Reimbursement of Expenditures for Living Donations

Memorandum from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care


Trillium Gift of Life Network received the following memorandum from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care on September 26, 2007 with more details on the Organ Donation Strategy - Reimbursement of Expenditures for Living Organ Donors.

We will continue to provide more information as it comes available on this website.


September 26, 2007

Memorandum from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

On August 3, 2007 as part of the Organ Donation Strategy, the Premier announced the establishment of a fund to reimburse living organ donors up to a maximum amount of $5,500 for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses associated with the donation. While this program is expected to commence in early 2008, the ministry is prepared to consider reimbursement of eligible, reasonable, actual expenditures for living organ donors incurred on or after the Premier's August 3, 2007 announcement, in accordance with soon to be established program policies.

At present, the ministry is working on the operational design of this fund including eligibility criteria and program policies and procedures. The fund is to be modeled after the Living Organ Donor Expense Reimbursement Program in British Columbia. The type of costs that are being considered for reimbursement include travel, accommodation, meals as well as a loss of income subsidy. Receipts will be mandatory. As this fund will be one of last resort, all other sources of funding (e.g. Northern Health Travel Grant, Employment Insurance, benefits available through the employer) must be considered and utilized before reimbursement for expense and loss of income is requested by the claimant.

In the interim, given the government's intent to retroactively reimburse living organ donors for incurred expenses as of August 3, 2007, we are requesting transplant programs to advise potential living donors about this fund and to retain all receipts for costs incurred associated with the living donation. Also, we would appreciate if transplant programs can maintain a list of names, addresses and phone numbers of potential living donors undergoing assessments in their respective programs so that Trillium Gift of Life Network can contact these individuals to submit an application for expense reimbursement as soon as the program is operational.

Detailed information on the fund, including eligibility criteria and program policies will be communicated as soon as they are ready. Thank you for your continued commitment to organ donation and transplantation and the enhancement of support to living organ donors.