PART C -Decis i on under A ppe al The decis i on under appeal is the Ministry of Social Development "ministry") recon si deration deci s i on of January 20, 2014 which fou three of f ive statutory requ i re ments of s ectio n 2 of th D is abilities Act ( " EAPWDA") for d e signation as a p er that t he 'app e llant m et the age require m e n t and that in the opin appellant's impa irment is likely to c ontinue fo r a t least t satisfied that : • the e vi den ce estab lishes that t h e appellant has a severe physical or mental impa • the app ell a n t 's daily living activiti es ("DLA") are, in the opinion of a prescribed pr directly and significantly r est r i cted either continuo that • as a result of t hose rest rictions , t he ap pel la nt anoth er person , an as sistive device, o r t h e serv PA RT D -R e levant Legisl ation Employment and Ass ist anc e fo r Pers ons with Disa b Empl oyment and A ssista nce for Person s w i th Disa b EAAT 003( 10/0 6/0 1) and Social Innovation ( t h e nd that the appellan t d i d not meet e Employment and Assistance for Per so ns With so n with di sabilities ( " PWD"). The m inistry found ion o f a me dical practitioner the wo years. H o w e v e r, the m inistr y was n ot irment; o fessional, usly or periodicall y f or extende d periods; and requir es t he si g n ifican t h elp or sup erv is ion of ic es of an assi stance animal . ilit ies A ct ("E APWDA" ), section 2 i lities Regulati on ("EA P W DR" ), se c t io n 2
P ART E -Summar v of Facts The in fo rmation befo re the ministry at t he tim e of r econsiderati • Th e appellant's PWD applic at io n form consisting of . 2013] , and a ph y si cia n 's report ("P R" ) and as app ella n t's phy sic ian of 7 years [ date d Ju ly 23 • A n u n dat e d "to w hom it m a y co n c ern" let te r from P hys ical Impairment • In th e PR th e physicia n dia gnose d t he appellant w left f irst CMC ar thrit is (d e gener at ion), and fib "osteoarthri t i s lef t han d." He described t he a re f erre d t o her havi n g "mo deratel y sever e p ain" s h oul der blades. • In terms o f functional s kill s the phy s ician repo bl oc ks unaided on a f la t su rface, being able t 3 5 pounds, and bei ng able t o remain se ate d • I n the A R the p hysi cian r eporte d the appellant as ind o ors, climbing s ta irs, and standing. He wrote that b e f o re ba c k pa in prevent s walking . H e indica as sistance with lifting/c a rry in g / h o lding, commenting t th at s he cann ot carry more t han 10 pou nds . • I n her self-re port the appellan t wr ote that she has g she fe els ba d "head pres sure", she st ays in bed hands and feet, and has to w ear a brac e on he b e g in ning of Multip le Sclero s is " and a sth m a . • I n her ora l testimony on appe al the appellan t eve ry da y. Sh e sa id that she gets bad migra • In her letter, the appellant's daughter wrote that the appellant suffers from so much pain e other da y that she can't live alone or walk anymore. Mental Impairment • In the PR the physician diagnosed the appellant with having anxiety attacks. the appellant has no difficulties with communication and noted no significant deficits with cognitive and emotional function. • I n t he AR the p h ysi cian described the appellant's ability to communicate as being good in all respects. • Section B4 of the AR form (dealing with cognitive and emotional functioning) and the portion of Section C of the AR form (dealing with social functioning) both contain the notation that these section s should only be completed for applicants that have a brain injury. In each case the physician left these sections blank, except for the notation "N/A". • In her self-report the appellant wrote that she has anxiety attacks "all the time" which affect her life. EAA T003(10/06/01) on i n c lude d the fol lowing: t h e appellan t ' s s e lf-re port [ dat ed Augu s t , sess or's repo rt ("AR") b oth signed b y t he , 201 3 and A ugus t 6 , 2013 re sp ect ively] . the appellant's dau g hter . ith me ch anical ba ck p ai n (entir e back) , mil d r om y a lgia . I n the A R he also re f er red to ppella nt 's i m p airments as being " chroni c", and in her n eck a n d low er b ack, and between he r rted the appellant a s being able to wal k 4 + o cli mb 5+ st eps unai d ed, being a ble to lif t 15 t o f o r l ess than 1 h our. being i ndependent with respe c t to walkin g sh e can walk about 2 blocks ou t doors ted that t he ap pel la nt req u ires continuous hat she can li ft about 20-25 pound s but ood day s an d bad days. On days w h e n all day. She sta ted th at she h as arth r it is in her r left t hum b. She wrot e tha t she has "the sai d tha t s he simply c an't b e e xpec te d to wo rk ines a nd can't ho l d a job. very He indi cated that n i dentified m ental impairment or
• In her oral testimony on appeal, the appellant said that she suffers from memory loss and headaches due to previous incidents of domestic violence. She said, however, that she is never forgetful with her granddaughter. • In her letter, the appellant's daughter wrote that her mother's anxiety sometimes makes her bed-ridden, and that her bad days can't be anticipated. She wrote that the appellant lives with her daughter and granddaughter, and that when the appellant is bed-ridden the daughter has to be available to take care of her. DLA • In the PR the physician indicated that the appellant has not been prescribed any mediation or treatments that interfere with her ability to manage DLA. • In the AR the physician reported that the appellant independently manages all aspects of the 5 prescribed DLA of managing personal finances (pay rent and bills), managing personal medications, personal care (indicating that the appellant takes significantly longer than typical bathing because her hands go numb when she holds her arms above her head), meal preparation (taking about 2 times longer than typical with food preparation and cooking) and use of transportation (taking longer than a healthy person to get out of a vehicle due to back pain.) • The physician indicated that the appellant takes longer than typical with respect to the DLA of basic housekeeping, but that she requires continuous assistance with laundry, noting that back pain requires that the appellant's daughter help her with removing laundry from the dryer. The physician also commented that the appellant takes about 2 times longer than a healthy person to sweep, vacuum, and do dishes. • Regarding the DLA of daily shopping, the physician noted the appellant independently manages reading prices and labels, making appropriate choices, and paying for purchases, but that she requires continuous assistance carrying purchases home (her daughter helps her carry anything over 10 pounds), and she takes significantly longer than typical going to and from stores. • In response to questions from the panel at the appeal hearing, the appellant said that she can prepare grilled cheese, but that her daughter prepares arwthing more complicated than that. She said that the ministry pays her rent, and that she has no other finances to manage. She gives her bank card to her daughter and has no other bills. The appellant also said that for shopping, she drives her daughter to the store and the daughter does the shopping. She said that she won't use public transit because it makes her feel claustrophobic. • Also in response to questions from the panel, the appellant said that her mobility indoors is fine, but she has a problem bending over due to back pain. Regarding self-care, the appellant said that sometimes her daughter washes and dyes the appellant's hair. She also said that her "bad days", when she is bed-ridden, are about 3 times per week. • In her self-report the appellant wrote that she has continuous pain and that she does limited housework. She indicated that some days she does not do her housework, or even wash her hair because of pain. • In her oral testimony, the appellant's daughter said that she wasn't able to attend the physician's office with her mother when the PWD application forms were completed, so she believes the forms don't accurately reflect the severity of the appellant's impairments or the significance of the restrictions they impose. • The daughter said that the appellant has an eating disorder and that the daughter has to make sure the annellant eats; otherwise she would skin eatina for davs. EAAT 003(10106101)
e T h e d a u g h t e r r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y p a y s t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s n o b i l l s o r o t h e r i n c o m e . S e v e r y t h i n g a n d t h a t h e r m o t h e r n e e d s t o b e a • T h e d a u g h t e r s a i d t h a t h e r m o t h e r d o e s n o t u a p p e l l a n t w i l l g e t l o s t . S h e s a i d t h a t s h e h a s m e d i c a t i o n . • T h e d a u g h t e r a l s o r e p o r t e d t h a t h e r m o t h e r i s h e i s f o r c e d t o t u r n b a c k , o f t e n d u e t o b l a d d p a n e l , t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d h e r d a u g h t e r s a i d t h w h e r e t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s t o w e a r d i a p e r s . • I n r e s p o n s e t o q u e s t i o n s f r o m t h e p a n e l , t h e w i t h t h e l a u n d r y a n d t h a t s h e d o e s " o c c a s i o n t h e d i s h w a s h i n g b e c a u s e t h e d a u g h t e r " h a t e g e t i n t o a n d o u t o f c h a i r s i n d e p e n d e n t l y . S h e f u n c t i o n i f s h e w e r e l i v i n g o n h e r o w n . H e l p • 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 d o i m p a i r m e n t s , a n d t h a t s h e d o e s n o t h a v e a n • I n h e r o r a l t e s t i m o n y o n a p p e a l , t h e a p p e l l a n c u s t o m m a d e h a n d b r a c e s . A d m i s s i b i l i t y o f N e w I n f o r m a t i o n I n o r a l t e s t i m o n y t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d h e r d a u g h t e r p r o i m p a i r m e n t s a n d t h e r e s t r i c t i o n s c a u s e d b y t h e m . T i s s u e s a d d r e s s e d i n t h e o r i g i n a l P W D a p p l i c a t i o n . A i n f o r m a t i o n a s b e i n g i n s u p p o r t o f i n f o r m a t i o n a n d r e r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n , i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h s . 2 2 ( 4 ) o f t h e E T h e m i n i s t r y r e l i e d o n i t s r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n a EAA T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s r e n t d i r e c t l y , b u t t h a t o t h e r w i s e h e s a i d t h a t s h e ( t h e d a u g h t e r ) p a y s f o r b l e t o p a y f o r m o r e t h i n g s . s e p u b l i c t r a n s i t t h e d a u g h t e r i s a f r a i d t h a t t h e t o r e m i n d t h e a p p e l l a n t e v e r y d a y t o t a k e h e r s l i m i t e d t o w a l k i n g 1 o r 2 b l o c k s o u t d o o r s b e f o r e e r l e a k a g e . I n r e s p o n s e t o a q u e s t i o n f r o m t h e a t t h e b l a d d e r i s s u e i s n o t a d v a n c e d t o t h e p o i n t d a u g h t e r s a i d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t s o m e t i m e s h e l p s a l " h o u s e k e e p i n g , t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t d o e s m o s t o f s t o d o d i s h e s " a n d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t i s a b l e t o s a i d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t w o u l d n o t b e a b l e t o e s n o t r e q u i r e a n y p r o s t h e s e s o r a i d s f o r h e r a s s i s t a n c e a n i m a l . t s a i d t h a t s h e h a s r e c e n t l y s t a rt e d w e a r i n g v i d e d a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n r e g a r d i n g h e r h i s i n fo r m a t i o n p r o v i d e s d e t a i l w i t h r e s p e c t t o c c o r d i n g l y , t h e p a n e l h a s a d m i t t e d t h i s n e w c o r d s t h a t w e r 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 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 . n d s u b m i t t e d n o n e w i n f o r m a t i o n .
P A R T F R e a s o n s f o r P a n e l D e c i s i o n T h e i s s u e o n t h i s a p p e a l i s w h e t h e r t h e m i n i s t r y ' s d P W D w a s r e a s o n a b l y s u p p o r t e d b y t h e e v i d e n c e o r e n a c t m e n t i n t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s o f t h e a p p e l l a n t . I n d e t e r m i n i n g 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 a s e v e o p i n i o n o f a p r e s c r i b e d p r o f e s s i o n a l t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s r e s t r i c t h e r f r o m p e r f o r m i n g D L A e i t h e r c o n t i n u o u s l y a r e s u l t . o f t h o s e r e s t r i c t i o n s t h e a p p e l l a n t d o e s n o t T h e r e l e v a n t l e g i s l a t i o n i s a s f o l l o w s : E A P W D A : 2 ( 1 ) I n t h i s s e c t i o n : " a s s i s t i v e d e v i c e " m e a n s a d e v i c e d e s i g n a c t i v i t y t h a t , b e c a u s e o f a s e v e r e m e n t a p e r f o r m ; " d a i l y l i v i n g a c t i v i t y " h a s t h e p r e " p r e s c r i b e d p r o f e s s i o n a l " h a s t h ( 2 ) T h e m i n i s t e r m a y d e s i g n a t e a p e r s o n d i s a b i l i t i e s f o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f t h i s A c t i f m e n t a l o r p h y s i c a l i m p a i r m e n t t h a t ( a ) i n t h e o p i n i o n o f a m e d i c y e a r s , a n d ( b ) i n t h e o p i n i o n o f a p r e s c r ( i ) d i r e c t l y a n d s i g n i f i l i v i n g a c t i v i t i e s e i t h e r { A ) c o n t i n u o u s ( B ) p e r i o d i c a l l ( i i ) a s a r e s u l t o f t h o s t h o s e a c t i v i t i e s . ( 3 ) F o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f s u b s e c t i o n ( 2 ) , ( a ) a p e r s o n w h o h a s a s e v e m e n t a l d i s o r d e r , a n d ( b ) a p e r s o n r e q u i r e s h e l p i n p e r f o r m I t , t h e p e r s o n r e q u i r ( i ) a n a s s i s t i v e d e v i c e ( i i ) t h e s i g n i f i c a n t h e l ( i i i ) t h e s e r v i c e s o f a n E AA T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )e c i s i o n t o d e n y t h e a p p e l l a n t d e s i g n a t i o n a s a w a s a r e a s o n a b l e a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e a p p l i c a b l e p a r t i c u l a r , w a s t h e m i n i s t r y r e a s o n a b l e i n r e p h y s i c a l o r m e n t a l i m p a i r m e n t , a n d t h a t i n t h e i m p a i r m e n t s d o n o 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 o r p e r i o d i c a l l y fo r e x t e n d e d p e r i o d s , a n d t h a t a s r e q u i r e h e l p t o p e r f o r m D L A ? e d t o e n a b l e a p e r s o n t o p e r f o r m a d a i l y l i v i n g l o r p h y s i c a l i m p a i r m e n t , t h e p e r s o n i s u n a b l e t o s c r i b e d m e a n i n g ; e p r e s c r i b e d m e a n i n g . w h o h a s r e a c h e d 1 8 y e a r s o f a g e a s a p e r s o n w i t h t h e m i n i s t e r i s s a t i s f i e d t h a t t h e p e r s o n h a s a s e v e r e a l p r a c t i t i o n e r i s l i k e l y t o c o n t i n u e f o r a t l e a s t 2 i b e d p r o f e s s i o n a l c a n t l y r e s t r i c t s t h e p e r s o n ' s a b i l i t y t o p e r f o r m d a i l y l y , o r y f o r e x t e n d e d p e r i o d s , a n d e r e s t r i c t i o n s , t h e p e r s o n r e q u i r e s h e l p t o p e r f o r m r e m e n t a l i m p a i r m e n t I n c l u d e s a p e r s o n w i t h a r e l a t i o n t o a d a i l y l i v i n g a c t i v i t y i f , i n o r d e r t o e s , p o r s u p e r v i s i o n o f a n o t h e r p e r s o n , o r a s s i s t a n c e a n i m a l .
EAP WDR secti on 2(1): 2 (1) F or the pu rposes o f t he A ct a nd thi s reg (a ) in relation t o a person me ntal imp a i rment, mea ns the (i) prepar e own m ( ii) man a ge per sonal (i ii) shop for per s o (iv) use pub l ic or perso (v) pe rfo rm h ousew ac ceptab le sanit a ry c ( vi) move abo ut indoo ( vii) perform p e rson (viii) m a nage per so (b) in r e lation t o a person who fo llo wing ac t i vities : (i) make d eci sions (ii) re l at e t o, communicate (2 ) For t h e pu r p oses o f th e Act, "prescribe ( a) authorized und er a n e (i) medi cal pract it (ii ) registered psych ( iii) registered nur (iv) occu pati o na l the (v) physical the r a p ( v i) so cial wor ker, (vii) c hiropract or, (viii) nurse practit (b) act ing i n th e c our s e of t b y (i) an authority, as that term is defined in section 1 (1) of the In d e pendent School A (ii) a board o r a francophone education authority, as those terms a defi n ed in section 1 (1) of the School if qualificatio ns in psychology are a condit ******* Severe Physical Impairment The appellant's position is that she her arthritis, fibromyalgia and constant pain constitute severe physical impairments. She stated that she cannot work due to her poor health. The ministiv's position is that the Phvsician's assessment of the appellant's functional skills limitations EAAT 003(1 0/06/01) ulation, " daily living a c tivit ies" who has a s e v e re p hy si c al impairm e nt or a seve re following activ it ies: eals ; fin ances; nal n eeds; nal tran spo r tati on facilit ies; ork t o m aintain the person ' s p l ace o f resi dence in ondit io n; rs an d o utd o or s; al hygiene a nd se l f care; n al medic ation, a n d h as a severe mental impair m ent, in clud es the ab ou t p e rso nal activities, care or fi nances; or in t erac t with othe r s effect ively. d profe s si on al" mean s a per so n w h o i s nact me nt to practis e the profession of ioner, o l o g ist, se o r regist ered ps ychia tric nurse, ra pist, is t, or ioner, or he person's e m ployment as a school ps ycholo gi st ct, or re A ct, ion of such employment.
a r e m o r e i n k e e p i n g w i t h a m i l d t o m o d e r a t e d e g r e e s a i d t h a t t h e i n f o r m a t i o n p r o v i d e d i s n o t s u f f i c i e n t t o P a n e l D e c i s i o n A d i a g n o s i s o f a s e r i o u s m e d i c a l c o n d i t i o n d o e s n o t s e v e r e i m p a i r m e n t . A n " i m p a i r m e n t " i s a m e d i c a l c o a b i l i t y t o f u n c t i o n i n d e p e n d e n t l y o r e f f e c t i v e l y . T o a s s e s s 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 e x t e n t o f 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 a s e v i d e n c e w h i c h p e r f o r m i n g D L A i s r e s t r i c t e d . A m e d i c a l b a r r i e m p l o y m e n t i s n o t a l e g i s l a t e d c r i t e r i o n f o r s e v e r i t y . d e t e r m i n a t i o n o f s e v e r i t y i s a t t h e d i s c r e t i o n o f t h e m m u s t a c t r e a s o n a b l y a n d c o n s i d e r a l l t h e r e l e v a n t e t h e 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 p r o f e s s i o n a l s i n t h i s c a s e , t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s p h y s i c i a I n e x e r c i s i n g i t s d e c i s i o n m a k i n g p o w e r t h e m i n i s t ry p r o f e s s i o n a l s w i t h r e s p e c t t o w h e t h e r t h e s t a t u t o r y r a m o u n t t o a n i m p r o p e r f e t t e r i n g o f d i s c r e t i o n . T h e p a s s e s s e d l i k e a n y o t h e r e v i d e n c e . 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 p h y s i c i a n ' s e v i d e n c e t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a b i l i t i e s a r e a t t h e m i d t o h i g h e r e n d w a l k i n g s o m e w h e r e b e t w e e n 1 a n d 4 b l o c k s u n a s s i a s s i s t a n c e c a r r y i n g w e i g h t s o v e r 1 0 p o u n d s . T h e p e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t i s b e d r i d d e n f o r u p t o 3 e f f e c t o f 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 t i s s o m e t h i n g h a v e n o t e d i n t h e P R a n d A R . I n s u b s t a n t i a l p a rt b e m o r e w e i g h t t o t h e p h y s i c i a n ' s e v i d e n c e t h a n t o t h a t T h e r e a r e f r e q u e n t r e f e r e n c e s i n t h e e v i d e n c e t o t h e o n h e r a b i l i t y t o w o r k a t p a i d e m p l o y m e n t . T h e p a n e c r i t e r i o n r e g a r d i n g P W D d e s i g n a t i o n t h e f o c u s o f t A s d i s c u s s e d i n m o r e d e t a i l i n t h e s u b s e q u e n t s e c t i o R e s t r i c t i o n s t o D L A , d e s p i t e t h e p h y s i c i a n ' s r e f e r e n s k i l l s l i m i t a t i o n s h e h a s d e s c r i b e d a s r e s u l t i n g f r o m h i n t o s i g n i f i c a n t r e s t r i c t i o n s i n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a b i l i t y t o f o r e g o i n g r e a s o n s , t h e p a n e l h a s c o n c l u d e d t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e f a l l s s h o r t o f e s t a b l i s h i n g t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n 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 o n e l l a n t a r o u e d t h a t h e r a n x i e t v a n d f o r a e t f u l n E M T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )o f p h y s i c a l l i m i t a t i o n . A c c o r d i n g l y , t h e m i n i s t r y s h o w 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 . i n i t s e l f d e t e r m i n e P W D e l i g i b i l i t y o r e s t a b l i s h a n d i t i o n t h a t r e s u l t s i n r e s t r i c t i o n s t o a p e r s o n ' s o n s i d e r t h e n a t u r e o f t h e i m p a i r m e n t a n d t h e d 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 a n d t h e d e g r e e t o e r t o t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a b i l i t y t o e n g a g e i n p a i d T h e l e g i s l a t i o n m a k e s i t c l e a r t h a t t h e i n i s t e r . I n m a k i n g i t s d e t e r m i n a t i o n t h e m i n i s t r y v i d e n c e , i n 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 , i s f o 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 p r e s c r i b e d n . c a n n o t m e r e l y d e f e r t o t h e o p i n i o n o f t h e e q u i r e m e n t s a r e m e t a s t h a t a p p r o a c h w o u l d r o f e s s i o n a l e v i d e n c e h a s t o b e w e i g h e d a n d i n t h e P R a n d A R i s c o n s i s t e n t i n s h o w i n g t h a t o f t h e a s s e s s m e n t s c a l e . S h e i s l i m i t e d t o s t e d o u t d o o r s o n l e v e l g r o u n d , a n d s h e r e q u i r e s a n e l n o t e s t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a n d h e r d a u g h t e r ' s d a y s p e r w e e k . I n t h e p a n e l ' s v i e w , i f t h i s w a s a n t h a t t h e p h y s i c i a n w o u l d m o r e l i k e l y t h a n n o t c a u s e o f t h i s i n c o n s i s t e n c y , t h e p a n e l h a s g i v e n o f t h e a p p e l l a n t o r h e r d a u g h t e r . i m p a c t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s m e d i c a l c o n d i t i o n s h a v e l n o t e s t h a t e m p l o y a b i l i t y i s n o t a s t a t u t o r y h e l e g i s l a t i o n i s o n t h e a b i l i t y t o p e r f o r m D L A . n o f t h i s d e c i s i o n u n d e r t h e h e a d i n g S i g n i f i c a n t c e s t o " m o d e r a t e l y s e v e r e p a i n " , t h e f u n c t i o n a l e r i m p a i r m e n t s d o n o t a p p e a r t o h a v e t r a n s l a t e d p e r f o r m h e r D L A i n d e p e n d e n t l y . F o r 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 t h a t t h e 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 . e s s c o n s t i t u t e a s e v e r e m e n t a l i m o a i r m e n t , w h i c h
often keeps her bed-ridden. The ministry's position, as set out in its reconsideration decision, is that the information submitted does not establish a severe mental impairment. It noted that the physician did not identify any cognitive and emotional deficits, and while acknowledging that the appellant can experience up to 5 anxiety attacks per day, the ministry noted there was no information as to whether medical treatment had been instituted to ameliorate the anxiety. Panel Decision The physician has diagnosed the appellant as having anxiety attacks. However, in both the PR and AR the physician indicated this does not impact the appellant's cognitive or emotional function, and noted that the appellant's ability to communicate is good in all respects. In the AR, the physician noted "N/A" in the two sections relating to mental impairment or brain injury. The panel concludes that in the physician's opinion the appellant does not have a severe mental impairment. Section 2(1)(b) of the EAPWDR prescribes two DLA that are specific to mental impairment-make decisions about personal activities, care or finances (decision making), and relate to, communicate or interact with others effectively (social functioning). The physician's evidence indicates that the appellant is not significantly restricted with respect to decision making in that she independently manages the decision making aspects of daily shopping (making appropriate choices), manage personal medication (filling/refilling/taking as directed), and meal preparation (meal planning). The evidence indicates that the appellant has good communication skills and there is no evidence of any restrictions to her social functioning. The panel acknowledges the daughter's opinion that if left on her own the appellant would be "non functional" but, considering the evidence as a whole, the panel concludes that the ministry reasonably determined that it does not demonstrate a severe mental impairment. Significant Restrictions to DLA The appellant's position is that her DLA are significantly restricted. She said that she experiences constant pain, and that she has about 3 bad days per week during which she is bed-ridden. She indicated that her ability to manage DLA is not as good as indicated by her physician in the AR. The ministry's position, as set out in its reconsideration decision, is that the appellant is able to manage the majority of her DLA independently or with little help from others. The ministry stated that there is not enough evidence to confirm that the appellant's impairments significantly restrict her ability to perform DLA either continuously or periodically for extended periods. Panel Decision The legislation requires that a severe impairment directly and significantly restricts the appellant's ability to perform DLA either continuously or periodically for extended periods. The term "directly" EAAT 003(10/06/01)
m e a n s t h a t t h e r e m u s t b e a c a u s a l l i n k b e t w e e n t h e r e s t r i c t i o n m u s t a l s o b e s i g n i f i c a n t . F i n a l l y , t h e r e i s d i r e c t a n d s i g n i f i c a n t r e s t r i c t i o n m a y b e e i t h e r c o n t i n e x t e n d e d t i m e . I n h e r e n t l y , a n y a n a l y s i s o f p e r i o d i c i f r e q u e n c y . A l l o t h e r t h i n g s b e i n g e q u a l , a r e s t r i c t i o n s i g n i f i c a n t t h a n o n e w h i c h o c c u r s s e v e r a l t i m e s a w e v i d e n c e i n d i c a t e s t h a t a r e s t r i c t i o n a r i s e s p e r i o d i c a e v i d e n c e o f t h e d u r a t i o n a n d f r e q u e n c y o f t h e r e s t r i c c r i t e r i o n i s m e t . S e c t i o n 2 ( 1 ) o f t h e E A P W D A p r e s c r i b e s 1 0 D L A . O t h e a p p e l l a n t m a n a g e s 5 o f t h e m i n d e p e n d e n t l y i n a s e l f c a r e , m a n a g i n g p e r s o n a l m e d i c a t i o n s , m e a l p r e o f t h e p h y s i c i a n a n d t h e a p p e l l a n t i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e a m o v i n g a b o u t i n d o o r s a n d o u t d o o r s i n d e p e n d e n t l y , i n d e p e n d e n t l y f o r a t l e a s t 2 b l o c k s . T a k i n g u p t o 2 t o f s o m e D L A d o e s n o t c o n s t i t u t e a s i g n i f i c a n t r e s t r i c B a s e d o n t h e a n a l y s i s p r e s e n t e d a b o v e u n d e r t h e h c o n c l u d e s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t a l s o m a n a g e s t h e 2 D L i n d e p e n d e n t l y . O f t h e r e m a i n i n g 2 D L A b a s i c h o u s e k e e p i n g a n d d a s p e c t s o f b o t h D L A i n d e p e n d e n t l y , t h o u g h s o m e a s d o e s n o t i n d i c a t e t o t h e p a n e l t h a t t h e d a u g h t e r ' s a s a n y t h i n g m o r e t h a n a n o r m a l s h a r i n g o f d o m e s t i c c h A c c o r d i n g l y , t h e p a n e l c o n c l u d e s t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y r e t o m a n a g e h e r D L A i s n o t s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t e d e i t h p e r i o d s . H e l p w i t h 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 s h e r e q u i r e s h e r d a u s i m p l y w o u l d n o t b e a b l e t o g e t b y o n h e r o w n . 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 s i n c e i t h a s n o t b e e n e s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t e d , i t c a n n o t b e d e t e r m i n e d t h a t s T h e m i n i s t r y n o 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 r e q u i r P a n e l D e c i s i o n F i n d i n g s t h a t a s e v e r e i m p a i r m e n t d i r e c t l y a n d s i g n i f D L A e i t h e r c o n t i n u o u s l y o r p e r i o d i c a l l y f o r a n e x t e n d r e q u i r i n g " h e l p " a s d e f i n e d b y s e c t i o n 2 ( 3 ) ( b ) o f t h e E p r e c o n d i t i o n h a s n o t b e e n s a t i s f i e d o n t h e b a l a n c e o E AA T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )s e v e r e i m p a i r m e n t a n d t h e r e s t r i c t i o n . T h e d i r e c t a c o m p o n e n t r e l a t e d t o t i m e o r d u r a t i o n . T h e u o u s o r p e r i o d i c . I f i t i s p e r i o d i c i t m u s t b e f o r a n t y m u s t a l s o i n c l u d e c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e t h a t o n l y a r i s e s o n c e a y e a r i s l e s s l i k e l y t o b e e e k . A c c o r d i n g l y , i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s w h e r e t h e l l y , i t i s a p p r o p r i a t e f o r t h e m i n i s t r y t o r e q u i r e t i o n i n o r d e r t o b e " s a t i s f i e d " t h a t t h i s l e g i s l a t i v e f t h o s e 1 0 , t h e p h y s i c i a n ' s e v i d e n c e i n d i c a t e s t h a t l l r e s p e c t s : m a n a g i n g p e r s o n a l f i n a n c e s , p e r s o n a l p a r a t i o n , a n d u s e o f t r a n s p o rl a t i o n . T h e e v i d e n c e p p e l l a n t m a n a g e s t h e i n d o o r c o m p o n e n t o f a n d t h a t o u t d o o r s s h e i s a b l e t o m a n a g e i m e s l o n g e r t h a n t y p i c a l t o p e r f o r m s o m e a s p e c t s t i o n . e a d i n g 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 p a n e l A o f d e c i s i o n m a k i n g , a n d s o c i a l f u n c t i o n i n g a i l y s h o p p i n g , t h e a p p e l l a n t m a n a g e s m o s t p e c t s t a k e h e r l o n g e r t h a n t y p i c a l . T h e e v i d e n c e s i s t a n c e w i t h e i t h e r o f t h e s e D L A r e p r e s e n t s o r e s w i t h i n t h e h o u s e h o l d . 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 a p p e l l a n t ' s a b i l i t y e r c o n t i n u o u s l y o r p e r i o d i c a l l y f o r e x t e n d e d g h t e r ' s h e l p t o m a n a g e h e r D L A , a n d t h a t s h e s t a b l i s h e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s D L A a r e i g n i f i c a n t h e l p i s r e q u i r e d f r o m o t h e r p e r s o n s . e a n y a s s i s t i v e d e v i c e s . i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t s a p e r s o n ' s a b i l i t y t o m a n a g e h e r e d p e r i o d a r e a p r e c o n d i t i o n t o a p e r s o n A P W D A . F o r t h e r e a s o n s p r o v i d e d a b o v e , t h a t f p r o b a b i l i t i e s i n t h i s c a s e .
T h e a p p e l l a n t ' s r e c e n t u s e o f h a n d b r a c e s i s n o t s u t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s a n a s s i s t a n c e a n i m a l . A c c o r d i n g l y , 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 t h e a p p e l l a n t r e q u i r e s h e l p w i t h D L A a s d e f i n e d b y C o n c l u s i o n T h e p a n e l a c k n o w l e d g e s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s m e d i c H o w e v e r , h a v i n g r e v i e w e d a n d c o n s i d e r e d a l l o f t h e f i n d s t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y ' s d e c i s i o n f i n d i n g t h e a p p e l l a n a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e l e g i s l a t i o n i n t h e c i r c u m s t a n c e s o f m i n i s t r y ' s d e c i s i o n . E AA T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )ff i c i e n t t o c o n s t i t u t e " h e l p " . T h e r e i s n o e v i d e n c e a b l y c o n c l u d e d i t c o u l d n o t b e d e t e r m i n e d t h a t s e c t i o n 2 ( 3 ) ( b ) o f t h e E A P W D A . a l c o n d i t i o n s a f f e c t h e r a b i l i t y t o f u n c t i o n . e v i d e n c e a n d t h e r e l e v a n t l e g i s l a t i o n , t h e p a n e l t i n e l i g i b l e f o r P W D d e s i g n a t i o n i s a r e a s o n a b l e t h e a p p e l l a n t . T h e p a n e l t h e r e f o r e c o n f i r m s t h e
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.