This guide is written from BC’s COPD guideline Appendix C on home oxygen and Fraser Health’s Home Oxygen Program page, read on 14 October 2026. It is not medical advice.
Medical criteria (BC guideline)
The guideline notes that criteria may vary between health authorities. In every case you must be on optimal treatment and not actively smoking.
| Type | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Resting | PaO2 ≤ 55 mmHg on room air, or SpO2 below 88% continuously for 6 minutes |
| Resting with heart failure or pulmonary hypertension | PaO2 ≤ 60 mmHg |
| Walking (ambulatory) | SpO2 below 88% for at least 1 minute while walking on a flat surface (not a treadmill) |
| Night-time (nocturnal) | SpO2 below 88% for more than 30% of at least 4 hours of oximetry |
If you can’t walk for one minute, ambulatory oxygen is not funded on that basis. People with sleep apnoea get oxygen only if they meet the nocturnal criteria despite optimal CPAP.
Applying: Fraser Health example
Each health authority runs its own programme. Fraser Health says:
- You need to be a BC resident with Medical Services Plan (MSP) coverage, live in the Fraser Health region, and not be in acute or residential care.
- Your doctor or nurse practitioner sends an application and prescription to Community Respiratory Services (fax 604-514-6079). A respirologist decides.
- The programme does not fund you if WorkSafeBC (WCB), ICBC, Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB), the RCMP or Veterans Affairs Canada covers you.
- Palliative patients must also meet the criteria.
- If you are not approved, you can pay privately or use extended health benefits.
Paying privately
Retail concentrator prices are in home oxygen concentrators in Canada. For CPAP help for people on income or disability assistance in BC, see BC CPAP funding on income assistance.