A Kamloops-based advocate for families affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is urging the B.C. government to clarify how children will qualify for new disability supports and what help will be available during the transition to the province’s replacement programs.

In a submitted statement dated Sept. 9, Inspire Kids FASD Family Support Society of BC said families need an immediate provincial action plan. Bonnie McBride, identified in the submission as the organization’s executive director, raised concern that children with FASD could be left out of the new system.

“To see our kids restricted from the new support model was disheartening and, quite frankly, heartbreaking,” McBride said.

The province’s Feb. 10 announcement, however, describes two routes to the new Children and Youth Disability Benefit. One is a direct-admit route for certain eligible diagnoses. The other is a needs-based review for children whose severe functional impacts may qualify them without a specific diagnosis.

Provincial material says FASD is among the conditions that may be eligible for the benefit, and that eligibility is not limited to a single diagnosis. The benefit is intended for children and youth with the highest functional support needs, with annual payments of $6,500 or $17,000 depending on assessed needs.

That distinction matters to a claim in the submitted statement that children with intellectual disabilities are the only ones who will qualify. The government’s program FAQ describes a needs-based pathway that does not require a particular diagnosis. Details of how that review will work in practice remain central to the advocates’ concern.

Under the province’s announced schedule, implementation of the direct Disability Benefit began April 1, 2026, with the program to be fully operational April 1, 2027. New applicants can apply after April 1, 2027. A separate, income-tested Disability Supplement is scheduled to begin payments in July 2027. That supplement is tied to eligibility requirements including the federal Disability Tax Credit, rather than an application directly to the ministry.

The transition timeline does not mean all current supports end before 2027, according to the province. Its February backgrounder says respite funding and services, health care, nursing supports, and at-home benefits for medical equipment and supplies remain available. The provincial FASD information page also says free key-worker support is available before a child receives an assessment. Key workers can help families find information, support groups and community resources.

Whether those programs are accessible to families in Kamloops and the Thompson-Nicola region is not clear from the available material. No current regional figures were provided for FASD key-worker capacity, assessment wait lists, respite access, applications or denials under the new benefit.

Inspire Kids’ concern also draws on a 2021 report by B.C.’s Representative for Children and Youth. The report found that about 75 per cent of 925 children and youth diagnosed with FASD in the fiscal years cited, 2016/17 and 2018/19, did not also have an intellectual-disability diagnosis. The figure is historical and does not show how many children with FASD will qualify under the new needs-based model.

A 2024 progress assessment from the representative found mixed progress on the report’s recommendations. It recorded some or substantial progress in certain areas, while finding no progress on others and identifying continuing implementation concerns.

The outstanding policy question for families is how the province’s needs-based review, continuing services and new benefit will work together as the transition continues.