I live with another adult. Can this affect my ODSP?

Long delays for appeal hearings

If you're appealing a decision made by OW or ODSP in 2020, your appeal hearing may not happen for a long time. People report that they're getting hearing dates from the that are between 9 and 16 months in the future. We'll update this information as things change.

If the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) thinks you live with someone who is your spouse, neither one of you will be able to get as a single person or as a .

Instead, ODSP looks at the and that both of you have to decide if you can get assistance as a couple.

The amount of income support you get as a couple is less than what you would get as two single people. But if both of you have a disability, you may be able to get more money than if only one of you has a disability.

How much you get from ODSP depends on a number of things.

ODSP rules about couples

ODSP has rules that they use to decide whether 2 adults who live together are spouses.

If ODSP decides that the person you're living with is your spouse, you can apply for income support only as a couple.

If ODSP decides that the person you're living with is your spouse, and you disagree, you may be able to appeal the decision.

If you apply as a couple, both of you have to sign all of the forms that are part of the application.

If you need help to decide whether to apply for income support as a couple, contact a community legal clinic.

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