are dealing with particular medical needs. The funds are meant to cover your family's essential needs, like clothes, food, basic medical assistance, including dental care.
The Rent Assist program can cover rent as well, along with help finding employment. All Manitoba residents can apply for the EIA by contacting the Employment and Income Assistance in Winnipeg.
Families First is a program that assists families who either expect a baby or have small children younger than school age. It consists of having a public health nurse come to your home and give you the support you need to make sure your children are healthy and have the necessary conditions to grow.
You will receive information on health, safety, and child nutrition, or on the evolution of the pregnancy, as well as assistance in creating a safe and encouraging environment for your children to grow in. Your visitor will help you benefit from community resources you can access and get health care for your family members.
The Manitoba Prenatal Benefit helps pregnant women and new parents identify the community's resources and receive essential information on breastfeeding, nutrition, and parenting.
Regular check-ups during pregnancy and healthy habits are essential for having a healthy baby. This program aims to help families who cannot pay for these things themselves and provide them with information and guidance towards a healthy and balanced life.
To qualify for the Manitoba Prenatal Benefit, you must be pregnant, be a Manitoba resident, and live on a net family income lower than $32,000 per year. You will receive financial aid every month to ensure the healthy nutrition that your baby needs. All you have to do is contact the Healthy Baby office in Winnipeg.
The Child Care Subsidy Program offers financial assistance in covering childcare costs for families with children between 12 weeks and 12 years. The eligibility will be set based on your income, how many children you have, how old they are, how many days you need to use child care facilities, and why. You will need to register with a user name and password and submit an online application.
This is a complex program that uses various resources and subsidies to provide the necessary child care that struggling families need. Eligible families can get child care subsidies if they use licensed facilities, and the Inclusion Support Program offers support for children with additional needs.
You can receive help with child care fees from grants provided by the government. Right now, you can access four new one-time start-up grants: the Workplace Child Care Start-Up Grant, the Enhanced Home-Based Child Care Start-Up Grant, the Satellite Child Care Start-Up Grant, and the Diversity Child Care Start-Up Grant.
Another essential part of the Manitoba Child Care Program is providing families with information on unlicensed child care and notifications regarding sex offenders. The goal is to keep children entirely safe while you are at work.
If you are a Manitoba resident and your child is less than 18 years old and needs orthopedic shoes, you are eligible for the Orthopaedic Shoes Program. The funds will be released by the Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living and are as follows:
• 50% of the expense for stock shoes, but no more than $27.80
• 50% of the expense for shoes for children who have a different size at each foot, but no more than $41.80
• 50% of the expense for custom-made shoes, but no more than $139.00
Should you also need modifications to those shoes, you will benefit from an allowance of $5.55 for every pair. You can claim two pairs every year, plus the modifications.
To submit a claim, you need to ask your supplier to give you a claim form. Once you fill it in, send it along with the receipt to the Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living office in Winnipeg.
Rent Assist is included in the EIA and helps people who already receive Employment and Income Assistance cover their housing costs. So, if you are going through a financially struggling period, you will receive help paying your rent or mortgage and finding a job.
The amount you can receive depends on your family's size, the level of your income and housing costs, whether you live in Manitoba Housing, and whether utilities are part of the rent.
You can get an idea of what you can receive by using the Rent Assist Estimator. Your eligibility will be analyzed along with your application for EIA benefits. If necessary, you can also apply for Non-EIA Rent Assist by applying to Provincial Services.
Single parent benefits in Manitoba are trying to cover your children's essential needs and offer additional funds when your income proves to be insufficient. Every program handles a particular segment of your child's development, from the prenatal phase to pre-school.
From nutrition to child care and specialized medical assistance, and even food and shelter aid, there is a program for every challenging aspect of raising a child by yourself. You need to stay informed and apply for every program that your family is eligible for to get that extra money and the partial financial relief you need so much.
Despite the government benefits you receive, you may still need financial help to cover unexpected expenses. At iCash, we believe single parents should have access to short-term financing to help with emergencies. If you need help to get your life back on track, click here.
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