Shilo Stag
Effective April 1, Support Our Troops (SOT) has increased its Special Needs grant (SNG) to $1,500 for medical diagnoses/ assessments and another $1,500 for treatments.
Because of the unique nature of their lifestyles, Canadian military families can experience a great deal of stress in finding and receiving appropriate healthcare.
Newly posted military families often find themselves on wait lists for medical care. For a military family with a special needs child the challenges can be truly daunting.
Beyond significant wait times, military families caring for a child with special needs often lose access to critical services such as occupational therapy, speech language pathology, or physiotherapy when relocating. As a result, a child can go without specialized care for extended periods of time.
Military families with special needs dependents can apply year-round for a SNG to assist with assessments and reassessments, as well as to offset some of the extraordinary costs associated with things like specialized devices, respite care, therapy, and medical travel.
Eligible applicants can apply to receive grant assistance in the following categories:
• Assessments or reassessments: up to $1,500 per 12-month period to assist with residual amounts not covered by federal, provincial, or local resources, or personal insurance
• Examples include but not limited to psychoeducational assessment, psychological assessment, speech therapy assessment, and occupational therapy assessment
• More than one application can be submitted within the 12-month period until the maximum grant amount is reached
• A 12-month period starts on the first approved application of that year
• Other: up to $1,500 per 12-month period to assist with offsetting the costs associated with assistive devices — electronic devices and accessories, sensory items, etc — respite care and tutoring services provided by an individual/organization which holds necessary credentials to support, various therapies, medical travel, prescriptions not covered by insurance, etc.
• More than one application can be submitted within the 12-month period until the maximum grant amount is reached
• A 12-month period starts on the first approved application of that year
For more information, visit www.supportourtroops.ca or contact your local SISIP office at CANEX by visiting in person, or by calling 204-765-7120 or via e-mail sisip.shilo@cfmws.com
