If you've never been on AISH and you're trying to figure out whether you qualify for Alberta's new disability program and what applying actually looks like this is for you. ADAP launches July 1, 2026, and first-time applicants are entering a system that works differently than most people expect.
Here's the full picture.
One Application Covers Both Programs
You don't apply to ADAP specifically. There is one combined application for both ADAP and AISH, and the government places you in whichever program fits your situation based on what your medical information shows.
The application has two parts. The first you fill out yourself it covers your age, residency, and financial situation. The second is a medical report completed by a registered Alberta health professional. Physicians, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and occupational therapists can all sign off on the medical section. If you need help with your portion, a family member, guardian, or community support worker can assist.
Submit as soon as your paperwork is complete. Benefits are paid retroactively to the date your complete application was received not the date you're approved. Every week you wait to submit is a week of benefits you won't get back.
How They Decide: ADAP or AISH
Once your application is submitted, an adjudicator reviews your medical information and makes an initial determination. The question they're answering is straightforward: does your disability significantly restrict your ability to work, or does it permanently prevent you from working at all?
Permanently unable to work AISH. Severely and permanently disabled but assessed as able to work to some degree ADAP.
If the adjudicator thinks you may qualify for AISH, your file goes to a Medical Review Panel of healthcare professionals who make the final call. Under current regulations, panel decisions are final. There is no further appeal to an independent body if the panel has already ruled which is one of the most significant criticisms disability advocates have raised about the new system.
If you land on ADAP and your condition later deteriorates to the point where you can no longer work, you can apply for an AISH reassessment at that point.
What ADAP Pays and What New Applicants Don't Get
The base ADAP benefit is $1,740 per month. That's the number for new applicants from day one.
The $200 monthly transition benefit that keeps current AISH clients at $1,940 until December 31, 2027 does not apply to anyone applying for the first time after July 1. If you're a new applicant, $1,740 is your ceiling. There is no bridge payment, no grace period.
Health benefits prescriptions, dental, basic medical coverage continue regardless of employment income. That doesn't change no matter how much you earn.
The Employment Income Rules, Explained Plainly
This is where ADAP is genuinely different from what existed before.
You can earn up to $700 per month in employment income before your financial benefits are reduced at all. Above that threshold, benefits decrease gradually. The government has confirmed that ADAP clients can earn more than $45,000 per year in employment income and still receive some financial benefit which the province is calling the highest employment income limit of any comparable disability program in Canada.
What that reduction curve actually looks like at different income levels matters a lot in practice. Use the ADAP calculator at culturealberta.com/tools/adap-calculator to run your specific numbers. If you're weighing ADAP against AISH and want to compare the financial picture side by side, the AISH calculator at culturealberta.com/tools/aish-calculator lets you do that too.
What Employment Participation Requires
Being on ADAP comes with expectations. You'll work with a case manager to build a personalized employment action plan. The supports available include career planning, assistive technology, simulated worksites, and supported job placements.
The government has been clear that if you go through the employment supports and still cannot find work, your financial and health benefits continue. There is no cutoff date. ADAP has no maximum program duration you receive support for as long as you need it.
Basic Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for either ADAP or AISH you need to be at least 18, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Alberta, and not yet eligible for Old Age Security. You cannot be incarcerated or residing in certain designated facilities.
Your financial situation is assessed alongside your medical one. Income and assets including those of a spouse or partner are factored in. Some things are fully exempt from that calculation: your primary home, your main vehicle, RDSPs, clothing, and basic household items.
How to Apply
Applications go through Alberta Supports. Submit your completed two-part application by mail to PO Box 17000 Station Main, Edmonton, AB T5J 4B3, or by fax to 1-877-969-3006.
For questions before or during the process:
Phone: 780-644-9992, select option 9
Toll free: 1-877-644-9992, select option 9
Benefits calculator and program details: alberta.ca/ADAP
Sources
Government of Alberta — Alberta Disability Assistance Program — alberta.ca/alberta-disability-assistance-program
Government of Alberta — ADAP Fact Sheet — alberta.ca
Inclusion Alberta — Understanding Proposed Changes to AISH and ADAP — inclusionalberta.org
Voice of Albertans with Disabilities — February 2026 — vadsociety.ca
