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Alberta Funding Options for Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles |
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Funding for wheelchair accessible vehicles varies across the country. In every province and territory, there are a number of groups who will provide financial aid if their requirements are met. The following groups are some of the sources who currently offer financial assistance to someone in Alberta who is purchasing a wheelchair accessible minivan or equipment that will modify a minivan.
Cerebral Palsy Support Foundation of Canada http://www.cpsc.ca/fundinfo.html. The Cerebral Palsy Support Foundation of Canada may provide funding for assistive devices in vehicles to people with Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities that affect their mobility. The Foundation’s support must be used as a last resort. The charity is also willing to become a co-funder when other financial resources have been obtained, but further assistance is needed. The maximum amount of support that a successful applicant can receive per year is $1,000. When funding is unavailable, a Funds Pending List acts as a waiting list for those who have the necessary qualifications for the charity’s aid. Cerebral Palsy Support Foundation of Canada Telephone: 905-259-3421 Chrysler’s Automobility Program has been extended for 2009. The manufacturer offers a $750 reimbursement if a person with disabilities purchases assistive devices for a wheelchair accessible van. Verification of the disability and of the modifications made to the purchased van are required. Please call Chrysler Automobility for more information prior to purchasing a van. Telephone: 1-800-265-6908 http://www.easterseals.ab.ca/programs/apply.php. This charity will provide an interest free loan or a grant for the full amount of the required equipment as part of their Equipment and Support Services. Alternatively, Easter Seals and the successful applicant, or another funding source that the client has secured, will both partake of the cost. On average, Easter Seals has put about $5,000 towards a van conversion. If this charity funds more than 51 per cent of the equipment that is purchased, they will retain ownership of it, and lend it to you on a long-term basis. Easter Seals Alberta Application form: Red Deer and North telephone: 780-429-0137 Federal Excise Gasoline Tax Refund Program http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/ef/xe8/xe8-09b.pdf. People with permanent mobility challenges who are medically certified as being unable to use public transportation are eligible to receive a refund on a portion of the federal excise tax on gas. The rate used to decide this refund is $0.015 per litre or $0.0015 per kilometre. The gasoline must be for your personal use only. Claims for less than $200 should be submitted by June 30 (if the gas was purchased between January to June 30) or by December 31 (if the gas was purchased between June 31 to December 31). Claims will only be accepted one month late. Refunds of more than $200 can be made at any time within the two years after the gas was purchased, though only one claim can be made per month. Refunds for less than $5 will not be honoured. Toll free telephone: 1-877-432-5472 Federal Income Tax: Eligible Medical Expenses (2008) http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/rc4064/ or http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/rc4064/rc4064-08e.pdf.
Telephone: 1-800-959-8281 http://www.ford.ca/app/fo/en/special_offers/mobility.do. For a limited time, the Ford Mobility program offers up to $1,000 in financial assistance to be put towards vehicle modifications when a new Ford is leased or purchased by someone with mobility challenges. Only specific modifications or equipment (like wheelchair lifts and adaptive driving equipment) are eligible to receive aid. All other alterations must receive Ford’s approval. Modifications have to be made to the vehicle within the six months following its delivery. Other conditions, such as the need for a doctor’s note verifying the disability, also apply to this offer. Telephone: 1-800-387-7944 http://www.gm.ca/gm/english/corporate/offers/mobility-program/overview. GM Mobility is a joint effort with Bridgepoint Community Rehab Drive Assessment and Training Center and Saint Elizabeth Health Care. The manufacturer may reimburse customers who adapt eligible GM vehicles up to $1,000, even if other funding has been secured. Please contact GM Canada Mobility for more information about receiving assistance. Telephone: 1-800-463-7483 GST/HST Specially Equipped Motor Vehicle Rebate http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/gf/gst518/README.html. The GST or HST that was paid or is owed on the modifications of a converted van may be reimbursed. The application for this rebate must be submitted within four years after the tax was paid or became due. Those individuals who have leased their modified vans then opted to purchase them may also apply. GST/HST Specially Equipped Motor Vehicle Rebate application: GST/HST credit telephone: 1-800-959-1953 People with physical disabilities may be reimbursed up to $600 by Honda Canada for the purchase and installation of qualified adaptive equipment in select vans. Please contact a Honda dealership for an application and more information about the program, as well as customer, equipment, and vehicle eligibility. Find a Honda dealer: http://www.honda.ca/HondaCA2006/Dealers/default.htm?L=E. Customer Relations: 1-888-946-6329 http://www.kia.ca/offers/details/AB. Kia Canada’s Mobility Program offers up to $750 to people with disabilities to assist with buying and installing adaptive equipment on their vans. Please contact a KIA dealer for more information. Find a Kia dealer: http://www.kia.ca/dealers. Kia Customer Assistance: 1-877-542-2886 Some Kin Canada clubs may provide funding for individuals who are buying wheelchair accessible vans. Please call your local club to determine if it can help. Kin Canada club listing (mailing addresses only): Kin Canada club and district website listings (Individual club websites will provide phone numbers): http://www.lexus.ca/lexus/experience/en/home/whatsnew/whatsnew_archive.jsp#mobility. The Lexus Mobility Program may assist people who have mobility challenges when they purchase or lease new Lexus vehicles. The program offers customers up to $1,000 for the purchase and installation of adaptive driving aids, a wheelchair lift, and more. The modifications must be made to the vehicle within the four months after it was delivered. This assistance can be combined with other valid Lexus consumer incentives. Please consult the manufacturer’s local sales departments for more information. Find a Lexus dealer: https://www.lexus.ca/lexus/experience/en/dealerSearch/findadealer/dealer_main.jsp. Telephone: 1-800-265-3987 Each chapter is different, but your local Lions Club may offer financial assistance to people purchasing a wheelchair accessible van. Lions Club locator: http://lionsclubs.org/EN/find-a-club.php. Muscular Dystrophy Canada – Mobility Equipment Program http://www.muscle.ca/western-canada/services/mobility-equipment-program.html. Muscular Dystrophy Canada helps their registered clients by providing funds for the modifications made to their vans that cost under $5,000. The organization asks that clients apply for this financial assistance and include with their application documents such as a letter from an occupational or physical therapist explaining why the van or its conversions are needed, two quotes from separate vendors, and information about other funding that the client has secured. Toll free telephone: 1-800-366-8166 Northern Alberta Crippled Children’s Fund (NACCF) http://www.childrensabilityfund.ab.ca/whatwedo.shtml. This charity’s Children’s Ability Fund accepts applications from severely disabled Edmontonians and Northern Albertans of all ages who need assistance purchasing ramps, lifts, and tie downs. However, the NACCF does not fund the purchase of accessible vans. Statistic Canada’s Low Income Cutoff is used to determine the amount of assistance an individual may be awarded. Recipients of funding can receive up to $10,000 once every three years; applications for assistance that is greater than that amount will be considered, but they will face greater scrutiny. For application forms, call 780-454-9191 President’s Choice Children’s Charity http://www.presidentschoice.ca/ChildrensCharity/HowToApply.aspx. President’s Choice Children’s Charity aids families with children under 18 who have developmental or physical disabilities. Household income (must be under $70,000), diagnoses of the disabilities, and vendor quotes are among some of the criteria that will determine the level of support granted. The average amount of funding received by successful applicants is $9,000; the most that may be granted is $20,000. PC Children’s Charity requests that other funding sources be found prior to requesting their financial assistance. President’s Choice Children’s Charity financial assistance form: Telephone: 1-866-996-9918 Religious organizations may provide funding. Please discuss this possibility with someone who may be able to help at your place of worship. Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Northern Alberta (SBHANA) http://www.sbhana.org/SupportFund.htm. Members of the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Northern Alberta can apply to the Association’s Support Fund for vehicle modifications that they require as a result of their condition. Applicants to the Fund must be from Northern Alberta or the Northwest Territories and may receive up to $1,000 per year. SBHANA will not provide funding for expenses that are covered by government programs. Membership form: http://www.sbhana.org/index_files/forms/sbhana_membership_form.pdf. (Please note that a one year membership costs $10.) Application form for the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Northern Alberta’s Support Program: http://www.sbhana.org/index_files/forms/sbhana_support_fund_application.pdf. Telephone: 780-451-6921 http://www.toyota.ca/cgi-bin/WebObjects/WWW.woa/21/wo/Home-47bJDSoJzFZTm9x4nio3tg/0.5.0.1?fmg%2fhome%2fhome%2ehtml. (Go to “Shopping Tools,” “Promotions,” and then “Mobility Program.”) The Toyota Mobility Program offers $1,000 in financial assistance to people who have disabilities when they purchase qualified Toyotas that are modified for accessibility. This allowance is intended to fund the cost of installing mobility aids or adaptive driving equipment inside the vehicle. Applications for assistance can be requested from Toyota salespeople when the vehicle is delivered. Official documentation about the disability and proof that the modifications were completed are required. The completed application must be returned to the manufacturer within twelve months of purchase. Find a Toyota dealer: Telephone: 1-888-869-6828 Veterans who have disabilities may be able to receive funding from Veteran Affairs Canada depending on their coverage and an assessment. Please call this government department for more information. Toll free telephone: 1-866-522-2122 Volkswagen Mobility Access Program Volkswagen Canada offers up to $1,000 back to customers with disabilities who purchase new adaptive equipment, such as wheelchair lifts and pedal extenders, for their 2008-2009 models. Clients are required to complete application forms and send them to the company within 120 days of purchasing the vehicle. Please call Volkswagen’s Information Centre for more details about the program and whether the specific equipment and vehicle that you are interested in are eligible for financial assistance. Telephone: 1-800-822-8987 Workers’ Compensation Board - Alberta If a worker is severely injured, Workers’ Compensation Board-Alberta might pay for the modifications completed on the worker’s previously owned van or for the purchase of a converted van. However, a converted van will not be purchased if WCB-Alberta has an appropriate modified vehicle in its recycled stock. To receive this support, the injured worker must either use a power wheelchair or, according to a medical expert, be unable to transfer from a wheelchair to a vehicle without the aid of a power lift. Other conditions also apply. Workers’ Compensation Board-Alberta Toll-Free Telephone (within Alberta): |
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