PART C D eci s i o n und er Ap peal The de c i sio n under app eal is the Ministry of S oc ia l r econsi d era t ion d ecisi on dated Ja nuar y 7, 2014 which f th e f i v e statuto r y r equi r em ents of Section 2 of the Empl Disabilit ies Act f o r designation as a person with disabi appe ll a nt me t th e age req uireme nt and that h is impai Howe ver, th e mi nis try was n ot s a t isfied that the evidence • th e ap pel lant ha s a s eve re physi cal or men tal • the ap pel lant' s daily l iving a c tivi ties ( D LA) are, in di rec tly and sig nifi ca n tly r estricted eith er continuo • a s a r e sult of th es e restr i ct i o ns, the appe llant anot her p er son , t he use of an a s sis t ive d evice, or pe r form D L A. PAR T D Re levan t L egisla tion · Emplo yment a nd Assistance for Persons with Dis abilitie Em ployment a nd As sistanc e fo r Pe rsons wit h D isabil D ev elo pment and Socia l In novation (the min istry ) o un d th a t the appel lant did not m eet thr e e of oymen t and Ass ist ance for Pers ons with l i ties (PWD ). The mi nis try fou nd that the rment is l ikely to co ntinue for a t l east two y ear s . e stablishes that : impairment ; the o pinion of a p rescribe d p r ofessional, usly o r p er iodically for extended p eriods; and, re q uires the s ig nifica n t h elp or s u pe r vision of th e services of an as si s tance animal to s Act (EAPW DA) , Section 2 ities Re gul a tion (EA P WDR), Se c tion 2 . . _ _ .
P A R T E S u rn rn a r v o f F a c t s W i t h t h e c o n s e n t o f b o t h p a r t i e s , t h e h e a r i n g w a s c 2 2 ( 3 ) ( b ) o f t h e E m p l o y m e n t a n d A s s i s t a n c e A c t . T h e e v i d e n c e b e f o r e t h e m i n i s t r y a t t h e t i m e o f t h e D i s a b i l i t i e s ( P W D ) A p p l i c a t i o n c o m p r i s e d o f t h e a p p 2 0 1 3 , a p h y s i c i a n r e p o r t ( P R ) a n d a n a s s e s s o r r e p o b y t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s f a m i l y p h y s i c i a n w h o h a s k n o w n e v i d e n c e a l s o i n c l u d e d t h e f o l l o w i n g : 1 ) I n f o r m a t i o n F o r m ( " t h e F o r m " ) c o m p l e t e d a n d D e c e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 3 ; a n d , 2 ) R e q u e s t f o r R e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d a t e d N o v e m b e D i a g n o s e s I n t h e P R , t h e a p p e l l a n t w a s d i a g n o s e d b y h i s p h y s [ g a s t r o e s o p h a g e a l r e f l u x d i s e a s e ] a n d a s t h m a , w i t h F o r m , t h e p h y s i c i a n a l s o d i a g n o s e d a r t h r i t i s a n d " v i s c o n d i t i o n s w i l l l i k e l y c o n t i n u e f o r a t l e a s t 2 y e a r s . T d i s o r d e r . P h y s i c a l I m p a i r m e n t I n t h e P R , t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p h y s i c i a n r e p o r t e d t h a t : • I n t e r m s o f h e a l t h h i s t o r y , t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s " h o s p i t a l s e v e r a l t i m e s w i t h k e t o a c i d o s i s . S e v a n d m a k e s i t d i f f i c u l t t o e a t a t t i m e s . A s t h m a d i f f i c u l t f o r h i m t o c o n t r o l b l o o d s u g a r s . " • T h e a p p e l l a n t d o e s n o t r e q u i r e a n y p r o s t h e s i • I n t e r m s o f f u n c t i o n a l s k i l l s , t h e a p p e l l a n t c a n u n a i d e d a n d h a s n o l i m i t a t i o n s w i t h l i f t i n g a n d • I n t h e a d d i t i o n a l c o m m e n t s , t h e p h y s i c i a n w r o B l o o d s u g a r s a r e e r r a t i c a n d p o t e n t i a l f o r h y p I n t h e A R , t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p h y s i c i a n i n d i c a t e d t h a t : • T h e a p p e l l a n t i s a s s e s s e d a s i n d e p e n d e n t w i o u t d o o r s , c l i m b i n g s t a i r s , a n d s t a n d i n g , w h i l e c a r r y i n g a n d h o l d i n g . T h e p h y s i c i a n n o t e d : " h • T h e s e c t i o n o f t h e A R r e l a t i n g t o a s s i s t a n c e p n o t c o m p l e t e d . I n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s s e l f r e p o r t , h e w r o t e t h a t : • H e h a s d i a b e t e s a n d h i s e y e s i g h t " i s s o b a d • H i s f e e t " t i n g l e " s o m u c h t h a t h e c a n n o t s l e e p • H e b e l i e v e s h e h a s a rt h r i t i s i n h i s h a n d s . T h e c a u s e d f r o m w r i t i n g f o r t o o l o n g o r h o l d i n g s o • W i t h t h e p i l l s h e i s t a k i n g f o r h i s a c i d r e f l u x , i f m a k e s h i m v o m i t a n d h e i s s i c k f o r t h e r e s t o f • . ., . . H i s . l o w e r b a c k h u r t s a m a i o r i t v o f t h e t i m e . o n d u c t e d a s a w r i t t e n h e a r i n g , p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n i n c l u d e d t h e P e r s o n W i t h l i c a n t i n f o r m a t i o n a n d s e l f r e p o r t d a t e d J u l y 2 , r t ( A R ) b o t h d a t e d J u n e 1 3 , 2 0 1 3 a n d c o m p l e t e d t h e a p p e l l a n t f o r a p p r o x i m a t e l y 3 y e a r s . T h e s i g n e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s f a m i l y p h y s i c i a n r 1 8 , 2 0 1 3 . i c i a n w i t h T y p e I D i a b e t e s , G E R O n o d a t e o f o n s e t n o t e d b y t h e p h y s i c i a n . I n t h e i o n p r o b l e m s " a n d c o n f i r m e d t h a t t h e s e h e r e w a s n o d i a g n o s i s i n d i c a t e d f o r a m e n t a l v e r y p o o r l y c o n t r o l l e d d i a b e t e s a n d h a s b e e n i n e r e G E R O S x [ s y m p t o m s ] r e q u i r i n g m e d i c a t i o n c o n t r o l l e d w i t h i n h a l e r . E a t i n g p r o b l e m s m a k e s i t s o r a i d f o r h i s i m p a i r m e n t . w a l k 4 o r m o r e b l o c k s a n d c l i m b 5 o r m o r e s t e p s r e m a i n i n g s e a t e d . t e : " S e v e r a l h o s p i t a l i z a t i o n s fo r k e t o a c i d o s i s . o g l y c e m i c e p i s o d e s . " t h a l l m o b i l i t y , i n c l u d i n g w a l k i n g i n d o o r s a n d r e q u i r i n g p e r i o d i c a s s i s t a n c e w i t h l i f t i n g a n d a s d i f f i c u l t y w h e n s u g a r s p o o r l y c o n t r o l l e d . " r o v i d e d t h r o u g h t h e u s e o f a s s i s t i v e d e v i c e s i s t h a t I h a v e a p r o b l e m s e e i n g 2 f e e t i n f r o n t o f m e . " a t n i g h t . y c r a m p i n t o " c l a w l i k e p o s i t i o n " a n d h u rt . T h i s i s m e t h i n g i n h i s h a n d s . h e p i c k s u p " a n y t h i n g 5 0 p o u n d s o r m o r e " i t t h e d a y . C e r t a i n f o o d s w i l l a l s o s e t i t o f f . . . . . . . .
I n t h e F o r m , t h e p h y s i c i a n i n d i c a t e d w i t h a c h e c k m • S i g n i f i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t e d f r o m w a l k i n g m o r e t h a a s w e l l a s s h o r t n e s s o f b r e a t h . H e r e c e i v e s c • D i r e c t l y r e s t r i c t e d f r o m c l i m b i n g s t a i r s d u e t o s h o r t n e s s o f b r e a t h . H e g e t s c o n t i n u o u s a s s • D i r e c t l y r e s t r i c t e d f r o m s t a n d i n g l o n g e r t h a n f e e t . • S i g n i f i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t e d f r o m s i t t i n g l o n g e r t h a a n d f e e t . H e g e t s c o n t i n u o u s a s s i s t a n c e f r o t h e s i d e o f t h e c h a i r . • S i g n i f i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t e d w i t h l i f t i n g , c a r r y i n g o r p a i n i n t h e k n e e s a n d f e e t a s w e l l a s i n t h e j o a s s i s t a n c e f r o m h i s s o n w i t h l i ft i n g , c a r r y i n g • I n n e e d o f a s s i s t a n c e f r o m s h o w e r b a r s b u t n o u t . M e n t a l I m p a i r m e n t I n t h e P R , t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p h y s i c i a n r e p o r t e d t h a t : • T h e r e a r e n o d i ff i c u l t i e s w i t h c o m m u n i c a t i o n e m o t i o n a l f u n c t i o n i n g . I n t h e A R , t h e p h y s i c i a n i n d i c a t e d t h a t : • T h e a p p e l l a n t h a s a g o o d a b i l i t y t o c o m m u n i w r i t i n g a n d h e a r i n g . -· • T h e s e c t i o n s o f t h e r e p o r t d e s c r i b i n g i m p a c t s f u n c t i o n i n g a r e n o t a p p l i c a b l e t o t h e a p p e l l a n I n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s s e l f r e p o r t , h e d i d n o t d e s c r i b e a m n o s t a t e m e n t s d e s c r i b i n g i m p a c t s f r o m a m e n t a l h e D a i l y L i v i n g A c t i v i t i e s ( D L A ) I n t h e P R , t h e p h y s i c i a n i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t r e a t m e n t t h a t i n t e r f e r e w i t h h i s d a i l y l i v i n g a c t i v i t i e s I n t h e A R , t h e p h y s i c i a n r e p o r t e d t h a t : • T h e i m p a i r m e n t s t h a t i m p a c t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a G E R D / a s t h m a . " • T h e a p p e l l a n t i s i n d e p e n d e n t w i t h m o v i n g a b • T h e a p p e l l a n t i s i n d e p e n d e n t i n a l l 8 t a s k s o f g r o o m i n g , b a t h i n g , t o i l e t i n g , f e e d i n g s e l f , r e g u o n / o f f c h a i r . • T h e a p p e l l a n t i s i n d e p e n d e n t i n p e r f o r m i n g a p l a n n i n g , f o o d p r e p a r a t i o n , c o o k i n g a n d s a f e • T h e a p p e l l a n t i s i n d e p e n d e n t w i t h a l l 3 t a s k s b a n k i n g , b u d g e t i n g , a n d p a y i n g r e n t a n d b i l l s . • T h e a p p e l l a n t i s i n d e p e n d e n t i n p e r f o r m i n g a l · · · -· f i l l i n q / m f i l l i n q o r e s c r i o t i o n s , t a k i n n a s d i r e c t e d a r k t h a t h e a g r e e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t i s : n 1 b l o c k d u e t o c h r o n i c p a i n i n k n e e s a n d f e e t , o n t i n u o u s a s s i s t a n c e f r o m h i s m o t h e r . c h r o n i c p a i n i n t h e k n e e s a n d f e e t , a s w e l l a s i s t a n c e f r o m r a i l i n g o n s t a i r s o r a n e l e v a t o r . 2 t o 3 m i n u t e s d u e t o c h r o n i c p a i n i n k n e e s a n d n 5 t o 1 0 m i n u t e s d u e t o c h r o n i c p a i n i n t h e k n e e s m p u s h i n g h i m s e l f i n t o a s t a n d i n g p o s i t i o n u s i n g h o l d i n g m o r e t h a n 5 t o 1 0 ( s i c ) d u e t o c h r o n i c i n t s o f b o t h h a n d s . H e r e c e i v e s c o n t i n u o u s o r h o l d i n g m o r e t h a n 5 t o 1 0 l b s . o t a c a n e o r a s c o o t e r , w h i c h h a v e b e e n c r o s s e d a n d n o s i g n i f i c a n t d e f i c i t s w i t h c o g n i t i v e a n d c a t e i n a l l a r e a s , i n c l u d i n g s p e a k i n g , r e a d i n g , · -t o c o g n i t i v e a n d e m o t i o n a l f u n c t i o n i n g a n d s o c i a l t . e n t a l h e a l t h c o n d i t i o n . I n t h e F o r m , t h e r e w e r e a l t h c o n d i t i o n . t h a s n o t b e e n p r e s c r i b e d a n y m e d i c a t i o n a n d / o r . b i l i t y t o m a n a g e D L A a r e : " T y p e I D i a b e t e s / o u t i n d o o r s a n d o u t d o o r s . t h e D L A p e r s o n a l c a r e , i n c l u d i n g d r e s s i n g , l a t i n g d i e t , t r a n s f e r s i n / o u t o f b e d a n d t r a n s f e r s l l 4 t a s k s o f t h e D L A m e a l s , i n c l u d i n g m e a l s t o r a g e o f f o o d . o f t h e D L A p a y i n g r e n t a n d b i l l s , i n c l u d i n g l 3 t a s k s o f m a n a g i n g h i s m e d i c a t i o n s , i n c l u d i n g a n d s a f e . h a n d l i n q a n d s t o r a a e . , -" · .
• The appellant is independent with all 3 tasks of managing transportation, including getting in and out of a vehicle, using public transit and using transit schedules and arranging transportation. • For basic housekeeping, the appellant requires periodic assistance, with a note added: "difficult when sugars not controlled, gets fatigue." • For shopping, the appellant is independent with 4 of 5 tasks, namely going to and from stores, reading prices and labels, making appropriate choices and paying f o r purchases. The appellant requires periodic assistance with carrying purchases home, with a note added: "fatigue from uncontrolled BG [blood glucose]." In the Form, the physician indicated with a check mark that he agreed that the appellant has: • Significant restrictions with dressing, in particular bending to put on his shoes, socks and pants due to chronic pain in both feet and hands. He receives continuous assistance from his son once per week with putting on pants and shoes. • Direct restrictions with grooming, in particular with brushing his teeth due to issues with grasping objects in hands "due to osteoarthritis" and it takes him 2 times as long. • Significant restrictions with bathing, in particular with standing in shower longer than 5 minutes due to chronic pain in knees and feet and has to sit down in tub. He gets continuous assistance from railings and counters with getting in and out of the shower. • Direct restrictions with toileting, in particular with transferring on and off the toilet due to chronic pain in knees and feet. He gets continuous assistance from counters when transferring on and off the toilet. • Significant restrictions with feeding self, in particular with grasping utensils in his hands "due to osteoarthritis symptoms"; it takes him 2 times as long. • Significant restrictions with transfers on/off bed or chair due to chronic pain in knees and feet. He receives continuous assistance from his son with transferring out of bed and by pushing himself into a standing position. • Significant restrictions with laundry/ basic housekeeping, particularly with bending or lifting more than 5 to 10 lbs. due to chronic pain in the knees and feet as well as shortness of breath due to asthma, vision problems-"has to wear glasses at all times." He receives continuous assistance from his son "once per week when he is available to help, otherwise assistance from mother." • Significant restrictions with going to and from the store due to chronic pain in knees, hands and feet as well as shortness of breath. He gets continuous assistance from leaning onto a shopping cart while shopping and from son when he is available to help. • Direct restrictions with reading labels and prices due to "poor vision caused by glaucoma." He receives continuous assistance from son. • Significant restrictions with making appropriate choices due to vision problems and pain. "Experiences overwhelmed and frustrated." • Direct restrictions with paying for purchases, in particular with standing longer than 2 to 3 minutes in a line-up due to chronic pain in knees, feet and hands; it takes him 2 times as long to get money out due to hand issues. He gets continuous assistance by leaning on a shopping cart when standing in line-ups longer than 2 to 3 minutes. • Direct restrictions with carrying purchases home, in particular with lifting, carrying or holding more than 5 to 10 lbs. due to chronic pain in knees, hands, feet and shortness of breath. He gets continuous assistance from a shopping cart with carrying more than 5 lbs. of purchases. 5 Significant reslfictions with food,preparation-and cookinQ; in particular-with-standing longer-..... , .·, 1
than 2 to 3 minutes due to c h ron i c pa i n i n knees, feet an p eel foo d s due to issues with grasp ing as well as sh assistance from hi s son when he is availab l e; he takes standing longer than 5 m i n ute s. • Direct res t r icti ons with banking, in particul ar mi n ut es due to chronic pain in knees, feet as well as shortne to 3 minutes of standing. • Significant res t ric tio n s with g e ttin g in/o ut of v takes him 2 times as long. He gets continuous assistance d oo r . • Significa nt restrictions with usi n g publ i c transit, in particu the bus stop, st epping up onto the bus and wit feet, shortnes s of breath as well as "extreme N e ed for Help The physician rep orted in the AR that t he h elp r equire a nd fri en d s . T h e se c t ion o f t he report indica t ing assis devic es i s n ot com plet ed. In th e F orm, th e phy si ci a n indicated wi t h a chec k mark that a ssista n ce fr om s ho w e r ba rs but not a c ane or a scoo In his N otice of Appeal, t he a p pellant w ro te t hat h e d esignation. P r io r to the h ear i ng, th e appellan t provided a written su new evi dence. Th e panel con sider ed th e s ubmiss ion Th e m in is try re l ie d o n its recons i d eration decision. d with usi n g hands to chop, cut and o rtne ss of breath. He re c ei ves continuous frequent breaks to sit dow n after with standi ng in line -ups longer than 2 to 3 ss of breath. He sits do w n af ter 2 ehicle due t o chro n ic pain in knees and f e et; it by pullin g himself using the car lar with walking more than 1 block to h standing on bus due to chronic pain in knees, visi on problems." d f or D LA i s provide d b y t he app ell a n t's famil y tance provide d thr ough t he us e o f assist i ve he agreed that t he app ell a nt is i n n e ed of ter, whic h h ave been c ro ssed ou t. bel i eves he meets all the cr i t e r i a for PWD bmissio n by his a dv oc a te w hich c onta i ned no a s ar gument o n behal f of t he a pp e ll a nt .
PART F -Reasons for Pan el Decision The issue on the appeal is whether the m inistry's recons appel lant is not eligible for designation as a person with disabili by t he evidence or w a s a reasonable appl icatio n of the appellant. The ministr y found t hat the appellant do impairment and that his daily l iv i n g activities (DLA) profess ional, directly and significantly restricte d either continuously or periodical periods and t hat, as a result of those restrictio n s , it could no requires the s i gn i ficant help or supervision of anothe services of a n assi stance anima l to perform DLA . The cri teria for being desi g nated as a pers o n w ith disa EAPWDA as follo w s : Persons with disa bilities 2 (1) I n this s ec ti on: "assistive device " me ans a device d es igned t o enable a perso sever e mental or phy sical impairment, the p erson is un a "daily liv ing a c ti vity " has the p rescribed m ea n ing; "p resc ribed pro fes sional" has th e p rescribed meaning. (2) Th e m i n i s ter m a y de si g na te a person who has r e ac hed 18 of this A c t if the mini ster is sa tisfie d t ha t the person h a s a ( a) in th e opini on of a medic a l practitioner i s likely to cont ( b ) in t h e opi n i on of a prescrib ed p r ofe ssi onal ( i) d irectly an d sig nificantly restric ts the person 's abili t y t ( A ) continuou sly , or ( B) peri od ic ally for ex tended p e ri ods, a nd ( ii ) as a resu lt of th ose res tricti o ns , the pers on r e q uires (3) F o r the purpose s of su b sectio n (2), (a) a person who has a severe men tal impairment includes a person with a mental disorder, and (b) a person requires help in relation to a daily living activity if, in order to perform it, the person requires (i) an assistive device, (ii ) th e s ignificant hel p o r supervision o f a nothe r pers on, (iii) the services of an assistance ani mal . (4) The minister may rescind a designation under subsection (2). Section 2(1 )(a) of the EAPWDR defines DLA for a person who has a severe physical or mental impairment as follows: Definit ions for Act 2 (1) For the purposes of the Act and this regulation, "daily living activities" (a) in relation to a person who has a severe physical impairment or a severe mental impairment, means the following activities: (i) prepare own meals; (ii) 111anage pe,rso0a1Jinance,;;; , , ' idera t ion deci sion, which fou nd that the ties (PWD), was reason a bl y suppo r t e d the appli ca bl e e nact men t in the circ umstances of e s not have a seve re mental o r p hysi cal are not, in the opinion of a pr es cribed ly for extended t be determined t h at t he a p pellant r p e r son, the use of an ass i s t ive devic e , or the b i lities (PWD) a r e set o u t in Se c tion 2 o f the n t o perform a daily l i ving a c t ivit y tha t, bec a use of a b l e t o perf o r m; y e ars o f ag e as a pers o n with disab il ities f or th e p ur p oses se vere menta l or physi c al impa ir me n t that in ue for at lea s t 2 ye ar s , and o perform d aily liv in g activi t i es eithe r help to pe r form t hose a ctivit ies. or ' . ·. '. .· :
(iii) shop for pers on a l needs; (iv) use pu bl i c or p e r son al transportation faci lities; (v) perform housework to maintain the p erso n's pl a c e (vi) move abou t in doors and outd o _ ors; (vii ) p er f orm p e r son al hygiene and self care; (viii) manage per s o n al medication, an d ( b ) in r e l ation to a person who has a seve re mental impairment (i) make deci s io ns about person al activit ies , care or f (ii ) relate t o , communicate or int e ract with others effectively. Evidentiarv Cons id er a tion s Th e m inistr y pointed out in t h e r econ s ideration decision t provided by th e appe lla nt's family physic ian in the PWD app da t ed D ecember 2, 2013. The ministry argu ed that physician to e xplain the add i tio nal dia g n oses and fu physician has not conf irmed that th e app e ll a nt had a major The min istry arg u e d that it is unclear wh a t ha s h a p pened a ppe lla nt's c o n d iti on ha s rapidly de t e rio rated ov er 5 the re was a m i sa p pr eh en si on in th e i nitia l a s sess m plac ed o n t h e origin al repo rt s by the phys icia n in t h e PW The advo cat e pointed outthat the Form d ated Dece wh o init iall y com pl et ed the PWD app lica t i on and, ther c o n si de red a s add itiona l m e dical evid ence and not a " adv ocate arg ued that t he ph ys i cian was ab le to clar we re not suff ici ently cl ear. The advo c ate argu ed that acc id ent l y omit inform ation and , in this cas e , the p hys arthri t is and v i sion prob lems. Th e adv ocate ar gue d in th e Form b e g i ven e q ua l wei g h t to the in for matio n a pplication. Pa n e l decision While t he adv oc ate argue d that the ministr y did not consider the inf medical information, the panel finds that the ministry noted the absen phys ic ian for the change in assessment and impliedly accepted the Form as evidence from the physician. In th e normal cours e, t he ad di tional m e di with the original reports; howev er, the panel finds that the inf out in the Form dated December 2, 2013 varies substantially not only from PR and the AR included with the PWD application but also with the inf o rmation from the appellant in his self-report. The appellant wrote, for example, that he believes he has arthritis in his hands and that his lower back hurts a majority of the time, but he does not refer at all to chronic pain in his a prima ry focus of the restrictions out lined in t he Form. In the PR and AR, the physician reported completely independent mobility, whereas in the Form, the physician agreed to the statement that th e app el lant is significantly restric -1 block due to chronic oain in knees and feet as well as shortness.of breath. Th.e _t)_ysician hacl_.. of r es i dence in acceptabl e sanitary condition; , inc ludes the following activiti e s: in a nc es; h at t here i s a d i screpancy in t h e inf o rmatio n licati on and that provided in t he Fo rm th er e w as no medical e viden ce prov ided by t he nc t i on al limitat i ons as set ou t in the Form , an d the exace rbat i on o f hi s di agn osed condi tio n s. s in c e June 20 13, e.g. whet her th e m on t h s or tr eatm e n ts are n o lo n ge r effe ctive , or ent. The m inistry argued that more wei ght b e D a ppl icatio n. mber 2 , 2013 w as sig n ed b y t h e sa me physicia n efo re, the informat ion sho uld have been func t i onal assessment" by the ad vo cate. The ify several of t he iss ues that the mi ni stry de c i de d many ti m e s docto rs a r e very busy and i c ian omitt ed th e f a ct t h at t he a p pellant h as tha t th e a d diti ona l me dica l info rmation provi d ed in the PR an d AR include d in the PW D o rm a tion in the Fo r m as a d ditional ce of an explanation by the c a l inf o rmation would be provided equal weight or mat ion from the family physician set knees and feet, which is ted from walking more than , . ___ ,
d i a g n o s e d a s t h m a i n t h e P R a n d y e t s h o r t n e s s o f b m o b i l i t y i n t h e o r i g i n a l a p p l i c a t i o n a n d t h e p h y s i c i a n c o n t r o l l e d w i t h a n i n h a l e r . W i t h i n t h e F o r m t h e r e a r s p e c i f i c a l l y c r o s s e d o u t t h e s t a t e m e n t t h a t t h e a p p e r e f e r e n c e s t o r e s t r i c t i o n s t o t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s m o b i l i t y o f t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p o o r v i s i o n t o g l a u c o m a w h e n t h i s a b s e n c e o f a n e x p l a n a t i o n b y t h e p h y s i c i a n f o r t h e t i m e o f t h e P W D a p p l i c a t i o n t o t h e t i m e o f c o m p l e t i n i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s i n t h e F o r m , t h e p a n e l f i n d s t h a t t h e o r i g i n a l r e p o r t s b y t h e p h y s i c i a n , w h e r e t h e i n f o r m a S e v e r e P h y s i c a l I m p a i r m e n t T h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p o s i t i o n i s t h a t a s e v e r e p h y s i c a l i m e p i s o d e s o f k e t o a c i d o s i s a s a r e s u l t o f h i s T y p e I D a s t h m a , p a i n a s a r e s u l t o f a r t h r i t i s , a n d " v i s i o n p r o b i n c o r r e c t l y i d e n t i f i e d t h e d i a g n o s i s i n t h e F o r m a s " o t h e r e f o r e , d i d n o t p r o p e r l y a s s e s s t h e a d d i t i o n a l i n f o T h e m i n i s t r y ' s p o s i t i o n i s t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y d o e s n o t h p r a c t i t i o n e r t o c o n f i r m t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s a s e v e i n t e r m s o f p h y s i c a l f u n c t i o n i n g , t h e g e n e r a l p r a c t i t i o 4 o r m o r e b l o c k s a n d c l i m b 5 o r m o r e s t e p s a n d h e r e m a i n i n g s e a t e d . T h e m i n i s t r y a r g u e d t h a t t h e g e n i n d e p e n d e n t l y a b l e t o w a l k i n d o o r s a n d o u t d o o r s , c l r e q u i r e s p e r i o d i c a s s i s t a n c e w i t h l i f t i n g a n d c a r r y i n g n o t c l e a r h o w o f t e n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s s u g a r s a r e p o o r l y p h y s i c i a n h a s n o t e x p l a i n e d t h e a d d i t i o n a l m e d i c a l d F o r m a n d h a s n o t c o n f i r m e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d a a n d i i i s d i f f i c u l t f o r t h e m i n i s t r y t o o b t a i n a c o n c i s e a p h y s i c a l l i m i t a t i o n s . P a n e l D e c i s i o n T h e d i a g n o s i s o f a m e d i c a l c o n d i t i o n i s n o t i t s e l f d e t t h e s e v e r i t y o f a n i m p a i r m e n t o n e m u s t c o n s i d e r t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a b i l i t y t o m a n a g e h i s D LA a s e v i d e n c e d D LA , a n d t h e d e g r e e o f i n d e p e n d e n c e i n p e r f o r m i n g w h e n i i d e f i n e s t h e w o r d " i m p a i r m e n t " i n t h e p h y s i c i a p s y c h o l o g i c a l , a n a t o m i c a l o r p h y s i o l o g i c a l s t r u c t u r e f u n c t i o n i n d e p e n d e n t l y , e f f e c t i v e l y , a p p r o p r i a t e l y o r f s e t o u t i n l e g i s l a t i o n a n d i s n o t b i n d i n g o n t h e p a n e l , d e s c r i b e s t h e l e g i s l a t i v e i n t e n t . T h e l e g i s l a t i o n c l e a r l y p r o v i d e s t h a t t h e d e t e r m i n a t i o t h e m i n i s t e r , t a k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t a l l o f t h e e v i d e n c e i n l e g i s l a t i o n i s a l s o c l e a r t h a t t h e f u n d a m e n t a l b a s i s f o p r o f e s s i o n a l r e s p e c t i n g t h e n a t u r e o f t h e i m p a i r m e n t r e a t h w a s n o t r e p o r t e d t o r e s t r i c t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s i n d i c a t e d i n s t e a d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a s t h m a i s e a l s o s o m e i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s a s t h e p h y s i c i a n l l a n t w o u l d b e n e f i t f r o m a c a n e d e s p i t e t h e m a n y a n d , e l s e w h e r e i n t h e F o r m , a t t r i b u t i n g t h e c a u s e h a s n o t b e e n d i a g n o s e d b y t h e p h y s i c i a n . I n t h e s i g n i f i c a n t c h a n g e s t o h i s a s s e s s m e n t f r o m t h e g t h e F o r m a b o u t 5 m o n t h s l a t e r , a n d g i v e n t h e m i n i s t r y r e a s o n a b l y p l a c e d m o r e w e i g h t o n t h e t i o n i n t h e F o r m i s i n c o n s i s t e n t . p a i r m e n t i s e s t a b l i s h e d b y t h e e v i d e n c e o f h i s i a b e t e s a n d G E R O , s h o r t n e s s o f b r e a t h d u e t o l e m s . " T h e a d v o c a t e a r g u e d t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y s t e o a r t h r i t i s " r a t h e r t h a n s i m p l y a r t h r i t i s a n d , r m a t i o n p r o v i d e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p h y s i c i a n . a v e e n o u g h i n f o r m a t i o n f r o m t h e g e n e r a l r e p h y s i c a l i m p a i r m e n t . T h e m i n i s t r y a r g u e d t h a t , n e r i n d i c a t e d t h a t u n a i d e d t h e a p p e l l a n t c a n w a l k h a s n o l i m i t a t i o n s w h e n i t c o m e s t o l i f t i n g o r e r a l p r a c t i t i o n e r i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t i s i m b s t a i r s a n d s t a n d a n d , w h i l e t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d h o l d i n g " w h e n s u g a r s p o o r l y c o n t r o l l e d " , i t i s c o n t r o l l e d . T h e m i n i s t r y a r g u e d t h a t t h e i a g n o s e s a n d f u n c t i o n a l l i m i t a t i o n s s e t o u t i n t h e m a j o r e x a c e r b a t i o n i n t h e d i a g n o s e d c o n d i t i o n s n d a c c u r a t e p i c t u r e o f t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p r e s e n t e r m i n a t i v e o f a s e v e r e i m p a i r m e n t . T o a s s e s s n a t u r e o f t h e i m p a i r m e n t a n d i t s i m p a c t o n t h e b y f u n c t i o n a l s k i l l l i m i t a t i o n s , t h e r e s t r i c t i o n s t o D LA . T h e m i n i s t r y d e s c r i b e s t h i s a p p r o a c h n r e p o r t a s b e i n g " a l o s s o r a b n o r m a l i t y o f o r f u n c t i o n c a u s i n g a r e s t r i c t i o n i n t h e a b i l i t y t o o r a r e a s o n a b l e d u r a t i o n . " T h i s d e f i n i t i o n i s n o t b u t i n t h e p a n e l ' s v i e w i t q u i t e a p p r o p r i a t e l y n o f s e v e r i t y o f i m p a i r m e n t i s a t t h e d i s c r e t i o n o f c l u d i n g t h a t o f t h e a p p e l l a n t . H o w e v e r , t h e r t h e a n a l y s i s i s t h e e v i d e n c e f r o m a p r e s c r i b e d a n d i t s i m p a c t o n d a i l y f u n c t i o n i n g .
T h e m e d i c a l p r a c t i t i o n e r , t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s f a m i l y p h y T y p e I D i a b e t e s , G E R O , a s t h m a , a r t h r i t i s a n d " v i s i o o s t e o a r t h r i t i s h a v e b e e n d i a g n o s e d b y t h e p h y s i c i a s t a t e m e n t s s e t o u t b y t h e a d v o c a t e i n t h e F o r m , a n t h e r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n t o o s t e o a r t h r i t i s r a t h e r i m p a c t f r o m t h e c o n d i t i o n . T h e f a m i l y p h y s i c i a n n o t e d i n t h e P R t h a t t h e a p p e l b e e n i n h o s p i t a l s e v e r a l t i m e s w i t h k e t o a c i d o s i s . S m a k e s i t d i ff i c u l t t o e a t a t t i m e s . A s t h m a c o n t r o l l e d h i m t o c o n t r o l b l o o d s u g a r s . " I n t h e a d d i t i o n a l c o m m a r e e r r a t i c a n d p o t e n t i a l f o r h y p o g l y c e m i c e p i s o d e s i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t c a n w a l k 4 o r m o r e b l o c l i m i t a t i o n s w i t h l i f t i n g a n d r e m a i n i n g s e a t e d . I n h i s k n e e s o r f e e t a n d h e d i d n o t d e s c r i b e a n y r e s t r i c t i o n a p p e l l a n t t o h i s f e e t i s t h a t t h e y " t i n g l e " s o m u c h t h a a p p e l l a n t i s a s s e s s e d a s i n d e p e n d e n t w i t h a l l m o b i l c l i m b i n g s t a i r s , a n d s t a n d i n g , w h i l e r e q u i r i n g p e r i o d a s h e " h a s d i f f i c u l t y w h e n s u g a r s p o o r l y c o n t r o l l e d . " I n t h e F o r m d a t e d D e c e m b e r 2 , 2 0 1 3 , o n t h e o t h e r h t h e a p p e l l a n t i s s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t e d f r o m w a l k i n g a n d f e e t , a s w e l l a s s h o r t n e s s o f b r e a t h , a n d h e r e c H o w e v e r , t h e p h y s i c i a n i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t s t a t e m e n t s h a v e b e e n c r o s s e d o u t , a n d t h e a p p e l l a c o n t r o l l e d w i t h a n i n h a l e r . I n t h e F o r m , r e s t r i c t i o n s m i n u t e s , a n d s i t t i n g l o n g e r t h a n 5 t o 1 0 m i n u t e s a r e k n e e s a n d f e e t , w h i c h c o n d i t i o n w a s n o t r e f e r r e d t o o r i g i n a l r e p o r t s . I n t h e F o r m , t h e p h y s i c i a n c h e c k e d t h e s t a t e m e n t t h l i f t i n g , c a r r y i n g o r h o l d i n g m o r e t h a n 5 t o 1 0 [ l b s . ] d u i n t h e j o i n t s o f b o t h h a n d s a n d h e r e c e i v e s c o n t i n u o l b s . I n h i s s e l f r e p o r t , t h e a p p e l l a n t w r o t e t h a t h e b e c r a m p i n t o " c l a w l i k e p o s i t i o n " a n d h u r t i f h e w r i t e s f h e a l s o w r o t e t h a t i f h e p i c k s u p " a n y t h i n g 5 0 p o u n d t h e r e s t o f t h e d a y . T h e a p p e l l a n t ' s e v i d e n c e i n d i c a 5 t o 1 0 l b s . T h e a p p e l l a n t a l s o w r o t e t h a t h i s e y e s i g i n f r o n t o f m e " a n d i t i s n o t c l e a r i f t h i s i s w i t h o r w i t h m a d e t o t h e a p p e l l a n t h a v i n g t o w e a r g l a s s e s a t a l l t a p p e l l a n t w i t h a g o o d a b i l i t y t o r e a d a n d w r i t e w i t h n w i t h t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s v i s i o n . T h e p a n e l f i n d s t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y r e a s o n a b l y c o n c l u d a c c u r a t e p i c t u r e o f t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p r e s e n t p h y s i c a l l e v i d e n c e . P l a c i n g m o r e w e i g h t o n t h e o r i g i n a l r e p o r d e t e r m i n e d t h a t w h i l e p e r i o d i c r e s t r i c t i o n s a r e i n d i c a · · · h a v e n n t " b e e r r c o n s i s t e n t l v d e f i n e d i n t e r m s o f d e a r e s i c i a n o f 3 y e a r s , d i a g n o s e d t h e a p p e l l a n t w i t h n p r o b l e m s . " A l t h o u g h n e i t h e r g l a u c o m a n o r n , t h e s e c o n d i t i o n s a r e b o t h r e f e r r e d t o i n t h e d t h e p a n e l f i n d s t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y ' s r e f e r e n c e i n t h a n a r t h r i t i s i s n o t s i g n i f i c a n t i n t e r m s o f t h e l a n t h a s " v e r y p o o r l y c o n t r o l l e d d i a b e t e s a n d h a s e v e r e G E R O s y m p t o m s r e q u i r i n g m e d i c a t i o n a n d w i t h i n h a l e r . E a t i n g p r o b l e m s m a k e s i t d i f f i c u l t f o r e n t s , t h e p h y s i c i a n w r o t e t h a t " . . . b l o o d s u g a r s . " T h e f u n c t i o n a l s k i l l s r e p o r t e d i n t h e P R k s a n d c l i m b 5 o r m o r e s t e p s u n a i d e d a n d h a s n o s e l f r e p o r t , t h e a p p e l l a n t d i d n o t r e f e r t o p a i n i n h i s s t o h i s m o b i l i t y . T h e o n l y r e f e r e n c e b y t h e t h e c a n n o t s l e e p a t n i g h t . I n t h e A R , t h e i t y , i n c l u d i n g w a l k i n g i n d o o r s a n d o u t d o o r s , i c a s s i s t a n c e w i t h l i f t i n g a n d c a r r y i n g a n d h o l d i n g a n d , t h e p h y s i c i a n a g r e e d w i t h s t a t e m e n t s t h a t m o r e t h a n 1 b l o c k d u e t o c h r o n i c p a i n i n k n e e s e i v e s c o n t i n u o u s a s s i s t a n c e f r o m h i s m o t h e r . w i l l n o t b e n e f i t f r o m a . c a n e o r a s c o o t e r , w h i c h n t ' s a s t h m a i s r e p o rt e d i n t h e P R a s b e i n g t o c l i m b i n g s t a i r s , s t a n d i n g l o n g e r t h a n 2 t o 3 i n d i c a t e d d u e t o c h r o n i c p a i n i n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s b y e i t h e r t h e p h y s i c i a n o r t h e a p p e l l a n t i n t h e a t t h e a p p e l l a n t i s s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t e d w i t h e t o c h r o n i c p a i n i n t h e k n e e s a n d f e e t a s w e l l a s u s a s s i s t a n c e f r o m h i s s o n w i t h m o r e t h a n 5 t o 1 0 l i e v e s h e h a s a r t h r i t i s i n h i s h a n d s b e c a u s e t h e y o r t o o l o n g o r h o l d s s o m e t h i n g i n h i s h a n d s a n d s o r m o r e " i t m a k e s h i m v o m i t a n d h e i s s i c k f o r t e s a l i f t i n g c a p a b i l i t y u p t o 5 0 l b s , f a r i n e x c e s s o f h t " i s s o b a d t h a t I h a v e a p r o b l e m s e e i n g 2 f e e t o u t e y e g l a s s e s s i n c e , i n t h e F o r m , r e f e r e n c e i s i m e s . I n t h e A R , t h e p h y s i c i a n a s s e s s e d t h e o c o m m e n t s r e g a r d i n g u n c o r r e c t e d d e f i c i e n c i e s e d t h a t i t i s d i f f i c u l t t o o b t a i n a c o n c i s e a n d i m i t a t i o n s d u e t o t h e i n c o n s i s t e n c i e s i n t h e t s , t h e p a n e l f i n d s t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y r e a s o n a b l y t e d w i t h l i f t i n g a n d c a r r y i n g a n d h o l d i n g , t h e s e e a n d f r e q u e n c v . a l t ' i s n o t c l e a r w h e t h e r t h e ·
a p p e l l a n t c a n l i f t u p t o 5 t o 1 0 l b s . o r 5 0 l b s . , n o r h o a p p e l l a n t ' s G E R O s y m p t o m s m a k e i t d i f f i c u l t f o r h i m t h e a p p e l l a n t t o c o n t r o l h i s b l o o d s u g a r s w h i c h a r e r e a s o n a b l y d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e c o n s i s t e n t e v i d e n c e d e m o n s t r a t e s a l e v e l o f i n d e p e n d e n t p h y s i c a l f u n c t h a s a s e v e r e p h y s i c a l i m p a i r m e n t u n d e r s e c t i o n 2 ( 2 S e v e r e M e n t a l I m p a i r m e n t T h e a p p e l l a n t d i d n o t m a i n t a i n a p o s i t i o n t h a t h e h a T h e m i n i s t r y ' s p o s i t i o n i s t h a t t h e r e i s i n s u f f i c i e n t e v s e v e r e m e n t a l i m p a i r m e n t , p a r t i c u l a r l y s i n c e t h e a p i m p a i r m e n t . T h e m i n i s t r y a r g u e d t h a t t h e p h y s i c i a n s i g n i f i c a n t d e f i c i t s w i t h h i s c o g n i t i v e a n d e m o t i o n a l f o n h i s c o g n i t i v e a n d e m o t i o n a l f u n c t i o n i n g . T h e m i n h o w t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s i m p a i r m e n t s i m p a c t h i s a b i l i t y t o e x t e n d e d s o c i a l n e t w o r k s . P a n e l D e c i s i o n T h e g e n e r a l p r a c t i t i o n e r d i d n o t d i a g n o s e a m e n t a l d d e f i c i t s w e r e r e p o r t e d w i t h c o g n i t i v e a n d e m o t i o n a l f u n c t i o n i n g w e r e m a r k e d b y t h e p h y s i c i a n a s n o t a p r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t d o e s n o t h a v e d i ff i c u l t i e s a p p e l l a n t h a s a g o o d a b i l i t y t o c o m m u n i c a t e i n a l l a r d e s c r i b i n g i m p a c t s t o s o c i a l f u n c t i o n i n g w a s n o t e d a a b s e n c e o f a m e n t a l d i s o r d e r d i a g n o s i s a n d n o i m p a p a n e l f i n d s t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y r e a s o n a b l y d e t e r m i n e d e s t a b l i s h e d u n d e r s e c t i o n 2 ( 2 ) o f t h e E A P W D A . R e s t r i c t i o n s i n t h e a b i l i t y t o p e t f o r m D L A T h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p o s i t i o n i s t h a t h i s p h y s i c a l i m p a i r m e p e rf o r m D L A o n a n o n g o i n g b a s i s t o t h e p o i n t t h a t h p e r s o n , n a m e l y h i s m o t h e r a n d s o n , a s w e l l a s a s s i s a r g u e d t h a t t h e m i n i s t ry w a s n o t r e a s o n a b l e i n c o n c b l o o d s u g a r s a r e p o o r l y c o n t r o l l e d s i n c e t h e p h y s i c i a h o s p i t a l i z e d s e v e r a l t i m e s . T h e a d v o c a t e a r g u e d t h d o c t o r h a v e b e e n u n a b l e t o c o n t r o l t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s s d o c t o r c a n n o t g i v e a n y t i m e i n d i c a t i o n o f h o w o f t e n t T h e m i n i s t r y ' s p o s i t i o n i s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t c a n i n d e h i s D L A i n d e p e n d e n t l y , o r 2 5 o u t o f a t o t a l 2 8 t a s k s . p e r i o d i c a s s i s t a n c e i s r e q u i r e d , t h e p h y s i c i a n h a s n o p e r i o d i c a s s i s t a n c e . P a n e l D e c i s i o n S e c t i o n 2 ( 2 ) ( b ) o f t h e E A P W D A r e q u i r e s t h a t a o r e s c w o f t e n h e r e q u i r e s a s s i s t a n c e s i n c e t h e t o e a t " a t t i m e s , " w h i c h t h e n m a k e s i t d i f f i c u l t f o r " e r r a t i c . " T h e p a n e l f i n d s t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y f r o m t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d h i s p h y s i c i a n i o n i n g t h a t d o e s n o t e s t a b l i s h t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t ) o f t h e E A P W D A . s a s e v e r e m e n t a l i m p a i r m e n t . i d e n c e t o e s t a b l i s h t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s a p e l l a n t ' s p h y s i c i a n d i d n o t d i a g n o s e a m e n t a l d i d n o t i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s a n y u n c t i o n i n g n o r d o h i s i m p a i r m e n t s h a v e a n i m p a c t i s t r y a r g u e d t h a t t h e p h y s i c i a n d i d n o t a s s e s s m a n a g e h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h h i s i m m e d i a t e a n d i s o r d e r i n t h e P R o r t h e F o r m . N o s i g n i f i c a n t f u n c t i o n i n g a n d i m p a c t s t o a r e a s o f d a i l y p l i c a b l e t o t h e a p p e l l a n t . I n t h e P R , t h e p h y s i c i a n w i t h c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d , i n t h e A R , t h a t t h e e a s . I n t h e A R , t h e s e c t i o n o f t h e r e p o r t s n o t a p p l i c a b l e t o t h e a p p e l l a n t . G i v e n t h e c t s r e p o r t e d t o m e n t a l o r s o c i a l f u n c t i o n i n g , t h e t h a t a s e v e r e m e n t a l i m p a i r m e n t w a s n o t n t d i r e c t l y a n d s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t s h i s a b i l i t y t o e r e q u i r e s t h e s i g n i f i c a n t a s s i s t a n c e o f a n o t h e r t i v e d e v i c e s s u c h a s s t a i r r a i l s . T h e a d v o c a t e l u d i n g t h a t i t i s n o t c l e a r h o w o f t e n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s n i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s b e e n a t o n e c a n a s s u m e t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d t h e u g a r l e v e l s a s t h e y a r e u n p r e d i c t a b l e a n d t h e h e a p p e l l a n t ' s s u g a r s a r e p o o r l y c o n t r o l l e d . p e n d e n t l y m a n a g e t h e m a j o r i t y o f t h e [ t a s k s o f ] T h e m i n i s t r y a r g u e d t h a t f o r t h o s e t a s k s w h e r e t c o n f i r m e d t h e f r e q u e n c y a n d d u r a t i o n o f t h e r i b e d o r o f e s s i o n a l p r o v i d e a n o p i n i o n t h a t a n
applicant's seve re impair ment directly and significantly restr for exte nded pe ri ods. I n this c a se , t he app e llant's family physician is the prescrib DLA are defined in section 2(1) of th e EAPWDR and are als deta i ls, in the A R. The refore, a prescri bed prof essional c to indicate which, i f any, DL A are signific ant l y restricted by th o r periodica ll y fo r extended periods. I n the appellant's circ u m stances, his physician initially reported that the appell tasks of several DLA, includ ing mov ing a b o ut ind o or rent and bil l s , an d managing his medications and transporta the physician reported in the AR that the appell an t "diff icu lt when s ugars no t controlled, gets fatigue." wit h laundr y/ ba sic housekeeping, particularl y with bending or chronic pain in the knees and feet as well as shortness of breath due to asthma, v "has to wear g l asses a t a l l times ." Wit h shopping, the ap ind e pende n t w ith 4 of 5 t asks, name ly going to an d app ropriate cho ice s and pay ing f or pu r cha s es and purchases ho me, with the not e : "fatigu e f rom unc ont restr i cti ons were ind i cated w ith going to a n d fr om the store due f ee t as w ell as sh or t ness o f breath, wit h rea d ing la bels gl a u com a, wit h ma k ing appropriat e c hoices due to vis purchases , in particu la r with s t an ding lon ge r th an 2 kn ees , f eet an d hands, with c arryin g pu r chases home m or e th a n 5 to10 lbs. du e t o chr o nic pai n in k nees, A s previous ly di s cu s sed, t h e ev i d ence i s n ot c lear reg w hether h is a s thm a and vis ion pr oblems have be en g l asses , respe ct i v e ly. I n the additional c omm en ts to th h o s pital ization s f or ketoaci dosi s; blood s u gars are errati h owe v e r, there is no fu r t her des cr iption of t h e rat e of epis r el a ted them to t h e a p pella nt 's diffi cult y wit h eat ing wh ministry reasonably d etermined th a t there i s insu fficient conclude that the periodic assista nce with the tasks of housekeeping and shopping are for ex per i ods of time . Al t hough a number of additional tasks of DLA are li s are state d to be r estricted d ue to c hr onic pain in the app mention e d by the appellant in his self-report or by the physician in the du e to arthritis in the appellant's hands, whi c h was mentioned by the appellant in his self-rep impact dressing, grooming, feeding self, paying for purchases when shopping, and meal preparation. Assistance is provided by his son either "once per week" with dressing, for example, or "when he is available" for meal preparation, and it takes the appellant 2 times longer with some of these tasks. There is no information provided regarding how often th the panel finds that the ministry reasonably determined p e riodic as sistance is r eq ui r ed for ex t e nded periods EAPWDA. Overall, the panel finds that the ministry reasonably concluded that there is not enough evidence from the prescribed professional to establish that the appellant's impairment significantly res tricts his a bilitvt o rnanaae his DLA either continuo ic ts h i s DL A, continuously or pe ri odically ed professional. o list ed in the PR and, with add i t ional ompleting these form s has t h e opportunity e appellant's impairments continuously a n t is independ ent in al l s and outdoors, perso n a l care, mea ls, paying t i o n. Fo r the DLA basic housekeeping, requires period i c as sistance, w i t h the note: In the Form, si gn ificant restricti ons are id entifi e d lift ing more tha n 5 to 1 O lbs. d u e to ision problems pellant was initiall y asse ssed as from store s , re ad in g prices an d lab e ls, maki ng require s perio dic assi stance w i th carrying rolled bl oo d glucose." In the Fo r m, signi fic a n t to c hronic p ain in kn ees, hands and an d prices due to poor visio n ca u sed by ion probl e ms and pain, wi th payin g for t o 3 min utes in a line-up due to c hroni c pain in , in particular wi th lifti ng, carrying or holding hands, feet and short ne ss . of b r eat h.. . . . . arding the a ppe llant's l if ti ng c a p a b il ity and a ddressed with the u se of an inh a l e r and eye e PR, the ph ysic ian wrote: " Several c and poten t i a l for h y pogl ycemi c episodes"; ode s over a period of time as the physi cian ich o ccurs "a t ti m es. " Th e pan e l f ind s that th e information provided by the physician to t ended ted in the Form as being restri cted, the majority ellant's knees a nd fe et, whi c h w as no t original reports. Re st r ic ti ons o rt, e appellant's son is available to help him and that there is insufficient detail to show t h at the o f tim e , as r e quire d b y s ection 2(2)(b} of the usl v or periodically for extended perio ds;
thereby not satisfying the legislative criterion of section 2(2)(b )(i) of the EAPWDA. Help to petform DLA The appellant's position is that he requires the significant assistance of another person or an assistive device to perform DLA. The ministry's position is that because it has not been established thatDLA are significantly restricted, it cannot be determined that significant help is required. The ministry argued that the appellant's physician indicated in the PWD application that he does not require any assistive devices and, in the Form, he would benefit from shower bars; the appellant does not require the services of an assistance animal. Panel Decision Section 2(2)(b)(ii) of the EAPWDA requires that, as a result of direct and significant restrictions in the ability to perform DLA, a person requires help to perform those activities. Help is defined in subsection (3) as the requirement for an assistive device, the significant help or supervision of another person, or the services of an assistance animal in order to perform a DLA. The evidence of the physician, as a prescribed professional, is that the help required with DLA is provided by family, specifically the appellant's son or mother, and friends. In the Form, the physician indicated with a check mark that he agreed that the appellant is in need of assistance from shower bars but not a cane or a scooter, which have been crossed out. The panel finds that the other items · listed in the Form .as providing assistanee; namely eye glasses, stair railings, an elevator, counters, . a shopping cart and a car door, do not fall within the definition of assistive device as set out in section 2(1) of the EAPWDA, being a device "designed to enable a person to perform a DLA that, because of a severe mental or physical impairment, the person is unable to perform. The panel finds that the minis try reasonably determined that as direct and significant restrictions in the appellant's ability to perform DLA have not been established, it cannot be determined that the appellant requires help to perf orm DLA as a result of those restrictions, as defined by section 2(3)(b) of the EAPWDA. Conclusion Having reviewed and considered all of the evidence and relevant legislation, the panel finds that the ministry's reconsideration decision which determined that the appellant was not eligible for PWD designation was reasonably supported by the evidence, and therefore confirms the decision.
You are being directed to the most recent version of the statute which may not be the version considered at the time of the judgment.