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Assessment

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• Cash resources
• Property value
• Income
• Parental contribution

To determine whether you are eligible for last-resort financial assistance and to establish the benefit amount, the Ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale assesses all of your resources.

When assessing your eligibility for last-resort financial assistance and when calculating your benefit, a portion of your resources (cash in hand, value of home, etc.) may be exempted or excluded. Certain circumstances may also be taken into account.

Cash resources

Your cash resources (liquid assets) are the sums you have in hand or in your bank account and the assets that you can readily convert into cash, such as term deposits or savings bonds. These resources are taken into account when determining your eligibility for last-resort financial assistance and calculating the benefit you will receive. If your liquid assets exceed the exemptions authorized by regulation, the financial assistance will be refused or reduced.

Since January 1, 2006, under certain conditions, you may be entitled to a new exemption which allows you to deposit certain amounts in a financial institution account for a specific project (individual savings plan).

To be eligible to apply for last-resort financial assistance and for the Social Assistance Program, you may not have more than the following amounts in cash at the time you apply:

Adults	Minor dependent children 1	Maximum allowed
1	0	$887
1	1	$1268
1	2	$15021
2	0	$1319
2	1	$1573
2	2	$18071
Spouse of student	0	$8872
A sheltered or detained adult, or a sheltered minor with a child	0	$887

Notes:

1. An amount of $234 is added for a third dependent child and for each subsequent child.

2. An amount of $254 is added for a first dependent child and $234 is added for each subsequent child.

An amount of $172 is added to the basic exclusions for each dependent child who receives a supplement for handicapped children from the Régies des rentes du Québec.

If you have only been granted a claim slip (drug card) for a limited time in order to help you return to work, or if you have completed participation in the Youth Alternative Program or a specific program and you have applied for last-resort financial assistance, other exclusions are provided for.

When you are a Social Assistance Program recipient, the amounts of cash you may have in hand without having your benefit modified are as follows:

If you have only been granted a claim slip (drug card) for a limited time in order to help you return to work and you re-apply for employment assistance, other exclusions are provided for. To be entitled to these amounts, you must meet certain conditions.

Once you receive employment-assistance benefits, the amounts of cash you may have in hand without having your benefit modified are as follows:

• $1500 for an independent adult ¹
• $2500 for a family²

When you are a Social Solidarity Program recipient, the amounts of cash you may have in hand without having your benefit modified are as follows:

• $2500 for an independent adult ¹
• $2500 for a family²

Note:
1. This amount also applies to sheltered minors with their child and to the spouses of students.

2. Additional exclusions of liquid assets may also be granted based on the number of dependent children.

Property value

The value of your property, which consists of immoveables (principal residence, cottage, land, etc.) and motor vehicles (car, snowmobile, etc.), is taken into account when assessing your eligibility for last-resort financial assistance. If the value exceeds the exemptions authorized by regulation, depending on the type of property, the financial assistance is refused or reduced. For example:

If you are eligible for the Social Assistance Program
Up to $90,000 of the net value of your principal residence (house and land) is excluded.

Up to $10,000 of the market value of your car is excluded.

If you are eligible for the Social Solidarity Program
Certain liquid assets, possessions, and properties are excluded up to a total value of $130,000.

The main possessions, properties, and liquid assets excluded are:

• Certain properties (main residence, working farm, cottage, land, etc.)
• Certain types of liquid assets (registered retirement savings plan, registered education savings plan, etc.)
• Possessions, properties, and liquid assets inherited during a month you are receiving benefits

The market value of an automobile is excluded, up to a value of $10,000.

If you are receiving benefits under the Social Assistance Program or the Social Solidarity Program, other amounts may also be excluded.

Income

To determine your eligibility for the last-resort financial financial assistance and to calculate the benefit, your income is taken into account. This includes employment earnings, support payments, a Régie des rentes du Québec (RRQ) pension, Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) or Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) indemnities, or Québec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP) benefits.

Employment earnings, the assistance allowance paid by the Minister, and the support allowance you receive for participating in a social support program are subtracted from your benefit. However, a portion of this employment income is exempted for the purpose of calculating the benefit amount.