The Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies (OACAS) is happy to announce updates to the Aftercare Benefits Initiative (ABI), in partnership with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS).
The Aftercare Benefits Initiative (ABI) is a health and dental benefits program available to eligible former youth in care, to help them transition to adulthood and gain better access to essential health services. Launched on July 31, 2014, the ABI program offers free benefit coverage to former youth in care between 21 and 25 years of age or 18 and 25 for adopted youth who are not eligible for health benefits through another plan. For a maximum of four consecutive years, the program provides a broad range of benefit coverage, including prescription drugs, dental, vision, extended health benefits, counselling, and life skills support services that are not covered through OHIP+.
To better serve former youth in care, OACAS conducted a review of the ABI program in 2024. The goal of the review was to improve program efficiency, streamline the enrollment process, provide clear eligibility, and develop guidelines for the program’s future direction. As a result, and as of January 1, 2025, the ABI registration process has been simplified. Youth must now be registered by their worker or a staff member of the child welfare agency they are connected to; they cannot enroll directly.
The ABI program has been enhanced with new tools to support youth enrollment and understanding of the benefits available, including a youth and worker fact sheet, an eligibility chart, a benefit chart, FAQs, and an updated welcome booklet and onboarding process. It also has a new logo and brand design to further support its promotion and visibility among young people and staff in the child welfare sector.
To learn more about the program, visit www.oacas.org/abi or email abi@oacas.org.
