Passport Program Funding Guide for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Passport is funded by the Ontario government and run by local Passport agencies. Ontario calls it a reimbursement program. You or your family pay for an admissible expense, then send in the invoice or receipt, and Ontario reimburses it up to your annual funding amount.

Every recipient names a Person Managing Funds (PMF). That can be the recipient or a trusted friend or family member, but not someone who is paid as the recipient’s support worker. The recipient or PMF signs a service agreement with the local Passport agency and the agency that processes payments.

Everyone approved receives at least $5,665 a year. Amounts above that, up to $45,604, depend on the DSO application package and on funding being available. Ontario says priority for extra funding is not based on how long you have waited.

Ontario lists community classes and recreational programs, work, volunteer and daily-life skills, a support worker, person-directed planning, and temporary respite for caregivers. Its guidelines also cover technology, supplies for community activities and live-event tickets, each with a yearly or per-item cap.

The April 2023 guidelines, which ontario.ca links as the current ones, set these caps: technology goods and services, $3,000 a year; community participation supplies and equipment, $2,000 a year; person-directed planning, $2,500 a year; live-event tickets, $150 a ticket for two tickets per event. Administrative help can use up to 10% of total funding. Some amounts above a cap can be considered with pre-approval from the Passport agency.

Support workers must be registered by the recipient or PMF and be 18 or older. Parents, stepparents, the recipient’s spouse, the unpaid primary caregiver and the PMF cannot be registered and paid as a support worker.

The guidelines list expenses that are not admissible. They include housing, home maintenance and home modifications; groceries and restaurant meals; clothing; furniture and household items; medical services, medication and dental care; and assistive devices such as wheelchairs and lifts. Therapies such as speech-language, occupational therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Applied Behaviour Analysis are on the list, as are behavioural support plans.

Gaming items, virtual reality systems and streaming or subscription services are also not admissible. Ontario ended some pandemic-era temporary additions on March 31, 2023, including gaming items, streaming subscriptions, behavioural interventions and essential service delivery fees. The list in the guidelines is not complete, so ask your Passport agency before you buy.

Passport does not replace the Ontario Autism Program, which is for children and youth. Check each expense against the guidelines in effect on the date you received the goods or service.

You apply through Developmental Services Ontario. DSO needs three kinds of proof: a written psychological assessment, proof you live in Ontario, and proof of age. The assessment must come from a psychologist or psychological associate and cover cognitive functioning, adaptive functioning and, if it was done after age 18, whether the disability began before 18 and is likely to last for life.

DSO’s own FAQ says eligibility means significant limits in both cognitive and adaptive functioning. An autism diagnosis alone does not establish this. If you have no assessment, contact your area DSO. It reviews options with you, which can include a referral to a ministry-funded agency for an assessment.

After DSO sends an eligibility letter, an assessor holds two meetings of about three hours each with at least two people who know the applicant well. The application package has two parts: the Application for Developmental Services and Supports and the Support Intensity Scale - Adult version. With the right documents, DSO says you can be confirmed eligible at 16, but services start at 18.

Claims have a deadline. Ontario says claims for expenses on or before March 31, 2026 must be sent in by March 31, 2027. For purchases from April 1, 2026, you have 12 months after the end of each fiscal year, which ends March 31.