Published
October 3, 2026
People who were provincially funded children in the care of a Manitoba Child and Family Services agency at any time between January 1, 2005 and March 31, 2019 may qualify to claim a cash payment from the $445.2 million CAD Government of Manitoba Children’s Special Allowance class action settlement. Claims close January 5, 2027.
Current Status
Claims are open. The deadline to submit a Claim Registration Form is January 5, 2027; the settlement documents do not state a time of day or time zone. The Manitoba Court of King’s Bench approved the settlement on September 5, 2024, and the claims period opened January 6, 2025. Payments are issued on a rolling basis as each claim is assessed, with a possible second payment after the claims period ends.Free settlement alerts
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Status
Claims Open
Claim Deadline
January 5, 2027
Estimated Payout
Varies by Months in Care
Based on the monthly CSA rate · $150 for stays under 30 days
Proof Required
Yes
Government photo ID, or a guarantor-signed declaration of identity
What Changed Recently?
The settlement resolves two class actions against the Government of Manitoba, known together as the Flette/Lavallee Class Actions, over the Children’s Special Allowance (CSA), a federal benefit paid for children in care that the court-approved notice describes as the equivalent of the Canada Child Benefit that parents receive. According to the notice, from January 1, 2005 to March 31, 2019 Manitoba required Child and Family Services (CFS) agencies to remit those payments to the province. The class actions alleged the money should have been used for the children it was paid for.The notice also explains that Manitoba passed legislation in 2020 that deemed lawsuits over the policy dismissed, and that in 2022 the Court of King’s Bench found Manitoba’s actions unconstitutional and discriminatory. The classes were certified on December 13, 2023, an agreement in principle followed on March 19, 2024, and the court approved the final settlement on September 5, 2024. The settlement agreement states that it is not an admission of liability by Manitoba. Claims have been accepted since January 6, 2025, and the window now has about three months left.
Who Qualifies?
The class is every person, and the estate of every person, who was in the care of a Manitoba CFS agency at any time between January 1, 2005 and March 31, 2019 and was deemed a provincial funding responsibility while in care. Two agencies are excluded: the Metis Child, Family and Community Services Agency and Michif Child and Family Services. Time in those agencies is covered instead by a separate case, the Lafontaine Class Action, and a person who spent time in both a Métis agency and another agency during the period may belong to both classes.The settlement website says a claimant does not need to know their exact dates in care, the name of their agency, or whether they were provincially funded before applying. The Claims Administrator checks the claim against CFS agency records to decide eligibility. A former child in care who is now 18 or older can file their own claim. A claim can also be filed on a class member’s behalf by a legal guardian, an estate executor or administrator, a power of attorney, the Public Guardian and Trustee, or the CFS agency that has care of a current child in care. Only the class member, or their estate, receives compensation.
How Much Can You Get?
Manitoba is paying $445,200,000 CAD. Legal fees, administration costs and CFS legal costs come out of that fund first, and any money left after eligible claims are paid goes to a charitable purpose. The notice states that because payments depend on how many people come forward, it is not possible to estimate individual amounts.Each eligible claimant’s share is calculated from the months they spent in care during the class period and the monthly CSA rate that applied at the time. The court-approved Claims Administration Procedure lists those monthly base amounts, which rose from about $227 to $247 a month in 2005 to between about $457 and $541 a month by 2018–2019, depending on the child’s age. The first month in care is not counted, and for agencies under the First Nation authorities, months before April 1, 2006 are not counted, because those agencies did not have to remit the CSA to Manitoba until then. A claimant whose placements were each shorter than 30 days receives a one-time payment of $150. Where reliable records cannot establish a claimant’s time in care, the administrator applies a deemed Special Circumstances Amount.
Payment comes in two stages. The first Settlement Payment equals 85% of the calculated amount. After the claims period ends, eligible claimants whose calculated amount is above $150 may receive an Additional Payment from whatever remains in the fund, which can include the other 15%, investment income and up to a further 25% of the calculated amount, all on a pro rata basis. The Additional Payment is scheduled within nine months after the claims period closes. These are formula descriptions, not estimates of any individual payment.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
No notice ID or claim code is needed. The Claim Registration Form asks for a copy of one current, unexpired piece of government-issued photo identification showing the claimant’s name and date of birth, such as a driver’s licence, passport, provincial identification card, First Nation government ID, Secure Certificate of Indian Status card or Métis citizenship card. The administrator also publishes a Declaration of Guarantor for Proof of Identity, which a guarantor signs in the claimant’s presence, for people who do not have photo ID. The settlement website says a claim can be started with only a full name and date of birth, but the form itself lists ID as a required attachment.Records of time in care are not required; the form asks for any agency, file or CSA numbers the claimant knows, and the administrator applies for access to the relevant agency records under Manitoba’s Child and Family Services Act. A claimant whose legal name has changed since being in care attaches a marriage or name-change certificate. A representative filing for someone else attaches their own photo ID plus court-issued documentation of their authority, such as a death certificate with probate or letters of administration for an estate, or a signed power of attorney; a CFS agency filing for a child currently in its care does not need the court documents.
What Is the Deadline?
The claims period runs from January 6, 2025 to January 5, 2027. Claims can be filed online, by email, by fax, in person at the administrator’s Winnipeg office, or by mail. Under the Claims Administration Procedure, a mailed claim counts as submitted on its postmark date, and a courier delivery counts on the date the administrator receives it. No time of day or time zone is stated for the deadline.The procedure gives the Claims Administrator discretion to accept a claim after the claims period, but that is not guaranteed, and a person who misses the deadline otherwise loses the right to any payment.
How Do You Take Action?
The Claim Registration Form is available as an online form on the settlement website, which can be saved and finished later, and as a printable form on the official documents page along with its instructions. One form is completed for each current or former child in care. The form collects identifying details, names used while in care, parent and foster-family information if known, a payment preference (electronic transfer or cheque), and the ID attachment. The administrator can also mail a paper form with prepaid return postage, and its Claims Helpers offer in-person help in communities, with locations posted on the settlement’s Facebook page; request options are listed on the CSA Settlement website. Applying is free, and the website notes that a lawyer is not needed.What Happens Next?
The administrator issues eligibility notices every Friday until all compensation is paid. An eligible claimant receives a Notice of Eligibility with the agencies and months counted and the calculated CSA amount; electronic payments follow about a week later, and cheques are mailed with the notice. A claimant found ineligible, or one who disagrees with the months counted, has 90 days to send more information for reassessment, and there is a separate appeal process. Uncashed cheques go stale after six months.After the January 5, 2027 deadline, the administrator has nine months to calculate and send any Additional Payments and to start distributing unpaid funds. No date for those second-round payments had been announced as of October 3, 2026. The October 2024 approval notice said legal fees for class counsel, several Indigenous CFS authorities and agencies, and the Southern Chiefs’ Organization would be decided at a separate hearing, with those fees paid from the fund.
Sources and Verification
- CSA Settlement — official Claims Administrator website (eligibility overview and filing options)
- Official documents and forms: Claim Registration Form and instructions (January 6, 2025), Declaration of Guarantor for Proof of Identity, Notice of Settlement Approval (October 14, 2024), Orders of Settlement Approval and Claims Administration Procedure (September 6, 2024), Settlement Agreement and Long-Form Notice (June 20, 2024)
- Lafontaine Class Action website (separate case covering the Métis agencies)
Questions
Does a claimant need to know their exact dates in care or which agency they were with?
No. The settlement website says claimants do not need to know their exact dates in care, remember their Child and Family Services agency, or know whether they were provincially funded. The Claims Administrator, Exchange Solutions Inc., uses the information on the Claim Registration Form together with agency records to decide eligibility.
What about people who were in the care of a Métis agency?
Time in the care of the Metis Child, Family and Community Services Agency or Michif Child and Family Services is not covered by this settlement. It is handled in a separate class action, the Lafontaine Class Action, which has its own website. Someone who was in a Métis agency for part of the period and another Manitoba agency for another part may belong to both classes.
What happens to a payment for someone who is still under 18?
Under the court-approved Claims Administration Procedure, compensation for an eligible claimant who is still a minor is held in trust in that person’s name until they turn 18, when they are offered payment options. Adults can also choose to have their compensation held in trust by the Claims Administrator for up to three years.
Can a family member file for someone who has died?
The class includes the estates of class members. The Claims Administration Procedure allows an executor or administrator of the estate, a legal guardian, a power of attorney, the Public Guardian and Trustee, or a CFS agency with care of the class member to submit a claim on the class member’s behalf. Only the class member, or their estate, can receive compensation.
Will a settlement payment affect Manitoba social assistance?
The court-approved notice states that Manitoba confirmed that, subject to applicable law, settlement payments will not be treated as income replacement and will not affect eligibility for, or the amount, nature or duration of, social assistance programs administered by or on behalf of Manitoba.
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Settlement Amount
$445.2 million CAD
Case Title
Flette v. Government of Manitoba; Lavallee v. Government of Manitoba
Case Number
CI 18-01-18438 & CI 23-01-41219
Court
Manitoba Court of King’s Bench (Winnipeg Centre)
Final Approval Hearing
September 5, 2024
Settlement approved
Administrator
Exchange Solutions Inc.
Official Website
CSA Settlement
