The BC Coalition for People with Disabilities is seeking 8-10 people aged 40 and older with chronic health issues/disabilities for a focus group. Participants will discuss their experiences communicating with health care professionals. The purpose of this discussion is to identify improvements or strategies that could be used to increase successful interaction.

The focus group findings will be used for an article on communication in health care situations and participant input will be kept anonymous.

No honourarium is available but light refreshments will be provided.

When: Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 2:00-3:30 pm

Where: BCCPD office, #204-456 West Broadway, Vancouver

If you are interested, please contact Shelley by emailing wdi@bccpd.bc.ca or phoning 604-875-0188.

If you have a simple tax situation, our trained volunteer can help complete your taxes for free! If you are on PWD benefits, this is a good way to ensure taxes are filed on time & correctly.

Where:

BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD) office
#204- 456 West Broadway in Vancouver.  

When:

In February: Feb. 20^th 2012; Feb. 27, 2012
In March: March 5^th 2012; March 12^th 2012
In April: April 2, 2012; April 16, 2012; April 23, 2012; April 30, 2012

Appointments are 30 minutes.

 Suggested eligibility:
– Individuals on PWD Benefits
– Individuals earning up to $25,000
– Couples earning up to $35,000

To Register: Call the BCCPD at 604-872-1278. We will let you know what documents you need to bring to your clinic.

*Please note, volunteers do not prepare tax returns for complex situations such as:
– Returns for deceased persons
– Individuals who file for bankruptcy
– Self-employed individuals
– Individuals who report capital gains or losses
– Individuals who report employment expenses, business or rental income & expenses

The BCCPD thanks ACORN for all of their support.

We have updated our CPP-D self-help guides and they are now available in Chinese and Punjabi, as well as English. This project was made possible through the generous support of the Notary Foundation of BC and the Law Foundation of BC.

Our four CPP-D guides are:

1. Benefits Checklist
2. Application Guide
3. Appeal Guide: Part 1 – The Reconsideration Request
4. Appeal Guide: Part 2 – Appealing to theCanada Pension Review Tribunal

These resources are designed to help people apply for or appeal the denial of CPP-D. The checklist explains what other programs CPP-D recipients may be eligible for. All the guides can be accessed from at http://bccpd.bc.ca/money.htm.

Order Hard Copies

If you would like hard copies of the guides, we will mail them to you free of charge. Please contact Val at 604-875-0188 or at feedback@bccpd.bc.ca to place your order.

If you have any questions about CPP-D, please contact our Advocacy Access Program at 604-872-1278 or 1-800-663-1278 and ask to speak to a CPP-D advocate.