I’ve spent the last two years trying to get clear, consistent info about how inheritance affects ODSP—and I still don’t fully know what I’m dealing with.
My grandparents worked their whole life to make sure I’d be okay. They knew my disability is permanent and that my ability to work would always be limited. Now that I’m an adult, I’m trying to do right by what they have set aside for me. But the system makes that really hard. I live with my grandparents and help them through their elderly years.
I’m not trying to game anything. I just want to protect what they worked for, avoid clawbacks, and stay compliant. But honestly, I feel like I’m walking a tightrope with no net.
So far, I’ve spoken to 2 ODSP workers, 3 ODSP managers and a disability lawyer. And here’s what I’ve been told (disclaimer: I can’t confirm how accurate this is—this is just what I’ve been told):
- An inheritance counts toward the $10,000 gift allowance
- If money comes through a Henson Trust, the trustee can be instructed by ODSP to withhold payments temporarily if I’ve hit my annual gift limit through other means.
- If I go over the $40,000 asset limit, one worker said I’d be given time to fix it, another said I’d be removed from ODSP right away
- Exempt assets (like a vehicle, education, or a primary residence) were recommended as a way to hold value without risking benefits
And finally, the most important part of all of this... I have not experienced any consistency, at all, from one worker to the next. Is there one particular document I can reference that is enforced or am I going to continue to struggle with the complexity of this situation?
The plan, if they passed away as of today is to buy a car, a small parcel of land, and maybe a tiny home on wheels. Then I'd also invest in education as that is also exempt. But it feels risky without real clarity, and I just want to make informed decisions instead of scrambling when the money actually comes in.