Funding programs in British Columbia for hospital beds, mattresses, lifts and cushions

How to read this page

We can’t tell you which program will pay. This page shows you where to ask, and what to ask.

It lists programs that help pay for equipment, and the public programs you may need to go through first.

• Listed in its own document means we read the program’s own page or document. The entry says what it names, in its words where the type matters.
• Worth asking means the program exists and may help, but we have not established what it covers. The entry gives who it is for and its official link.
• Other help with costs covers home changes, travel, vehicles, taxes, work and local service clubs. Most of these do not pay for a mattress, a hospital bed, a lift or a cushion.

The labels show the equipment a program’s document names. A program naming a kind of equipment does not mean a particular product is covered: the program decides. A mattress and an overlay are different things, and so are a bed and its mattress, so ask about the exact equipment your clinician recommends.

• Powered mattress or surface
• Pressure or therapeutic mattress
• Mattress overlay
• Hospital bed
• Lift
• Sling
• Positioning

Private insurance and workplace plans are on their own page: workplace and retiree plans. Start there if the person, or their spouse or common-law partner, has ever had benefits through work.

• Listed in its own document

  BC Employment and Assistance

  • Pressure or therapeutic mattress
  • Hospital bed
  • Lift
  • Positioning

  People receiving disability assistance, and some people receiving income assistance. People living in a care facility funded by the Ministry of Health are not eligible.

  The policy lists “pressure relief mattresses”, hospital beds and related items (including “a positioning item on a hospital bed”), and floor or ceiling lifts. It does not say whether a powered mattress counts as a pressure relief mattress. Automatic turning beds are not provided.

  Approval is needed before buying, and other resources must be considered first.

  Official source: gov.bc.caChecked November 11, 2026

• Listed in its own document

  FNHA Health Benefits

  • Pressure or therapeutic mattress
  • Mattress overlay

  First Nations people with status who live in British Columbia.

  The fee list has a “pressure relief” mattress for a hospital bed, and an overlay, powered or non-powered. It does not say whether a powered mattress counts as the pressure relief mattress.

  Approval (a pre-determination) is needed before buying.

  Official source: fnha.caChecked November 11, 2026

• Listed in its own document

  WorkSafeBC

  • Powered mattress or surface
  • Mattress overlay

  Workers with an accepted workplace injury claim.

  The fee list has a therapeutic bed surface code that names low air loss and alternating air mattresses, and mattress overlays.

  Approval from a WorkSafeBC officer is needed before buying, and equipment comes from WorkSafeBC’s contracted suppliers.

  Official source: worksafebc.comChecked November 11, 2026

• Listed in its own document

  ICBC Enhanced Care

  • Hospital bed

  British Columbia residents injured in a vehicle crash.

  The regulation lists a hospital-style bed. It does not name a mattress.

  A prescription is required, and ICBC asks that some equipment be approved before buying.

  Official source: bclaws.gov.bc.caChecked November 11, 2026

• Listed in its own document

  At Home Program: medical benefits for children and youth

  • Pressure or therapeutic mattress
  • Mattress overlay
  • Hospital bed
  • Lift
  • Sling
  • Positioning

  Children and youth aged 17 or younger who live at home in British Columbia with a parent or guardian and are assessed as dependent in at least three of four daily activities (eating, dressing, toileting and washing).

  The program’s guide (October 2025) says it may fund a standard electric hospital bed, “overlays and pressure redistribution mattresses based on basic medical needs for use with a hospital bed”, and a floor or ceiling track lift with two slings. The program’s web page (last updated February 10, 2026) words the mattress as “a basic pressure relief mattress (e.g., foam, air or gel)”. Neither says whether a powered mattress is included. Both list positioning devices recommended by a therapist: the guide’s “Other alternate positioning devices (APD) recommended by a therapist” include “Sidelyers”, and it says “Additional alternate positioning devices may be provided to a maximum of $5,000.” It also lists a “Positioning Bed” where the child’s positioning in bed must be adjusted or maintained, and a “Therapy wedge” as therapeutic equipment for a home program. HealthLink BC says the Children’s Medical Equipment Distribution Service (CMEDS) provides the program’s equipment. Their limits differ: the guide gives up to $4,000 for the bed and $8,000 for the lift, and the web page gives $3,000 for the bed, $250 for the mattress and $4,200 for the lift.

  Everything must be approved before it is bought. A health care professional writes a letter of justification, with a quote from a dealer on the program’s approved list.

  Official source: www2.gov.bc.caGuide (PDF): October 2025. Web page: last updated February 10, 2026.Checked November 12, 2026

• Listed in its own document

  BC Palliative Care Benefits: medical supplies and equipment

  • Pressure or therapeutic mattress
  • Hospital bed
  • Lift
  • Sling

  British Columbia residents of any age with a life-threatening illness and a life expectancy of up to 6 months who wish to receive palliative care at home and do not live in a long-term care home.

  The province’s policy lists “pressure redistribution mattresses”, “mechanical lifts with slings”, which may include ceiling lifts with installation, and “hospital beds for symptom management and safety”, each based on assessed need. It does not say what type the mattress is. The health authority provides approved equipment free of charge.

  A doctor or nurse practitioner registers the person for the program. The health authority’s Home and Community Care team then assesses what equipment is needed.

  Official source: www2.gov.bc.caHome and Community Care Policy Manual, policy 4.G: effective July 15, 2019. Patient information sheet: May…Checked November 11, 2026

• Listed in its own document

  Medical Equipment Provision Program (MEPP): Island Health

  • Hospital bed
  • Lift

  People living at home, assessed by an Island Health healthcare professional, who urgently need equipment to stay safe, cannot pay for it and have no other funding. People living in long-term care do not qualify.

  MEPP pays for short-term rentals, up to 3 months, of equipment such as walkers, wheelchairs and hospital beds, and names hospital beds and patient lifts as its larger items. A mattress is named only in its list for people waiting for subsidized long-term care (“hospital beds with half rails, mattresses, lifts, slings”), and the page does not say what type.

  An Island Health healthcare professional must assess you first and completes the referral and order forms.

  Official source: islandhealth.caBrochure created January 2026. The web page prints no date.Checked November 11, 2026

• Listed in its own document

  Kinsmen Foundation of BC: equipment funding

  • Lift

  Adults in British Columbia living with a physical disability who have a severe need and cannot get the equipment or the funding another way.

  The Foundation’s page gives a “Portable lift system” as one of the items it funds most often, with a maximum amount. It does not name a mattress or a hospital bed. It says it will consider even the most specialized equipment.

  Apply with two or more quotes from different vendors and a letter of support or an assessment from a healthcare practitioner.

  Official source: kinsmenfoundationofbc.caChecked November 11, 2026

• Listed in its own document

  BC Rehab (individual grants)

  • Lift

  People living in British Columbia with one of the physical disabilities on BC Rehab’s list (for example spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, ALS or Parkinson’s disease) who have very limited resources and cannot fund the equipment from other sources.

  Its grant guidelines (the “Individual Grant Application” link on this page) give “Portable lift systems” as one example of the equipment it funds most often. The guidelines name no mattress, hospital bed or sling.

  Apply online with an assessment letter from a physiotherapist, occupational therapist or other listed therapist, and at least one quote. A committee reviews applications quarterly.

  Official source: bcrehab.comChecked November 12, 2026

• Listed in its own document

  Cerebral Palsy Association of BC: Equipment Subsidy

  • Positioning

  Minors (ages 0 to 18) with a diagnosis of cerebral palsy who are current members of the Association. Its page says the 2026 application cycle closed on August 31, 2026.

  Its eligible equipment categories include “Positioning and mobility aids”. This is a category: the page names no cushion, mattress, hospital bed, lift or sling.

  A signed letter from a medical professional and a vendor quote, or a photo showing the item and its price, are required. Its form says funding goes only to applicants who receive confirmation of approval from the Association.

  Official source: bccerebralpalsy.comChecked November 12, 2026

Private insurance in British Columbia: see workplace and retiree plans, which also covers the insurers.

If a program is missing

This list is not complete. If a program is missing, ask your clinician or your local home and community care service which programs apply, and ask each one the same three questions.

Back to help paying for equipment, for the three questions, the question to copy and the worksheet.