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Province boosts support for seniors traveling to medical appointments

More Foothills seniors will receive help from the Province to cover travel costs to attend medical appointments in Calgary.

More Foothills seniors will receive help from the Province to cover travel costs to attend medical appointments in Calgary.

The Province is boosting the Special Needs Assistance for low-income seniors traveling for medical care, including increasing the amount it will cover for hotel costs and reducing the travel distance needed to qualify. The changes take effect July 1.

Lori Sigurdson, minister of seniors and housing, said it can be costly for seniors to travel to medical appointments.

“Today’s announcement will help seniors who live in communities like Okotoks, Black Diamond and Turner Valley,” she said. “Previously, some seniors living in those areas did not qualify for the medical trip benefit, with the upcoming changes, they will beginning July 1.”

The minimum round-trip distance people will need to travel to qualify is dropping to 80km, down from 100km.

The change leaves out some destinations, such as Rocky View Hospital. However, the round trip distance from Okotoks to others such as the Tom Baker Cancer Clinic (depending on the route taken) or Peter Lougheed Center will qualify.

The president of the Okotoks and District Seniors Club said it’s good news for seniors and will allow more to take advantage of the provincial support.

“It’s all expensive when you have to drive some place and you have to stay some place,” said Elida Raynor.

She said anyone living in Okotoks wouldn’t have qualified under the former 100km round trip distance, and the new 80km rule might barely cover Okotoks for certain destinations. However, it will benefit low-income seniors in much of the Foothills region, said Raynor.

“If you have to go from here to Peter Lougheed [Hospital], you’re over 80km,” she said.

The Province is also eliminating the 400km cap on mileage expenses paid. The Province pays mileage amounts of $14 per every 100km.

“It doesn’t really make sense to arbitrarily cap that at 400km when people sometimes need to travel very long distances,” said Timothy Chu, Sigurdson’s press secretary.

It is also adding a one-time benefit of $85 to help with medical transportation costs for someone moving from long-term care to a new care facility.

Support for overnight accommodations is also rising from $75 to $100.

“It’s to help cover, but not cover the entire cost,” said Chu. “It would be if you were to spend the night at a hotel because you had a treatment the next day.”

Just how much of the final hotel bill the Province will cover depends of a variety of factors, he said.

“This is really a baseline, we’ll help you regardless of wherever you’re staying or how much it’s costing you, we’ll make sure to help cover some of your costs by giving you up to $100,” said Chu.

To apply, seniors need to fill out the seniors financial assessment form. It’s the same form people fill out when applying for the Alberta seniors benefit. Chu said anyone who is currently receiving the Alberta Seniors Benefit doesn’t need to fill out a new form.

“What we recommend they do is, if they are about to go to a medical appointment to give Alberta Supports a phone call,” he said.

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