Saskatchewan disability-benefit changes raise payments for 7,700 clients

Changes to Saskatchewan’s SAID program took effect earlier this year, simplifying its benefit structure and expanding and restructuring the Living Income Benefit.

• Who is affected: More than 7,700 clients—about 44 per cent of people in the program—received higher benefits. More than 18,000 Saskatchewan residents access SAID.
• How much: Clients receive an average of $51 more per month. Some families and people in rural areas saw increases of up to $294 per month.
• Program-wide impact: Clients received nearly $400,000 more in benefits in September. The changes are expected to provide about $4.7 million in additional support over the next year.
• Benefit reductions: No current clients saw their benefits decrease because of the changes.