SPECIAL DIET ALLOWANCE PROGRAM

 INFORMATION FOR HEALTH-CARE PROVIDERS

March 25, 2011

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As you know, the Special Diet Allowance (SDA) program provides financial assistance for people with eligible health conditions who receive Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) or Ontario Works (OW) benefits to purchase special diets to help manage those conditions.

The provincial government has recently changed the SDA, with new regulations coming into effect April 1, 2011. These changes are explained below.

All SDA recipients are required to complete a new application form. Health-care providers approved to complete the new Special Diet Allowance application form are:

·         a physician registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons;

·         a nurse practitioner or registered nurse in the extended class registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario; or

·         a registered dietitian registered with the College of Dietitians of Ontario.

A midwife registered with the College of Midwives of Ontario or a traditional Aboriginal midwife recognized and accredited by her or his Aboriginal community are approved only to confirm the need for a special diet for the condition of insufficient lactation to sustain breastfeeding or if breastfeeding is contraindicated.

Your assistance to your clients / patients in completing this form is critical, as the income that this program provides can be a lifeline for people with eligible health conditions who live in deep poverty. Please take time to complete these forms accurately in order to best serve your clients/patients.

1)     Your client / patient does not have to send in the new application form right away. Her / his existing SDA will continue until ODSP receives the new application form, or July 31, 2011, whichever comes first. The new application must, however, be received by ODSP by July 31, 2011. 

2)     Under the new regulations, the list of health conditions has been shortened significantly, and a few conditions have been added. In addition, the allowance amounts for some conditions have increased, while some have decreased.

To help you become familiar with the new list of conditions and the allowance amounts now attached to them, we have attached the list on page 3. Note that the total amount that anyone can receive under the new list is still $250.

We recommend you go through the new form and the list with your clients / patients to determine whether the allowance amount they receive will increase or decrease under the new regulations.

If your client / patient decides not to submit the form right away, you may still complete and date the form and the individual can wait before submitting it to her / his caseworker. In any event, if your math is incorrect and the amount your client / patient will receive will actually increase, s/he will receive a back-payment to April 1.

3)   The new forms require health providers to sign a new declaration and recipients to sign a consent to release information.

The consent only authorizes the release of information directly related to the health conditions checked off on the form. It is our understanding that this information will be used by the Ministry of Community and Social Services to look for patterns of unusual prescribing among health providers.

You should not be receiving calls from front line OW and ODSP caseworkers to discuss your clients’ / patients’ health conditions. If a specific application is queried by the Ministry, medical records may be reviewed by a clinical expert.

4)   Effective February 1, 2011, a stand-alone form for the Pregnancy and Breast-Feeding Nutritional Allowance (PBFNA) comes into effect.

      Prior to that, applying for the PBFNA was done on the SDA application form. The same health care providers listed above are approved to complete the new PBFNA form.

More information from the Ministry of Community & Social Services on “Changes to the Special Diet Allowance: What Health Care Professionals Need to Know” (Feb 2011) is at: www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/special_diet_health_care.aspx