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OTTAWA — Senators are still seeking answers as to why disabled Canadians have struggled to access a key tax credit, months after an uproar over the issue forced the Liberal government to promise a revamp of the program.

The Senate committee on social affairs released a report Wednesday that called on the government to implement a more “compassionate” application system for the disability tax credit (DTC), which is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency.

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Rejected applications for the DTC increased to 45,157 in 2017, up from 30,235 the year before, partly due to a rise in rejections for applicants with mental health issues. Rejections of mental health-related applications fell nine per cent in 2017 compared to five years earlier.

“It’s amazing how high it spiked,” independent Liberal senator Jim Munson told reporters Wednesday.

The report said the increase could be the result of various factors, including criteria that focus on physical rather than mental ailments, an overly convoluted application process and a lack of DTC access for low-income Canadians.