3. Learn about when you don’t have to try to get spousal support
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Question & Answer
Can I get spousal support and money from ODSP?The general rule is that the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) can require you to make “reasonable efforts” to get if you might be able to get it.
If you can’t find your spouse
You may not have to try to get spousal support, if after some time, for example 2 years:
- your spouse has not had contact with you, and
- no one can find them.
But if you have any information that could help find your spouse, you must give this to ODSP.
Other reasons
There are some other times when you may not have to try to get spousal support. For example:
- you can’t go to family court for medical reasons
- your spouse:
- is violent towards you or your child
- can’t pay any support right now, for example, because they’re in jail
- is in another country where they can’t be forced to pay support that a court in Ontario ordered them to pay
In situations like these, ODSP should decide that you don’t have to try to get spousal support.
But they will review their decision, usually in 3 to 12 months. They should tell you when they plan to review it.
When ODSP reviews their decision
When ODSP reviews their decision, if things are the same, they may decide that you still don’t have to try to get spousal support.
Or, they might give you a date when they’ll do another review.
But ODSP can also decide that they don’t need to review your situation. For example, they might do this if:
- no one can find your spouse after searching for what ODSP considers to be “a reasonably long time”
- there’s an ongoing risk of your spouse being violent towards you or your child
ODSP can ask you for proof of your situation. For example, to show that your spouse was violent, you might need to get a police report or a letter from a doctor or counsellor.
