Get help with costs if you have a chronic disease or disability

If you have a chronic disease or a disability, you may be able to get help with some of your costs. We provide this support through the Chronic Disease and Disability Benefits Program.

Download the Chronic disease and disability benefits brochure to find out which conditions are covered, items covered and how to apply.

What can you get help with costs for?

You may be able to get help with paying for:

• prescription drugs;
• medical surgical supplies;
• medical equipment;
• food supplements; and
• prostheses.

You can get help with these costs if:

• these are things that help you manage your chronic disease or disability; and
• they're recommended by your health practitioner.

Hearing aids for children under 16

Under this program, you can also get help with the purchase and repair of hearing aids for children under the age of 16 years who have permanent hearing loss.

How to apply

Your doctor must apply to the program for you. They should apply before you make a purchase.

If you live in a community without a resident doctor, a community health nurse can apply for you.

If you've already made the purchase

Although you should not make a purchase until you know if we'll give you funding, your doctor or community health nurse can apply for you to be reimbursed. For this, we will need:

• documentation for the recommendation from your health practitioner; and
• documentation for the purchase.

Your doctor or community health nurse must make the claim within 1 year of the purchase.

Purchases outside Yukon

If you buy anything outside Yukon, you must:

• already have approval from the program; or
• pay for it yourself and then apply for reimbursement; and
• submit your reimbursement claim within 1 year of the purchase.

Examples of medical surgical supplies

Medical surgical supplies you may be able to get help with costs for include:

• bandages for chronic and recurrent conditions;
• body supports;
• dressings;
• hand inhalers and nebulizers;
• ostomy supplies;
• oxygen supply
• prosthetic garments; and
• syringes and glucose test kits.

Examples of medical equipment

Medical equipment you may be able to get help with costs for include:

• commodes;
• glucometers;
• grab bars and support rails;
• manually operated hospital beds;
• manually operated wheelchairs;
• respiratory equipment; and
• walking aids.

You can also sometimes get help paying for other equipment you need for medical reasons, if your health practitioner approves it in advance.

What costs are not covered

We do not provide help with costs in the following situations.

If you have health insurance

If you have health benefit coverage through your employer or a private or group insurance agency, you must submit claims to those insurers first.

• You can only get help from the Chronic Disease and Disability Benefits Program for things not paid for by other coverage.
• This program is the payer of last resort.
• There's an annual deductible.

If you can borrow equipment elsewhere

We will not cover the cost of medical equipment if you can borrow it from a hospital or the Canadian Red Cross.

Charges related to goods and services

We cannot cover the cost of:

• installing or setting up medical equipment;
• fitting prostheses; or
• fitting appliances.

The only professional service charges we cover are dispensing fees for prescription drugs.

If you're away from Yukon for more than 183 days

If you normally receive funding under this program you are no longer eligible to get benefits if you're absent from Yukon for more than 183 consecutive days.

If you're away for no more than 210 days, you must then prove that Yukon is your only permanent residence.

What's a chronic disease?

A chronic disease is a health condition or disease that goes on for a long time or often recurs.

What's a disability?

A disability is a serious impairment such as:

• amputation;
• brain damage;
• intellectual disabilities; and
• partial or complete paralysis.

It does not include sensory impairment such as poor vision.

What diseases and conditions are covered?

These diseases and conditions are covered by the Chronic Disease and Disability Benefits Program:

A

• ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
• Adrenal Disease
• Affective Disorders
• AIDS (HIV/AIDS)
• Alcohol use disorder (AUD)
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Appendicular Arthritis
• Asthma

B

• Barrett's Esophagus

C

• Cancer
• Cardiac Disorders
• Celiac Disease
• Cerebral Palsy
• Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
• Crohn's Disease
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Cystinuria

D

• Diabetes
• Down Syndrome

E

• Epilepsy

G

• Galactosemia
• Glaucoma

H

• Heart Valve Problems
• Hemophilia
• Hirschprung's Disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Huntington's Disease
• Hypercholesteremia
• Hypertension
• Hypogammaglobulinaemia
• Hypogonadism

M

• Multiple Sclerosis
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Myasthenia Gravis

N

• Narcolepsy

O

• Organ transplants
• Osteoporosis

P

• Pancreatitis
• Parkinson's Disease
• Phenylktonuria
• Pernicious Anemia
• Pituitary Disease
• Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum
• Psoriasis
• Psychoses

R

• Restless Leg Syndrome

S

• Sarcoidosis
• Schizophrenia
• Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome
• Spina Bifida
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

T

• Thrombophlebitis
• Tourette's Syndrome
• Tuberculosis
• Turner's Syndrome

U

• Ulcerative Colitis

W

• Williams Syndrome