All OW/ODSP recipients currently receiving the Special Diet Allowance will, if they haven't already, receive a letter from their local offices providing them with the new forms and telling them that they have 90 days to be reassessed for the Special Diet Allowance. The package will also include an instruction sheet and examples to help physicians and health professionals fill out the forms for patients with weight-related conditions. (See the " Applying for the new Special Diet Allowance " section of this website for more detailed information). Recipients will continue to receive the Special Diet Allowance until either the 90 days have passed or the new forms have been completed and submitted. The policy concerning recipients whose Special Diet Allowance was grandfathered from Family Benefits and is higher than the allowable $250 maximum is confusing. For clarification, see Revised ODSP Directive 6.4 - Special Diet Allowance (December 2005) and contact your nearest community legal clinic for advice: Legal Aid or toll-free: 1-800-668-8258 .

IMPORTANT: If recipients think they are unlikely to qualify under the new rules or that they will get less money, they should delay in submitting the new forms until the third month. Recipients who don't have family doctors and are in areas where there are doctor shortages should also apply to the director of your local OW/ODSP office for an extension on the basis that you cannot get a medical practitioner to complete the forms within the three-month deadline. If recipients ignore the letter and do not get the new form completed, their Special Diet Allowance will be cut off after 90 days.

No overpayments will be issued, even if recipients are no longer eligible for the Special Diet Allowance.

Once the reassessments have been completed, with the exception of those receiving the allowance for breast-feeding only, recipients will have to reconfirm their eligibility by getting a new form completed every 12 months.

ODSP recipients receiving the Special Diet Allowance will be asked to get the forms completed prior to their CVP reviews or earlier if the medical practitioners indicated that the diet was needed for less than a year. OW recipients will have to confirm their eligibility every 12 months, even if medical practitioners indicate that the medical condition is permanent. Requests for reassessment will be issued 90 days before the Special Diet Allowance is due to expire.