Saskatchewan simplifying disability benefits structure in effort to make life easier for clients

The people taking advantage of the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disabilities program may soon have an easier time navigating the program.

According to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Social Services, the program is being simplified in order to make it easier to understand and use.

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The changes, which take effect on April 1, include combining specific policies and benefits into broader categories to allow more flexible and timely responses, adding flat-rate benefits to replace certain actual-cost benefits in order to reduce reporting requirements and streamline access, modernizing the program to remove outdated and redundant benefits, and raising the amount individuals can have in the bank in order to apply for the program from $1,500 to $2,000 per household member.

“Through conversations with clients and community partners, we have heard that SAID is too complicated,” Terry Jenson, Saskatchewan’s social services minister, said in a statement.

“This complexity makes it difficult for clients to know what they are eligible for, and limits ministry flexibility to adapt to individual circumstances that also slows down support for clients.”

The ministry said it began reviewing the program last year in order to make it simpler and easier for its 18,000 clients.

“The changes being implemented were developed using feedback from SAID clients and community-based organizations,” the ministry added.

“The ministry will be contacting the small number of individuals that will be affected (about 100) to explain that their benefits will not see a reduction after the implementation on April 1, 2026.”

The social services ministry said it is continuing to review the program in order to make it more friendly to clients “and ensure the program is sustainable and best supports clients for years to come.”