OAP Reconciliation: What Is Published, and What Is Not

Core funding is released in installments rather than as one payment. Ontario states that invoices covering an initial tranche of core funding must be submitted before the next portion is released (the exact tranche amount is set by published program rules; confirm with AccessOAP). Reconciliation is the process of reporting, through an expense form, how the money was actually spent.

Ontario publishes a list of eligible and ineligible expenses. Therapy hours with qualified providers, assessment, consultation and multidisciplinary collaboration are eligible. Materials and equipment generally require a letter of recommendation from a regulated professional.

You must keep original receipts, invoices and proof of payment - including debit, credit card or PayPal statements - for seven years from the date on the invoice or receipt. This is the single most concrete obligation in the whole process, and the one families most often learn about too late.

Several details that families discuss constantly are not set out in published guidance. Ontario does not publish the precise percentage of an installment that must be reconciled before the next one is released, the day of the week payments are deposited, how long after approval an expense can be re-examined, or whether any part of the review is automated.

Families share figures for all of these in parent groups. Those figures may well be accurate, but they are not published, and we will not restate them here as fact. If a rule affects whether you get paid, you are entitled to it in writing.

Ask AccessOAP in writing for the reconciliation threshold that applies to your agreement, and for the period during which an approved expense can be reversed. Keep the reply. A written answer is worth more than a forum consensus if a payment is later disputed.

Keep a single running log of every submission: date submitted, amount, provider, category, date approved, and date paid. If an expense is later reversed, that log is what lets you identify which one and challenge it.

Keep the letter of recommendation with the receipt it supports, not in a separate file. If an equipment or materials claim is questioned, the two need to be produced together.

Submit invoices well before the March 31 fiscal year end rather than at it. Unused core funding does not carry over into the next year.