Myositis can bring extra costs: mobility equipment, bathroom safety gear, changes to your home. Several Canadian programs and tax credits can cover part of that cost. This guide collects the main ones, with links to apply.
Several of these programs need a health professional to confirm your diagnosis or prescribe the equipment. Our team completes these forms routinely, so raise it at your next visit.
Myositis is one of the neuromuscular disorders supported by Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC), a national charity. Dermatomyositis, polymyositis, immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy, and inclusion body myositis all appear on its list of supported conditions. Registering as a client is free, and the registration form includes a section for a health professional to confirm your diagnosis.
Once registered, you can apply to MDC's Equipment Program, which helps cover the cost of assistive devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters. A regional Service Specialist works with you one on one and can also point you to other funding available where you live.
Register as a client at muscle.ca, or read how the Equipment Program works.
The Assistive Devices Program (ADP) is run by the Ontario government. It helps Ontario residents with a long-term physical disability (six months or longer) pay for equipment fitted to them, such as wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters. For most mobility devices, ADP pays up to 75% of the approved price and you pay the rest. There is no income test, and people receiving Ontario Works or ODSP may have the full cost covered.
The application starts with an assessment by an ADP-registered clinician, often an occupational therapist or physiotherapist, who completes the form and works with an ADP-registered vendor. The equipment must be bought from a registered vendor for the funding to apply, so confirm this before you purchase.
Outside Ontario, each province and territory runs its own program (Alberta Aids to Daily Living, for example). Check your provincial government website, or ask your MDC Service Specialist what applies where you live.
Read the details at ontario.ca/page/assistive-devices-program.
Smaller aids are often bought out of pocket: grab bars, bath seats, reachers, dressing aids, and rollators. Home-health retailers such as Wellwise (formerly Wellwise by Shoppers Drug Mart) carry a wide range in stores and online, and Wellwise is an ADP-registered vendor for several device categories.
Before you pay, ask about seniors' and loyalty discounts. Many pharmacies and home-health retailers run weekly seniors' discount days, and the savings on a rollator or bath equipment add up. Offers change often, so check the store's promotions page or ask at the counter. Keep your receipts either way: many of these purchases count as eligible medical expenses at tax time.
The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) is a federal, non-refundable credit that lowers income tax for people with a severe and prolonged impairment, or for a family member who supports them. If muscle weakness markedly limits daily activities such as walking or dressing, ask your team whether an application makes sense for you.
You apply with Form T2201: you complete Part A (online through CRA My Account, or on paper) and a medical practitioner certifies Part B. Approval lasts for a set number of years or indefinitely, and if your eligibility began years earlier, the CRA can adjust past returns.
The DTC matters well beyond the credit itself. It is the gateway to other programs, including the Home Accessibility Tax Credit below, the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), and the Canada Disability Benefit, a monthly federal payment for eligible adults aged 18 to 64.
Start at the CRA's Disability Tax Credit page.
If you apply for one thing on this page, make it this one. Approval opens the door to most of the other credits and benefits listed here.
The Home Accessibility Tax Credit (HATC) is a federal credit for lasting renovations that make your home safer or easier to move around in: ramps, stair lifts, grab bars, a walk-in shower, wider doorways. You qualify if you are eligible for the DTC, or if you are 65 or older at the end of the year.
You can claim up to $20,000 of eligible expenses per year, worth a credit of up to $3,000. Claim it on line 31285 of your tax return, and keep detailed invoices and receipts for the work.
See what qualifies on the CRA's home accessibility expenses page.
Some renovation costs also count as eligible medical expenses, for example reasonable costs to give a person who uses a wheelchair access to their home. When an expense qualifies for both, the CRA allows you to claim the same expense under both the Medical Expense Tax Credit (METC) and the HATC.
The METC covers far more than renovations. Many devices bought with a prescription, some equipment, and, in some situations, travel for medical care can all qualify. Check the CRA's list of eligible medical expenses (lines 33099 and 33199), or ask your accountant, and keep every receipt.
The full list is on the CRA's eligible medical expenses page.
Most provinces layer their own credits on top of the federal ones, and the details change from year to year. Check your provincial government website, or ask your accountant which apply to you.
If you file your own return, tax software such as TurboTax or Wealthsimple Tax does a good job of finding these. Once you indicate a disability or DTC approval, the software prompts you for the matching provincial credits and deductions.
These are the official pages for each program. Details, amounts, and forms change, so always start from the source.
Free registration for people with a supported neuromuscular disorder, including myositis. The first step to equipment funding.
How MDC's equipment funding works, what has been funded before, and how to apply through your Service Specialist.
Ontario's program for long-term disability equipment. Pays up to 75% of the approved price for most mobility devices.
Eligibility, Form T2201, and how to apply online or on paper. The gateway to most other disability benefits.
Line 31285: which renovations qualify and how to claim up to $20,000 of expenses per year.
Lines 33099 and 33199: the CRA's full list of medical expenses you can claim, from devices to renovations.
A monthly federal benefit for eligible adults aged 18 to 64 who are approved for the Disability Tax Credit.
Home-health retailer with stores and online shopping, and an ADP-registered vendor for several device categories.
Programs, amounts, and links on this page were checked in August 2026 and can change. Listing a program or retailer is not an endorsement. Always confirm the details on the official site before you apply or buy.
This guide is for information, not financial or tax advice. Amounts and rules change with each budget year. Confirm the details with the CRA, your provincial government, or an accountant before you claim.