Ontario Autism Program: interim one-time funding

Overview

Children and youth who registered in the Ontario Autism Program before April 2021 might be eligible for interim one-time funding.

All eligible families who submitted their registration form and supporting documentation by March 31, 2021, will receive funding to purchase eligible services and supports.

The amount you are eligible to receive is based on your child or youth’s age as of April 1, 2023:

• $22,000 for a child under the age of 6
• $5,500 for a child or youth aged 6 – 17

If you received an invitation to apply for interim one-time funding and you apply within the 90-day window in the letter, we will honour the funding determination date in the letter.

Each eligible child and youth can also renew their funding once. You cannot get more than two interim one-time funding payments.

Accepting this funding will not impact your eligibility for the needs-based program. Your child or youth will enter core clinical services in the order that they registered for the Ontario Autism Program.

Eligibility

To receive Ontario Autism Program interim one-time funding, your child or youth must:

• be under 18 years of age
• be a resident of Ontario
• have a written diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by a qualified professional
• have submitted their registration form and supporting documents for the Ontario Autism Program by March 31, 2021

You are not eligible if you:

• submitted your registration form and supporting documents for the Ontario Autism Program after March 31, 2021
• did not receive an invitation letter for interim one-time funding

If you are eligible, the ministry will send you a letter to confirm your registration and invite you to complete the application form for interim one-time funding.

Invitation letter

Your invitation letter will include your child or youth’s:

• Ontario Autism Program client information reference number
• date of birth that is on file with your Ontario Autism Program service provider or with the ministry
• Ontario Autism Program registration date

If you have more than one child or youth on the waitlist, you will receive a separate invitation letter and client information reference number for each child or youth.

Apply

If your child or youth is eligible to receive interim one-time funding, you must follow the steps below.

If you have received a childhood budget and your child or youth is now eligible for interim one-time funding, you can submit your expenses and apply for funding in one step.

Step 1: receive an invitation to apply for interim one-time funding

You must receive an invitation letter from the ministry before you can apply for interim one-time funding.

Step 2: complete the interim one-time funding application

Primary caregivers and independent youth can apply for the funding, but they must complete different forms.

To apply for Ontario Autism Program interim one-time funding, we recommend using any web browser other than Internet Explorer.

Application form for primary caregivers

A primary caregiver can be the child or youth’s parent, legal guardian, children’s aid society or any person primarily responsible for the care and upbringing of the child or youth, including providing care under kinship service or customary care arrangements.

If you have a shared custody agreement for your child or youth with another person or family, only one person who has custody of the child or youth will be eligible to receive this funding on the child or youth’s behalf.

You share custody if the child or youth lives with you and someone else in separate residences and each parent has them for at least 40% of the time.

Application form for independent youth

An independent youth is someone aged 16 or 17 who has chosen to withdraw from their parent or caregiver’s care and control.

Step 3: the ministry reviews your application

After you apply for interim one-time funding, we will review and process your application within 4 to 6 weeks. We review applications in the order that we receive them. Once we process your application, you will receive your funding within 10 business days.

We are currently experiencing a high volume of applications and our standard processing times may be delayed.

Accepting this funding will not impact your eligibility for the needs-based autism program, and your child or youth will enter core clinical services in the order that they registered for the Ontario Autism Program.

Purchase autism services

Once the ministry has received and processed your application, we will send you your payment.

You can purchase eligible services and supports as soon as you receive the payment.

The date on the cheque, or the date that the funding is deposited into the primary caregiver or independent youth’s bank account, is your funding start date.

You cannot use your interim one-time funding to pay for services or supports that you purchased before your funding start date or after your funding end date.

Submit your expense form

The expense form reports, categorizes and summarizes how you spent the money so the ministry can reconcile the funding.

Do not submit invoices, receipts or other proof of payment with your expense form.

You must keep original records of all receipts, invoices and any supporting proof of payment of your expenses for seven years from the date shown on the invoice or receipt. These documents may be requested if you are audited.

You can submit the expense form before your funding end date if you have spent the entire amount of your Ontario Autism Program interim one-time funding and you have proof of payment for your expenses.

Get the expense form

You have up to 18 months to spend your funding

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we extended the amount of time you have to spend your interim one-time funding and submit your expense form by up to six months, if necessary. You now have up to 18 months to spend your interim one-time funding and submit your expense form.

For example, if your original 12 months to spend your funding ends on June 10, 2022, you now have until December 10, 2022, to spend your funding and submit your expense form.

You do not need to contact the ministry to be eligible or to accept this extension.

Families who are ready to submit an expense form at 12 months – as stated in their original funding agreement – can do so. The extension is optional and intended to support those families who need it.

Renewing your interim one-time funding

If you have already received interim one-time funding, you may be eligible to receive a second payment based on your child or youth’s age as of April 1, 2023:

• $22,000 for a child under the age of 6
• $5,500 for a child or youth aged 6 – 17

Use our online form to submit your expenses for your initial payment and apply for a second payment in one easy step. You can also download an accessible PDF version of the form.

Families can begin purchasing eligible services and supports the day after their interim one-time funding agreement ends, as long as they have submitted their expenses and application form for the additional payment.

After you are invited for core clinical services

After AccessOAP invites you to enter core clinical services, you are not eligible to renew your interim one-time funding.

If you have a current interim one-time funding agreement when you are invited to core clinical services, you can finish spending your interim one-time funding and receive funding for core clinical service from AccessOAP. Both funding agreements will be in place at the same time. When your interim one-time funding agreement ends, it will not be renewed. You may only continue to receive funding for core clinical services.

Funding agreement

To receive Ontario Autism Program interim one-time funding, you must enter into a funding agreement with the ministry.

You must read and consent to the terms and conditions of the funding agreement on your application form, and you can find them here for your records.

Terms and conditions

I understand that my funding start date is the date on which the ministry provided me with Ontario Autism Program interim one-time funding via cheque or electronic funds transfer/direct deposit. If paid by electronic funds transfer, the payor of Ontario Autism Program interim one-time funding is reflected on statements and accounts as ONTAUTISM.

I understand that I have one year or up to 18 months (from and including my funding start date, until and including my funding end date) to spend the funding.

I understand that invoices/receipts for services and supports purchased using funding must be dated after my funding start date and before or on my funding end date. Any services and supports purchased outside these dates will be at my own expense.

I have read and understand the Ontario Autism Program list of eligible and ineligible expenses.

I understand that I can only use the funding provided by the ministry under this agreement to purchase services and supports from the list of eligible expenses for the child or youth, and I agree to utilize the funding only for such purposes. I understand that I am responsible for repaying the ministry for the amount that was not spent on eligible expenses.

I understand that the ministry will only fund an amount for which my child or youth is eligible. If the funding does not cover the full cost of the expenses that I choose to incur, the ministry will not be responsible for paying the difference.

I understand that I will be required to submit an expense form to the ministry showing a summary of how the funding was spent and when purchases were made, including when services (if applicable) were provided.

I understand that if I am purchasing evidence-based behavioural services using the funding, I must submit a clinical supervisor attestation form, completed and signed by my clinical supervisor. The attestation form is only required if the clinical supervisor is not on the Ontario Autism Program provider list.

I understand that I am required to keep original records of my expenses (including, invoices, receipts and/or other proofs of payment such as debit, credit card or PayPal statements) for seven years from the date shown on the invoice/receipt for all services and supports purchased using the Ontario Autism Program interim one-time funding.

I understand that the retention of my invoices, receipts and other proof of payment is required as proof of how funding was spent and that I may be asked to submit such invoices, receipts and documentation to the ministry at any time or be subject to audit.

I understand that the funding I spend may be subject to an audit, and if I am unable to provide proof of how funding was spent or if I spend funding on ineligible expenses, my funding cannot be reconciled and that I will be required to repay to the ministry any unreconciled funding.

I understand that, if or when audited, I may be asked to provide documentation including records of who provided the service(s) and clear proof of payment (for example invoices and receipts). Documentation related to proof of purchase must include, at a minimum:

• invoice/receipt number
• name of service provider or the company from which the purchase was made
• name and title of clinician, and clinician license number (where applicable)
• list of service(s), quantity and individualized costs of the services provided, and/or the items purchased
• date(s) on which the service(s) was/were provided, or purchase(s) was/were made

I understand that the ministry may terminate this agreement for any reason, in its sole discretion, with 30 days written notice.

I understand that this agreement automatically and immediately terminates upon the occurrence of any of the following:

• it is discovered that the information provided in this agreement or in my Ontario Autism Program interim one-time funding application is incorrect or untrue
• the child or youth's diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder is removed
• the child or youth no longer resides in Ontario

I understand that, if this agreement is terminated, I may be required by the ministry to repay the funding, in whole or in part, to the ministry and/or I may be required by the ministry to reconcile the funding already spent, in whole or in part.

I understand that I am solely responsible for determining my obligations with respect to the funding for income tax purposes.

I understand that by using the funding to pay a service provider, I may be classified as an employer of my chosen service provider(s) under various Ontario and Canadian employment laws.

I understand that, with regard to any obligations I may have as an employer under the Employment Standards Act, Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, Human Rights Code, Labour Relations Act, Occupational Health and Safety Act, Employment Insurance Act, Income Tax Act or Canada Pension Plan Act, or any other laws to which I may be subject, I am solely responsible for determining my obligations under those laws, and I expressly acknowledge that the Ministry has made no representations with respect to any such obligations.

I release and agree to hold harmless, Her Majesty the Queen in right of Ontario, Her ministers, agents, appointees, and employees, from all actions, claims, demands, expenses, causes of action and for any and all liability, no matter what the cause arising out of or in connection with the selection of service providers, the receipt of services or otherwise in connection with the funding or this agreement.

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