Social service agencies tell ombudsperson that welfare system rules are unfair
By Lori Culbert, (2015). Vancouver Sun. Retrieved from: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/says+three+month+wait+disability+payments+long/11066385/story.html#ixzz3bmKmmcis
VANCOUVER -- A Downtown Eastside resident with osteoarthritis and
chronic back pain had to wait nearly three months for the provincial
government to respond to his application for disability assistance.
“They told me it would take 1½ months,” Andrew Sarna said during an interview in the office of his MLA, the NDP’s Jenny Kwan.
She has had several constituents in recent months complain about “severe delays” in the handling of their applications by the Ministry for Social Development and Social Innovation. Kwan blames a “backlog” in the system.
“We are seeing this quite a lot, where people’s applications are being delayed. The question isn’t whether they are even eligible (for benefits), but whether they can get their applications processed,” said Kwan. “I’ve never seen this level of delay in my 19 years (as MLA), I can honestly say that.”
In a statement, assistant deputy minister David Galbraith said the average waiting time for an application like Sarna’s is 13 business days, but that can vary depending on the time it takes to receive documentation and complete an employability screen. He would not comment directly on Sarna’s case, citing privacy rules.
Last week, a joint complaint was filed by nine social services agencies in B.C. alleging that it is extremely difficult for people to tap into government assistance. The agencies asked Ombudsperson Kim Carter to conduct an investigation into the ministry’s “arbitrary, unreasonable, and unfair procedures.”
Social Development Minister Michelle Stilwell said, in response to the complaint, that her ministry looks for ways to improve its services and ensure people are treated fairly. But she insisted the system is designed to serve clients as efficiently as possible and that “urgent” cases requiring food and shelter are addressed in one business day.
While Sarna’s case might not be urgent, he said this week he was shocked he had received no government response to the application he filed on Feb. 10. He said he phoned often to check on the status of application, the last time on May 5.
After The Sun made inquiries about the file on Tuesday, Kwan contacted the ministry again and was told Sarna’s application had been approved May 7. Kwan could not locate her constituent, who has no phone and doesn’t use computers, at his Downtown Eastside room Wednesday to pass along the good news.
“Perhaps the letter is lost in the mail, not sure. I don’t believe Mr. Sarna knows this,” she said. “The day you contacted (the ministry) is the first we heard that Mr. Sarna has been approved.”
Sarna, 62, made and sold silver jewelry, but his business fell on hard times two years ago, and he went on income assistance. He moved into a Downtown Eastside hotel room, which rents for $375, leaving $235 from his monthly welfare cheque for food and other essentials.
His doctor prescribed him pain medication for his back that costs $40, which he cannot afford. As a result, he finds it difficult to walk or sit for longer than 30 minutes, says the disability form filled out by his doctor.
He has suffered from the arthritis and back pain for more than 30 years, but both are worsening with age, he added. He has serious problems with his prostate, which his doctor predicts will also deteriorate.
Sarna applied for persons with persistent multiple barriers disability, a temporary support for those who struggle to work because of health ailments. (Last year he applied for permanent disability but was rejected.)
The temporary disability gives him, starting June 1, an extra $80 monthly, and allows him access to $210 a month for medical expenses. In the application, Sarna’s doctor indicated his patient would benefit from additional medicine and seeing a physiotherapist.
“If I have even those $80, I would buy proper food. I wouldn’t have any pain because if my pain increased I would have medicine,” he said on Tuesday.
The complaint to the ombudsmen said many welfare clients struggle to communicate with the ministry because more and more services are online or over the phone, while many Social Development offices have closed or reduced hours.
But Stilwell said there is “a growing interest” in services over the phone and online, which free up front line staff to give extra assistance to those in need.
Among other constituent files in Kwan’s office is a man who lost his job, and struggled to support his wife and child. He applied for income assistance and was given a $40 food voucher. Three weeks later, the family was in a “crisis” because they were still waiting for their welfare application to be approved, she said. The family is now collecting income assistance.
“In my cynical moments, I think, ‘Are these applications not getting processed in a timely fashion?’ There is a financial implication in that the government doesn’t have to pay out,” Kwan said.
lculbert@vancouversun.com
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“They told me it would take 1½ months,” Andrew Sarna said during an interview in the office of his MLA, the NDP’s Jenny Kwan.
She has had several constituents in recent months complain about “severe delays” in the handling of their applications by the Ministry for Social Development and Social Innovation. Kwan blames a “backlog” in the system.
“We are seeing this quite a lot, where people’s applications are being delayed. The question isn’t whether they are even eligible (for benefits), but whether they can get their applications processed,” said Kwan. “I’ve never seen this level of delay in my 19 years (as MLA), I can honestly say that.”
In a statement, assistant deputy minister David Galbraith said the average waiting time for an application like Sarna’s is 13 business days, but that can vary depending on the time it takes to receive documentation and complete an employability screen. He would not comment directly on Sarna’s case, citing privacy rules.
Last week, a joint complaint was filed by nine social services agencies in B.C. alleging that it is extremely difficult for people to tap into government assistance. The agencies asked Ombudsperson Kim Carter to conduct an investigation into the ministry’s “arbitrary, unreasonable, and unfair procedures.”
Social Development Minister Michelle Stilwell said, in response to the complaint, that her ministry looks for ways to improve its services and ensure people are treated fairly. But she insisted the system is designed to serve clients as efficiently as possible and that “urgent” cases requiring food and shelter are addressed in one business day.
While Sarna’s case might not be urgent, he said this week he was shocked he had received no government response to the application he filed on Feb. 10. He said he phoned often to check on the status of application, the last time on May 5.
After The Sun made inquiries about the file on Tuesday, Kwan contacted the ministry again and was told Sarna’s application had been approved May 7. Kwan could not locate her constituent, who has no phone and doesn’t use computers, at his Downtown Eastside room Wednesday to pass along the good news.
“Perhaps the letter is lost in the mail, not sure. I don’t believe Mr. Sarna knows this,” she said. “The day you contacted (the ministry) is the first we heard that Mr. Sarna has been approved.”
Sarna, 62, made and sold silver jewelry, but his business fell on hard times two years ago, and he went on income assistance. He moved into a Downtown Eastside hotel room, which rents for $375, leaving $235 from his monthly welfare cheque for food and other essentials.
His doctor prescribed him pain medication for his back that costs $40, which he cannot afford. As a result, he finds it difficult to walk or sit for longer than 30 minutes, says the disability form filled out by his doctor.
He has suffered from the arthritis and back pain for more than 30 years, but both are worsening with age, he added. He has serious problems with his prostate, which his doctor predicts will also deteriorate.
Sarna applied for persons with persistent multiple barriers disability, a temporary support for those who struggle to work because of health ailments. (Last year he applied for permanent disability but was rejected.)
The temporary disability gives him, starting June 1, an extra $80 monthly, and allows him access to $210 a month for medical expenses. In the application, Sarna’s doctor indicated his patient would benefit from additional medicine and seeing a physiotherapist.
“If I have even those $80, I would buy proper food. I wouldn’t have any pain because if my pain increased I would have medicine,” he said on Tuesday.
The complaint to the ombudsmen said many welfare clients struggle to communicate with the ministry because more and more services are online or over the phone, while many Social Development offices have closed or reduced hours.
But Stilwell said there is “a growing interest” in services over the phone and online, which free up front line staff to give extra assistance to those in need.
Among other constituent files in Kwan’s office is a man who lost his job, and struggled to support his wife and child. He applied for income assistance and was given a $40 food voucher. Three weeks later, the family was in a “crisis” because they were still waiting for their welfare application to be approved, she said. The family is now collecting income assistance.
“In my cynical moments, I think, ‘Are these applications not getting processed in a timely fashion?’ There is a financial implication in that the government doesn’t have to pay out,” Kwan said.
lculbert@vancouversun.com
Click here to report a typo or visit vancouversun.com/typo.
Is there more to this story? We'd like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. CLICK HERE or go to vancouversun.com/moretothestory
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