Autism Support Network
MCFD Announcement
February 10, 2026
Direct Disability Funding
will Replace
Autism Funding by 2027
Public information about the funding changes is available on the BC Government's Children and Youth with Support Needs website. We have summarized some of the relevant information below.
The ASN members, first and foremost, feel that Autism is best served under the Ministry of Health, not a social services Ministry. But here are some positives and concerns about the new Disability Funding.
Positive Aspects of the New Disability Benefit and Supplement
- Individualized Funding is maintained, meaning parents get to make their own individualized programs
- For some, there will be faster access to funding
- Supports are expanded beyond autism to all disabilities
- Increased investment in children with disabilities is necessary and long overdue
- Funding is based on the child's functional needs
Concerns about the New Disability Benefit and Supplement
- Parents whose children are not eligible for the Direct Admit Pathway or for Disability Tax Credit will have to advocate.
- Obtaining the federal Disability Tax Credit is already a barrier for many, requiring a complex application process and has associated costs. Requiring it for eligibility to access the Supplement will exclude more subtly-presenting autistic people.
- Parents whose children are not eligible for the Direct Admit Pathway or for Disability Tax Credit will need to have assessments done: What measures will they use, who will pay for these assessments and where will they get the assessments done?
- Funding might be reduced or eliminated for some who currently receive funding
- Existing community-based services have long waitlists and are of inconsistent quality. Will capacity increase to the point that families will have timely access to services?
- Will the expanded community services be high-quality, evidence-informed, and accessible across BC?
- Community-based services could be a forced pathway, and not a choice.
The Autism Support Network's Ongoing Commitment
ASN will continue to advocate for :
Evidence-based practice
Individualized funding and meaningful family choice
Full access to evidence-based autism intervention for everyone who needs it
Autism to be recognized and supported within a Health Care Framework
And We Will :
Empower families to be informed and engaged advocates
Encourage respectful dialogue and unity within the autism community and broader disability community
We are stronger together.
ASN remains exactly what it has always been: a grassroots network of parents working tirelessly so all our children can reach their full potential.
Current Autism Funding (started in 2007)
New Disability Benefit and Supplement
$22,000 per year for children under the age of 6 with an Autism Diagnosis
$6,000 per year for children over the age of 6 with an Autism Diagnosis
Children without an autism diagnosis got $0
BENEFIT: $6,500 - $17,000 per year for any child with a disability based on need. Some of these families will be directly approved using existing documentation; some will be reviewed.
This funding is not income tested.
SUPPLEMENT: $6,000 per child available to children based on need and
registered for the Disability Tax Credit.
This funding is income tested.
Disability Benefit
The following is an excerpt from the BC Children and Youth Disability Benefit website :
The new BC Children and Youth Disability Benefit provides direct funding for children and youth (ages 0 to 19) who have lifelong disability resulting in significant and/or complex support needs. This Benefit will replace some current funding programs, including autism funding, which was based only on diagnosis – with a needs-based system that offers:
- Funding tailored to each child’s functional needs
- New support for families who have never received help before
- Increased support for children with the highest needs
- More flexibility and choice with less paperwork
- Expanded free community services that all families can access without a diagnosis
Disability Benefit
There are two eligibility pathways for the Disability Benefit
Direct Admit Pathway
Children automatically qualify if they have diagnoses strongly linked to high functional needs, such as:
Moderate to profound intellectual disability
Medically or neurodevelopmentally complex genetic or syndromic conditions with highest needs (including Down syndrome)
Autism combined with any level of intellectual disability
Autism assessment results showing the highest support needs
Degenerative conditions with predictable decline (Duchenne muscular dystrophy, SMA types 1 & 2)
Palliative conditions (life expectancy less than 6 months)
Gross motor function similar to cerebral palsy (GMFCS levels 3–5)
Severe self‑injurious behaviour treated by specialized clinics
Other clearly defined, high‑need medical or developmental conditions
Needs-Based Review Pathway
This pathway ensures children with rare, complex, or atypical needs who do not meet a direct-admit threshold are not excluded. Clinical expertise is applied to determine eligibility based on functional impact, not just diagnostic labels. Eligibility may be confirmed through:
A professionally administered functional assessment
Health-care provider attestation confirming prolonged disability and significant adaptive limitations
Review of medical complexity, behavioural profile, and functional impact
Disability supplement
In addition to, or in some cases, instead of the Disability Benefit, there is a BC Children and Youth Disability Supplement. This is a monthly payment that helps middle-and low-income families with the cost of raising a child with support needs. The Disability Supplement is part of BC’s new supports system that focuses on a child’s need, not just their diagnosis. This is income tested and your child must be registered with the Disability Tax Credit in order to be eligible. See BC Disability Supplement for more information
What does this mean for your child?
Disability Benefit: If your child meets the Direct Admit Pathway, you could stand to receive more money overall in the new system than you did in the old system. If your child does not meet the Direct Admit Pathway requirements or if funding is inadequate for your child's needs it will be up to YOU to tell the ministry what is needed for your child. Get a referral from a BCBA or Psychologist on how your child would benefit greatly from a behaviour Intervention, or speech program (etc) that can target specific deficits or improve social and/or communicative interactions. The Autism Support Network can help you with this.
Disability Supplement : If you have not already done so, you will need to apply for the Federal Disability Tax Credit. This requires filling out a Disability Tax Certificate with a doctor. We recommend getting information from ASDfunding.com and reading up on how best to apply.
Advocating for Better Funding
ASN will continue our work to empower families to be informed and engaged advocates for their children. Stay tuned for updates on our website or join our mailing list
Write to your MLA
The Autism Support Network has made a template letter that you can modify and then send to your MLA.
Autism Treatment should be in Health
For nearly two decades, the Autism Support Network has recommended transferring responsibility for autism services to the Ministry of Health Services (MOHS). The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) has faced ongoing challenges managing autism services due to structural, philosophical, and expertise limitations. As a social services ministry, it does not have the clinical expertise needed to recommend or guide families toward evidence-based treatment options.
Moving the autism portfolio to the MOHS would allow the provincial government to access additional funding through the Canada Health Transfer or other future negotiated health accords. This will enable children and youth with autism to receive proactive treatment rather than reactive band aid measures.
Moving autism treatment to health will also take away transitioning issues as a child moves from MCFD to Education to Adult Services. These ministries tend to operate in silos, and each has their own rules which prevent consistency between home, school and community services. If autism treatment were in health, treatment could take place wherever necessary in an individual's life.
A straightforward solution is to allow access to behaviour intervention upon diagnosis and prescription from a psychiatrist or pediatrician. As qualified clinicians, they are best positioned to determine a child’s needs, allowing families to access funding immediately without additional approval from non-clinical hub managers.