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Submitting a Claim for a Person Under Disability

A Person Under Disability is someone who is not mentally capable of managing their finances or making reasonable decisions about their legal and financial affairs. A Person Under Disability will generally have someone else who is appointed to make decisions and act on their behalf. This is called a Personal Representative.

Who can be a Personal Representative?

A Personal Representative must be someone who has been legally appointed to take care of the Person Under Disability’s legal and financial affairs. This could be:

  • The person who provides daily care for the Person Under Disability, like a family member;
  • Someone the Person Under Disability selected to make decisions for them; or
  • A government agency like the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee or Indigenous Services Canada.

If you are submitting a Claim for a Person Under Disability, you must have a legal document that shows you have the authority to withdraw or deposit money into the person’s bank account, pay their bills, and accept compensation on their behalf. When submitting the Claim Form, you will need to include a copy of this legal document as proof of representation for the Person Under Disability.

Eligibility

The Claims Period for the Removed Child Class and Removed Child Family Class opened on March 10, 2025. If the Person Under Disability you represent is a part of these Classes, you can now submit a Claim for compensation. If they are part of both Classes, a separate Claim Form must be submitted for each Class.

Use the Eligibility Information Tool to learn more about the eligibility requirements of the Removed Child Class and Removed Child Family Class →

Find the Claim Forms, walk through guides and videos, and access the online Claims Portal →

Both you (the Personal Representative) and the Claimant must fulfil the eligibility requirements to submit a Claim. If you are not certain whether you or the Claimant are eligible, contact the Administrator toll-free at 1-833-852-0755 for support.

Supporting documentation

As a Personal Representative for a Claimant who is a Person Under Disability, you will need to provide copies of the following documentation with the Claim Form:

  • All documentation required for the Claimant as described in the Claim Form
  • Your own valid government-issued identification (ID)
  • Proof of representation:
    • A signed Power of Attorney (POA) or Protection Mandate; or
    • A provincial or territorial Appointment Order (including appointment of a Public Guardian and Trustee), or a federal Appointment Order for the administration of property by Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).
  • Proof of relationship, if applicable*:
    • A long-form birth certificate
    • Adoption papers of the Removed Child
    • Marriage documents or evidence of common-law relationship (for First Nations Stepparents only)

* Copies of these documents are only required if the Claimant you represent is the Caregiving Parent or Caregiving Grandparent of a Removed Child and is not First Nations or does not have a biological relationship to the Child.

Learn more about the documents you will need to provide as proof of representation for a Person Under Disability and how to be legally appointed as a Personal Representative →

Learn more about the documents required to show proof of relationship and who needs to submit them →

 

Receiving compensation

Compensation for an eligible Claimant who is a Person Under Disability will be made payable in the name of the Claimant and sent to your attention as their Personal Representative. You must have a bank account in the name of the Claimant for compensation to be issued.

The time it takes to receive compensation depends on what Class you submit a Claim under, and the individual circumstances of the Claimant.

For the Removed Child Class, compensation will be sent to the eligible Claimant’s Personal Representative as their Claims are processed.

For the Removed Child Family Class, Claims will be processed after the Ultimate Claims Deadline, which is four years from when the Claims Period opened (or if the Claimant you represent was a minor on March 10, 2025, four years from when they become an adult). The four-year timeframe includes the three-year Claims Period plus an additional year for extension requests. This timeline ensures that everyone has the same opportunity to submit a Claim and any competing Claims—where more than two Caregiving Parents or Caregiving Grandparents submitted a Claim for the same Removed Child—can be resolved.

In all cases, compensation will only be provided when eligible Claimants reach the Age of Majority.

Learn more about compensation for the Removed Child Class →

Learn more about compensation for the Removed Child Family Class →

More information

The federal government, along with each province and territory, has specific regulations for managing the property and finances for a Person Under Disability. To learn more about these regulations:

  • Contact Indigenous Services Canada if the person you represent lives on reserve.
  • Contact your provincial/territorial Office of the Public Guardian/Trustee if the person you represent lives off reserve.

Submission timelines

The deadline to submit a Claim for an adult Member of the Removed Child Class or the Removed Child Family Class is March 10, 2028.

If the Claimant was under the Age of Majority when the Claims Process opened on March 10, 2025, you have three years from the date they reach Age of Majority to submit the Claim.

Ready to Submit a Claim?

Every journey is different. You can complete your Claim on your own or choose to work alongside a Claims Helper at a pace that works for you.