The Special Service at Home (SSAH) funding program is a reimbursement program that helps families who are living in Ontario and caring for a child with a developmental and/or physical disability. To be eligible, the child must not be receiving support from a residential program. The program allows families to more easily access special services and is funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS).
SSAH can be used to help the child access services that assist with personal development, skill building, and participation in the community. It can also be used to hire a support worker and for temporary respite to provide relief for families. The ministry recently expanded the list of eligible expenses in response to COVID-19. See the full list here.
If you think you may be eligible for SSAH funding, please visit MCCSS’s SSAH information page for details on how to apply.
Anyone who has been approved for SSAH funding can create a free MyDirectPlan account with tons of great features.
How can I spend my funding?
To register for activities, programs and supports across Ontario, visit
If you are interested in learning about Passport funding, you might be interested in these articles from ConnectABILITY.ca.
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Permanent Wage Increase for Personal and Direct Support Worker
The government has made the wage enhancement for personal support workers (PSWs) and direct support workers (DSWs) permanent.
• As part of the permanent wage enhancement, Passport program recipients can continue to access funding through the same process as the temporary wage enhancement until June 30, 2022 to receive the $3 per hour wage top up for any hours worked from October 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022. All claims must be submitted by June 30, 2022.
• The $3 per hour top-up on claims submitted up to June 30, 2022 will not come out of the recipients’ annual Passport approval amount.
• Effective July 1, direct funding recipients will receive an increase to their annual approval amount
Permanent Wage Increase for Personal and Direct Support Workers
The government has made the wage enhancement for personal support workers (PSWs) and direct support workers (DSWs) permanent.
• As part of the permanent wage enhancement, SSAH program recipients can continue to access funding through the same process as the temporary wage enhancement until June 30, 2022 to receive the $3 per hour wage top up for any hours worked from October 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022. All claims must be submitted by June 30, 2022.
• The $3 per hour top-up on claims submitted up to June 30, 2022 will not come out of the recipients’ annual SSAH approval amount.
• Effective July 1, direct funding recipients will receive an increase to their annual approval amount
