COLD LAKE – A new medical travel assistance program being offered by the City of Cold Lake for its “modest income” residents is now open for applications.
During the annual fall budget process, City council members approved allocating $40,000 for a grant to help its residents travel to medical appointments that are at least 150 km outside of the city.
The Medical Transportation Grant is intended to reimburse eligible residents with some of the expenses that they incurred while accessing necessary medical care not available in the City.
“Our Cold Lake FCSS office is seeing a definite increase with requests from residents looking for help when it comes to travelling outside of the city for medical appointments,” said City of Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland.
“Many of these appointments are for specialists or medical tests that aren’t available locally, and for some, it comes down to, ‘Do I go to this appointment or do I pay this month’s utility bill.’ It presents a real hardship when you need to make those types of decisions.”
Copeland acknowledged, while the grant and the City cannot solve this issue entirely, council wanted “to lend a hand – and this is a big step in doing so.”
Cold Lake’s Medical Transportation Grant is available to those who reside within the city’s limits and whose finances meet the criteria set out by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for a household with a modest income.
A modest income is defined by the CRA as one person with an income under $35,000, or two-person household with a total income under $45,000, or a three-person household with an income under $47,000. For every additional dependent, add $2,500.
The grants are available through the Cold Lake and District FCSS offices and those who are eligible can apply online at www.coldlake.com/fcss or in person at the FCSS offices located at 5220 54 St.
Those eligible can apply for a $150 grant for an appointment 150 kms away from within the calendar year.
If an applicant has multiple out-of-city appointments, they can apply up to a maximum of $600 per calendar year.
Applicates will need to provide confirmation that they live within the city, have attended a medical appointment or received medical services at least 150 kms outside the city during the present year and provide the previous year’s tax assessment, according to information provided by the City of Cold Lake.
Alternatively, applicants can also provide proof of eligibility with their Canadian Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP), a program the FCSS runs yearly from March to January, instead of a tax assessment.
