P A R T C D e c i s i o n u n d e r A p p e a l T h e d e c i s i o n u n d e r a p p e a l i s t h e M i n i s t r y o f S o c i a l r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n d a t e d J a n u a r y 8 , 2 0 1 4 w h t h e f i v e s t a t u t o r y r e q u i r e m e n t s o f S e c t i o n 2 o f t h e E D i s a b i l i t i e s A c t f o r d e s i g n a t i o n a s a p e r s o n w i t h d i s a p p e l l a n t m e t t h e a g e r e q u i r e m e n t a n d t h a t s h e h a o f a m e d i c 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 s a t i s f i e d t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e e s t a b l i s h e s t h a t : โข t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s d a i l y l i v i n g a c t i v i t i e s ( D L A ) a r 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 e d e i t h e r c o n โข a s a r e s u l t o f t h e 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 a n o t h e r p e r s o n , t h e u s e o f a n a s s i s t i v e d e v i p e r f o r m D L A . P A R T D R e l e v a n t L e g i s l a t i o n E m p l o y m e n t a n d A s s i s t a n c e f o r P e r s o n s w i t h D i s a b E m p l o y m e n t a n d A s s i s t a n c e fo r P e r s o n s w i t h D i s a b D e v e l o p m e n t a n d S o c i a l I n n o v a t i o n ( t h e m i n i s t r y ) i c h f o u n d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t d i d n o t m e e t t w o o f m p l o y m e n t a n d A s s i s t a n c e f o r P e r s o n s w i t h a b i l i t i e s ( P W D ) . T h e m i n i s t r y f o u n d t h a t t h e 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 t h a t , i n t h e o p i n i o n l e a s t t w o y e a r s . H o w e v e r , t h e m i n i s t r y w a s n o t e , i n t h 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 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 p e r i o d s ; a n d , t r e q u i r e s t h e s i g n i f i c a n t h e l p o r s u p e r v i s i o n o f c e , o r t h e s e r v i c e s o f a n a s s i s t a n c e a n i m a l t o i l i t i e s A c t ( E A P W D A ) , S e c t i o n 2 i l i t i e s R e g u l a t i o n ( E A P W D R ) , S e c t i o n 2
PART E -Summar of Facts The evidence before the ministry at the time of the reconsideration decision included: 1) Person With Disabilities (PWD) Application comprised of the applicant information and selfยญ report dated July 21, 2013, a physician report (PR) and an assessor report (AR) both dated July 18, 2013 and completed by the appellant's general practitioner who has known the appellant for approximately 3 months; 2) Medical Report-Employability dated July 18, 2013; 3) Form completed by the general practitioner and dated December 20, 2013 ("the Form"); and, 4) Request for Reconsideration dated December 19, 2013. Diagnoses In the PR, the appellant was diagnosed by her general practitioner with spinal DDD [degenerative disc disease] and L3/4 disc bulge. There was no diagnosis included in the PR of a mental health condition. Daily Living Activities (DLA) In the PR, the general practitioner indicated that the appellant has been prescribed medication that interferes with her daily living activities, that it "may cause sedation." In the AR, the general practitioner reported that: โข The impairments that impact the appellant's ability to manage DLA are: "low back pain and stiffness and left leg numbness." โข The appellant is independent in all tasks of several DLA, including moving about indoors and outdoors, personal care, paying rent and bills, and managing her medications. โข For basic housekeeping, the appellant requires continuous assistance from another person or she is unable to do either laundry or basic housekeeping. โข For shopping, the appellant is independent with 3 tasks, namely reading prices and labels, making appropriate choices and paying for purchases, while requiring periodic assistance from another person with going to and from stores and requiring continuous assistance with carrying purchases home. โข For meals, the appellant is independent in 2 of 4 tasks, or meal planning and safe storage of food, and requires periodic assistance from another person with food preparation and cooking. โข For managing transportation, the appellant is independent with getting in and out of a vehicle, and requires periodic assistance from another person with using public transit and using transit schedules and arranging transportation. โข In terms of social functioning, the appellant is independent in all aspects, namely making appropriate social decisions, developing and maintaining relationships, interacting appropriately with others, dealing appropriately with unexpected demands, and securing assistance from others. In her self-report, the appellant wrote that: โข She has a hard time walking. She cannot do housework, laundry, gardening or cooking. โข She cannot do the things in life that she used to do like gardening, walks, shopping, visiting her mother in another community. โข She likes cooking but now it takes her four times longer to cook something. ----------------ยท------------------
In the Medical Report-Employability, the same general practitioner indicated that: โข The appellant's primary medical condition is left-sided sciatica. โข The restrictions specific to this medical condition are "no lifting, carrying, bending and twisting." In the Form signed by the general practitioner on December 19, 2013, he indicated that: โข The DLA that are restricted continuously are: meal preparation, basic housework, daily shopping, and mobility outside the home. โข The explanation regarding the restrictions is that the appellant "has a cerebral aneurysm and L3/4 disc herniation and radiculopathy. This limits mobility as well as standing and sitting for prolonged periods and bending and twisting and lifting." Need for Help In the AR, the general practitioner reported that the help required for DLA is provided by the appellant's family. In the section of the report indicating assistance provided through the use of assistive devices, none of the items are indicated but the general practitioner noted: "patient would benefit from a bath seat." In her self-report, the appellant wrote that: โข She needs help doing housework, cooking and laundry. At the hearing, the appellant submitted a letter from her mother dated February 4, 2014 in which she wrote that, since the appellant's aneurysms many years ago, her health has suffered. She has tried to continue working, keeping up her home, and caring for her children and the appellant's mother helped when she could. The appellant's body is "shutting down more each year.'' The appellant's mother lives in another community and she travels to the appellant's home on a regular basis to help her catch up with her laundry, vacuuming, and regular cleaning as she has been unable to keep up. The appellant's mother stated that it is obvious that the appellant is unable to be employed. It is sad to see her trying to do things although she is in pain. At the hearing, the appellant and her advocate stated that: โข The ministry found that the appellant has a severe physical impairment and it is reasonable to assume that she, therefore, has significant restrictions and needs help with those activities. โข The appellant needs "help with everything" and "likely age has lots to do with it." Her leg is getting more painful. It is getting worse. โข She had cerebral aneurysms after the birth of each child and she has had seizures ever since then, which are controlled by medications. After the second aneurysm, she had no feeling in her leg and she could not move it. โข She needs someone at home with her at all times, either her room-mate or her daughter, to help her get out of a chair or out of bed. They help her get up and around. Her leg is "a real problem." โข If her room-mate or daughter was not at home, she would not do anything. She would lie in bed or sit in a chair. โข Either her room-mater or her daughter does the laundry and the housekeeping. โข The appellant can do a bit of cooking but she cannot stand for too long and then she has to sit down. She cannot make dinner since it takes her 20 minutes longer each time she makes it.
โข L ifting up s omething o r g oin g up or down stair and ca rrying in volves w a l king. o The appellant's mother visits for two week the home . โข The appellant does not use a c an e or other assist โข Her fam i ly doctor retired and s he was f o r th e PWD a pplication. He did not have her previous file when he completed the reports, but ha d received the f il e prior to completin D ecem ber 20, 20 13. The min istry did not obje c t to the admi ssibil ity of the letter from the appellant's mother. admitted the le tter as f ur ther de tail of the assist an ce provi suppo rt of the informati on and records b ef o re the min 22(4)(b ) of t he E mpl o yment an d Assi stance Act . T h e minis try relied on its re conside ration decision. s is " t h e worst." Lifting causes ba ck pain s at a ti me and s he he lps wi th t hings aro und ive dev ice for her mobility. re ferred to the docto r who completed the reports g the addi tional Form dat ed The p a nel de d to the appellant and, therefore, in ist ry on re considera tion, pursuant t o se ct ion .
PART F -R ea s ons f o r Pa n el D e c i s ion Th e i ssue on the appeal is w hethe r the m inis try 's d ecisio n, which f oun d t hat the app ella nt is not el ig ibl e f or design atio n as a p e r son wi th disabi l i ties (PWD) as she doe s not meet al l the criteria in Sect i o n 2 of the EA P W DA, was reas onably suppor te d b y the ev id ence o r was a re a s o nable appl i c ation o f the ap plic able e nac tme n t i n the cir c umstances of t he app ellan t. The ministry fou nd t hat t he app ell ant has a severe phy sical imp ai r ment but that her d ail y livin g a ctivit i es (DL A) are not, in t he op i n i o n o f a p r es cribed profess i on al, direct ly and sig n i f icant ly restricte d either c ont inuo usly or per iod i ca lly f o r ext ended periods a nd that , as a result of t ho se restricti o ns, it cou ld n ot be d e term ined tha t the appe l lant requires the sign ifica nt help or supervision of anot her per s on, the u s e of an ass isti ve devic e, or t he se rv i ces of a n as sistanc e an i ma l to perform DLA. The criteria for bei ng des igna ted as a pe r s on with disabi liti es (PWD) are s e t o ut i n Se c ti on 2 of th e E A PWDA as foll ows: P e r son s with d isabili t i es 2 (1) I n t h is secti on : " assisti v e de vice" mean s a device designed to en abl e a pe r son t o pe rform a dai l y li v i n g a c tivity t h a t, becau se of a seve re me n t a l or physical impairment, th e pe r s on is un able t o perform; "daily living activ it y " ha s the pr es cribed mean ing; "pres c r ibed profe ssional " has th e pre s c rib e d mean ing. ( 2) The mi nister m a y desi gn ate a perso n who has r each ed 18 years of age a s a pe r s on wi th d isabili t i es for the p ur p o se s of this A ct if the m inis t er i s s atisfi ed t hat th e p e rso n has a se vere me ntal o r physical impairment that (a) in th e opinion o f a medical p r act itio ne r is like ly to continu e fo r a t le ast 2 y ea rs, a nd (b) in the opi nion of a prescr ibed profess i onal (i) d irec t ly a n d signifi ca ntly rest r icts the p er son's a b i lity to perform d aily li vin g a ctivities eithe r (A) co nt inuo u sly , o r ( B) peri odi ca lly f or ex t ended pe riods, an d (i i) as a resu lt of those restrict ions , t he p erson requires he l p to perform those ac tiviti es. (3 ) For the p u rp oses of subsecti on (2), (a) a person who has a severe mental impairm ent includes a person with a mental disorder, and (b) a person requires help in relati o n to a dai l y living activity if, in ord e r to perform it, the person requi res (i) an a s si s ti ve device, (ii) the signi f i cant help or supervision of anoth er pe rson, or (iii ) the services of an assistance anim a l. (4) The minister may rescind a desig nation 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: Definitions 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) manage pElrsonal finances; .. . . ... . . --. ----
( i i i ) s h o p f o r p e r s o n a l n e e d s ; ( i v ) u s e p u b l i c o r p e r s o n a l t r a n s p o r t a t i o n f a c i l i t i e s ; ( v ) p e r f o r m h o u s e w o r k t o m a i n t a i n t h e p e r s o n ' s p l a c e ( v i ) m o v e a b o u t i n d o o r s a n d o u t d o o r s ; ( v i i ) p e r f o r m p e r s o n a l h y g i e n e a n d s e l f c a r e ; ( v i i i ) m a n a g e p e r s o n a l m e d i c a t i o n , a n d ( b ) i n r e l a t i o n t o a p e r s o n w h o h a s a s e v e r e m e n t a l i m p ( i ) m a k e d e c i s i o n s a b o u t p e r s o n a l a c t i v i t i e s , c a r e o r f ( i i ) r e l a t e t o , c o m m u n i c a t e o r i n t e r a c t w i t h o t h e r s e f f e ( 2 ) F o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f t h e A c t , " p r e s c r i b e d p r o f e s s i o n a l " m e p r a c t i c e t h e p r o f e s s i o n o f ( a ) m e d i c a l p r a c t i t i o n e r , ( b ) r e g i s t e r e d p s y c h o l o g i s t , ( c ) r e g i s t e r e d n u r s e o r r e g i s t e r e d p s y c h i a t r i c n u r s e , ( d ) o c c u p a t i o n a l t h e r a p i s t , ( e ) p h y s i c a l t h e r a p i s t , ( f ) s o c i a l w o r k e r , ( g ) c h i r o p r a c t o r , o r ( h ) n u r s e p r a c t i t i o n e r . A t r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n , t h e m i n i s t r y w a s s a t i s f i e d t h a t t h p h y s i c a l i m p a i r m e n t . 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 r 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 e r s e v e r e p h y s i c a l i a b i l i t y t o p e r f o r m D L A a n d s h e r e q u i r e s t h e s i g n i f i c a r o o m m a t e a n d h e r d a u g h t e r , t o p e r f o r m m a n y D L A H u d s o n v . E A A T , 2 0 0 9 B C S C 1 4 6 1 i s a u t h o r i t y f o r t p r e s c r i b e d p r o f e s s i o n a l i n d i c a t i n g a d i r e c t a n d s i g n i f n o s t a t u t o r y r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t m o r e t h a n t w o D L A b e a s s e s s o r d o e s n o t t i c k a s p e c i f i c b o x o n t h e P W D a f u l l , i n c l u d i n g n a r r a t i v e p o r t i o n s , t o s e e i f e l i g i b i l i t y c a t h a t , a c c o r d i n g t o H u d s o n , a n y a m b i g u i t y i n t h e i n t e r f a v o u r o f t h e a p p e l l a 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 e v i d e n c e o f t h e p r e a p p e l l a n t ' s i m p a i r m e n t s i g n i f i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t s D L A e i t h p e r i o d s o f t i m e . 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 e r a a p p e l l a n t r e q u i r e s c o n t i n u o u s a s s i s t a n c e w i t h b a s i c t h a t s h e 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 g o i n g t o a a n d t r a n s p o r t a t i o n ; h o w e v e r , n o i n f o r m a t i o n i s p r o v i d t h e d u r a t i o n o f t h e a s s i s t a n c e r e q u i r e d . T h e m i n i s t r y t h a t t h e a p p e l l , r n t i s a b l e t o i n d El IJ e n d e n t l y m a n a g e _ a o f r e s i d e n c e i n a c c e p t a b l e s a n i t a r y c o n d i t i o n ; a i r m e n t , i n c l u d e s t h e f o l l o w i n g a c t i v i t i e s : i n a n c e s ; c t i v e l y . a n s a p e r s o n w h o i s a u t h o r i z e d u n d e r a n e n a c t m e n t t o e i n f o r m a t i o n p r o v i d e d i s e v i d e n c e o f a s e v e r e 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 i c a n t l y r e s t r i c t s h e r n t a s s i s t a n c e o f a n o t h e r p e r s o n , n a m e l y h e r . T h e a d v o c a t e a r g u e d t h a t t h e d e c i s i o n i n h e p o s i t i o n t h a t t h e r e m u s t b e e v i d e n c e f r o m a i c a n t r e s t r i c t i o n o n a t l e a s t t w o D L A a n d t h e r e i s r e s t r i c t e d . A s w e l l , e v e n i f t h e p h y s i c i a n o r p p l i c a t i o n f o r m , t h e e v i d e n c e m u s t b e r e v i e w e d i n n b e f o u n d e l s e w h e r e . T h e a d v o c a t e a r g u e d p r e t a t i o n o f t h e E A P W D A m u s t b e r e s o l v e d i n s c r i b e d p r o f e s s i o n a l s d o e s n o t e s t a b l i s h t h a t t h e 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 l p r a c t i t i o n e r i n d i c a t e d i n t h e A R t h a t t h e h o u s e k e e p i n g a n d c a r ry i n g p u r c h a s e s h o m e a n d n d f r o m s t o r e s , f o o d p r e p a r a t i o n a n d c o o k i n g , e d t o e x p l a i n t h e t y p e , f r e q u e n c y , t h e d e g r e e o r a r g u e d t h a t t h e g e n 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 l l o t h e r a r e a s o f D L ๏ฟฝ T h e m i n i s t r y ๏ฟฝ u e d t h a t
the gener al pract i t i oner r eport ed that th e app el lan t func ti o ning , an d sh e h as goo d f unctioning in b o t h her i m i n is try ar g u ed t hat the g eneral p r ac t itioner di d n ot provide 1 9, 201 3 regarding the t y p e, degre e or the frequen cy m ana ge her DLA. P anel Decis i o n Section 2(2)(b) o f th e EAPWDA req uire s that a prescr ap plicant' s sever e impairmen t dire ct ly an d sign i f i ca ntl for ext ended period s. In this c ase, the appell ant ' s ge DLA are d efin ed i n sect i on 2 (1) of the E A PWD R and ar detail s , in the AR . Ther ef o re , a prescri bed pr o fession op portun ity to direc tly indic ate whi c h , if a ny, DLA ar imp airments , c o ntinuously or periodically fo r exten ded The evidenc e of the app ell ant's gener al p racti t i oner additi onal F orm da ted Dece mb e r 20, 2013, at w hich had t he b e nefit of reviewing the appell ant's pr ev i o us medica both t h e AR a nd t he Form t h at t he app ell a n t i s i ndepe m anaging her pers onal f ina nces, per f ormin g perso n medi cations, and i n h er social function i n g. The app someone a t home w i t h her at al l time s, ei t her her roo ch air o r out o f bed. Howe v e r, th e genera l p racti t i oner independen tly able to p er fo r m transfers i n/ou t o f be d EA P WDA requ ire s th e o p inion of t he pr escri bed profess In the AR, the gen eral p ractitioner reported that, f o r pr pe riodic as sis tance f rom ano th er p erson w i th 2 o f 4 t w hil e b ei ng indep ende nt with me a l pl a nn ing and safe st pract itioner in d i ca ted that the ap pellant is continuously commented th a t he r imp air men t limi ts her s t an d in g an twisting and lifting. At the hearing, the appel lant s t ated that she cann ot st and f or t o o lo ng and then she has to sit down. minut es longer eac h time she makes ii. In her self-report, the appe but no w it takes her f o ur times long er to cook s o m e thing. reasonably concluded that while the general practitioner indicated continuous restrictio physical t a sk s of the m e al s DLA , the appellant s t ated information pro vided to explain the degree or duration of the assistance require In the AR, the general practitio n e r reported that the appellant is independent with moving about indoors and o utdoors, while indicating in the PR that walking less than 1 block unaid ed. In the Form, the g restricted continuously with mobility outside the home. does not u se a cane or an y assi s tiv e de vi ce for h er mobi and her room-mate help her get up and around inside, while the general practitioner did not indicate restrictions with the ap pell a nt's mobility i ns i de the home. information provided regarding the assistance that the appellant receives with indoor or outdoor mobility. is indepe nde ntl y a ble to ma nage al l are as of soc i al mmed i ate an d e x te nded social netwo rk s. Th e in f ormation in the F orm d ated December of the assi stan ce t h a t the app ellan t requi res t o i be d p ro fessional provide an op ini on t h a t an y r estri c ts her DLA , co ntinuo us ly or period ical ly neral pract i t i one r is the p r escr ibed p rofe s si ona l. e a lso l i sted in the PR and, with add itional al com p leting any of these f o rms h a s the e s i gni ficantly re s tricted by the app el lant's p e ri o ds. is s e t out i n the PR an d AR a s well a s t he time t h e appel l an t sta tes the gene ra l pra ct i t ioner l file. The ge n e ral prac t itioner rep o rted i n ndent and not r est ri ct e d w i th al l ta sks of al hyg iene and self care , ma n a ging her perso nal ellan t stat ed at the h ear ing th a t sh e needs m -mat e or her daug ht er , to help h er ge t out o f a indic ated in t h e AR that the app el lant is a n d on /off o f chair , a nd sec t i on 2( 2)(b) of t he io n al regardin g restrictions t o DL A. epar ing he r own meals , th e appe ll a nt re qui re s as k s , nam ely food prepa ration a nd cooking, orag e of f ood. In the Form, the general restricted with m eal prep a r a tion and d si t tin g " fo r prolonged p erio ds" an d bending, ca n do "a bit o f coo kin g " b u t s h e Sh e c an not make dinner since it ta kes her 2 0 l lant wrote that she li kes cooking T he panel fin ds that t h e ministry n s with the sh e is able to do some co ok ing, and t h ere i s no d at o ther time s. the a p pellan t has a functional skill l i mitation of eneral practitioner a g reed that the appella nt is The appellant stated at the hearing tha t she l i ty. The appellant state d t h at her d a ughter The panel finds that t h er e was no additional
T h e g e n e r a l p r a c t i t i o n e r r e p o r t e d i n t h e A R t h a t t h e a n o t h e r p e r s o n w i t h 2 o u t o f 3 t a s k s o f u s i n g p u b l i c t r a n s i t a n d u s i n g t r a n s i t s c h e d u l e s a n d a r r a n g i n g t r i n d e p e n d e n t w i t h g e t t i n g i n a n d o u t o f a v e h i c l e . I n r e s t r i c t i o n s w i t h u s e o f t r a n s p o r t a t i o n . F o r s h o p p i n g f o r p e r s o n a l n e e d s , t h e g e n e r a l p r a c t r e q u i r e s c o n t i n u o u s a s s i s t a n c e w i t h c a r r y i n g p u r c h a a n d f r o m s t o r e s , w h i l e b e i n g i n d e p e n d e n t w i t h t h e " a p p r o p r i a t e c h o i c e s , a n d p a y i n g f o r p u r c h a s e s . I n h d o t h e t h i n g s i n l i f e t h a t s h e u s e d t o d o l i k e g a r d e n i a n o t h e r c o m m u n i t y . T h e g e n e r a l p r a c t i t i o n e r i n d i c a c o n t i n u o u s l y w i t h d a i l y s h o p p i n g a n d a l s o i n d i c a t e d a c t i v i t y . H o w e v e r , n o e x p l a n a t i o n o r d e s c r i p t i o n i s p e i t h e r t h e t r a n s p o r t a t i o n o r s h o p p i n g D L A t o e l a b o r a t h e f r e q u e n c y o r d u r a t i o n o f h e r n e e d f o r a s s i s t a n c e T h e g e n e r a l p r a c t i t i o n e r r e p o r t e d t h a t , fo r p e r f o r m i n a c c e p t a b l e s a n i t a r y c o n d i t i o n , t h e a p p e l l a n t r e q u i r e s s h e i s u n a b l e t o d o h e r l a u n d r y o r h e r b a s i c h o u s e k c o n f i r m e d t h e a p p e l l a n t i s c o n t i n u o u s l y r e s t r i c t e d w a p p e l l a n t e x p l a i n e d t h a t e i t h e r h e r r o o m m a t e r o r h e . h o u s e k e e p i n g . . . T h e a p p e l l a n t ' s m o t h e r w r o t e i n h e r b a s i s t o h e l p h e r c a t c h u p w i t h h e r l a u n d r y , v a c u u m b e e n u n a b l e t o k e e p u p . A l t h o u g h t h e r e i s n o s t a t u t o r y r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t m o r e e v i d e n c e f r o m a p r e s c r i b e d p r o f e s s i o n a l i n d i c a t i n g a D L A . T h e p a n e l h a s r e v i e w e d a l l o f t h e e v i d e n c e , i n f i n d s t h a t t h e r e i s s u f f i c i e n t d e t a i l t o e s t a b l i s h d i r e c t h o u s e k e e p i n g D L A a n d o n e t a s k o f t h e s h o p p i n g D L o f t h e f r e q u e n c y o r d u r a t i o n o f t h e a s s i s t a n c e r e q u i r 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 , u s i n g p u b l i c t r a s t o r e s , 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 r r e s t r i c t i o n s f o r e x t e n d e d p e r i o d s o f t i m e . T h e a p p e l D L A i n d e p e n d e n t l y w i t h n o n e e d f o r a s s i s t a n c e . T h d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e r e i s n o t s u f f i c i e n t e v i d e n c e i n t h 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 ' s p h y s i c a l i m p a i r m e n t d i 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 p e r i o d s , t h e S e c t i o n 2 ( 2 ) ( b ) ( i ) o f t h e E A P W D A . H e l p t o p e rf 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 s h e r e q u i r e s t h e s i g n r o o m m a t e a n d d a u g h t e r , t o p e rf o r m D L A . T h e a d v o c o n f i r m e d i n t h e F o r m t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t r e q u i r e s h e c o n t i n u o u s r e s t r i c t i o n s . . . . a p p e l l a n t 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 f r o m t r a n s p o r t a t i o n f a c i l i t i e s , n a m e l y u s i n g p u b l i c a n s p o r t a t i o n . T h e a p p e l l a n t i s a s s e s s e d a s t h e F o r m , 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 i n d i c a t e i t i o n e r r e p o rt e d i n t h e A R t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t s e s h o m e a n d p e r i o d i c a s s i s t a n c e w i t h g o i n g t o m e n t a l t a s k s " o f r e a d i n g p r i c e s a n d l a b e l s , m a k i n g e r s e l f r e p o rt , t h e a p p e l l a n t w r o t e t h a t s h e c a n n o t n g , w a l k s , s h o p p i n g , o r v i s i t i n g h e r m o t h e r i n t e d i n t h e F o r m t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t i s r e s t r i c t e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t r e q u i r e s h e l p t o p e r f o r m t h i s r o v i d e d b y t h e g e n e r a l p r a c t i t i o n e r w i t h r e s p e c t t o t e o n h o w m u c h l o n g e r i t t a k e s t h e a p p e l l a n t o r . g h o u s e w o r k t o m a i n t a i n h e r p l a c e o f r e s i d e n c e i n c o n t i n u o u s a s s i s t a n c e f r o m a n o t h e r p e r s o n o r e e p i n g . I n t h e F o r m , t h e g e n e r a l p r a c t i t i o n e r i t h t h e D L A b a s i c h o u s e w o r k . A t t h e h e a r i n g , t h e r d a u g h t e r d o e s t h e l a u n d r y a n d t h e l e t t e r t h a t s h e v i s i t s t h e a p p e l l a n t o n a r e g u l a r i n g , a n d r e g u l a r c l e a n i n g a s t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s t h a n t w o D L A b e r e s t r i c t e d , t h e r e m u s t b e 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 o n a t l e a s t t w o c l u d i n g t h e n a r r a t i v e p o r t i o n s o f t h e r e p o rt s , a n d 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 s t o t h e b a s i c A . T h e p a n e l f i n d s t h a t i n t h e a b s e n c e o f d e t a i l s e d w i t h t h e t a s k s o f f o o d p r e p a r a t i o n a n d c o o k i n g , n s i t a n d t r a n s i t s c h e d u l e s , a n d g o i n g t o a n d f r o m e i s i n s u f f i c i e n t i n f o r m a t i o n t o s u p p o r t p e r i o d i c l a n t i s a s s e s s e d a s p e rf o r m i n g t h e b a l a n c e o f h e r 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 a s o n a b l y e o p i n i o n o f t h e p r e s c r i b e d p r o f e s s i o n a l t o 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 e r D L A e i t h e r r e b y n o t s a t i s f y i n g t h e l e g i s l a t i v e c r i t e r i o n o f 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 p e r s o n , p r i m a r i l y h e r c a t e a r g u e d t h a t t h e g e n e r a l p r a c t i t i o n e r l p t o p e r f o r m s e v e r a l D L A a s a r e s u l t o f ยท . ยท ยท
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 b e c a u s e i t h a s n o t b e 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 i g n i f i c a n t h P a n e l D e c i s i o n S e c t i o n 2 ( 2 ) ( b ) ( i i ) o f t h e E A P W D A r e q u i r e s t h a t , a s a b i l i t y t o p e r f o r m D L A , a p e r s o n r e q u i r e s h e l p t o p e s u b s e c t i o n ( 3 ) a s t h e r e q u i r e m e n t f o r a n a s s i s t i v e d a n o t h e r p e r s o n o r t h e s e r v i c e s o f a n a s s i s t a n c e a n T h e g e n 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 i n t h e A R t h a t h e fa m i l y a n d t h e a p p e l l a n t c l a r i f i e d t h a t h e r d a u g h t e r , o f t h e r e p o r t i n d i c a t i n g a s s i s t a n c e p r o v i d e d t h r o u g h a r e i n d i c a t e d b u t t h e g e n e r a l p r a c t i t i o n e r n o t e d t h a t h e F o r m , t h e g e n e r a l p r a c t i t i o n e r a l s o a g r e e d t h a t a c t i v i t i e s . W h i l e t h e p a n e l f i n d s t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e o a p p e l l a n t r e q u i r e s s o m e a s s i s t a n c e w i t h t a s k s o f s o r e a s o n a b l y d e t e r m i n e d t h a t , a s d i r e c t a n d s i g n i f i c a D L A h a v e n o t b e e n e s t a b l i s h e d , i t c a n n o t b e d e t e r m D L A a s 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 . C o n c l u s i o n 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 e v i d e n c e m i n i s t r y ' s r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n w h i c h d e t e r m i n e d e s i g n a t i o n 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 e n e s t a b l i s h e d t h a t D L A a r e s i g n i f i c a n t l y 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 . a r e s u l t o f 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 s i n t h e r f o r m t h o s e a c t i v i t i e s . H e l p i s d e f i n e d i n e v i c e o r t h e s i g n i f i c a n t h e l p o r s u p e r v i s i o n o f i m a l i n o r d e r t o p e r f o r m a D L A . l p r e q u i r e d fo r D L A i s p r o v i d e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s m o t h e r , a n d r o o m m a t e h e l p h e r . I n t h e s e c t i o n t h e u s e o f a s s i s t i v e d e v i c e s , n o n e o f t h e i t e m s t t h e a p p e l l a n t w o u l d b e n e f i t f r o m a h a t h s e a t . I 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 t o p e r f o r m s o m e f t h e p r e s c r i b e d p r o f e s s i o n a l e s t a b l i s h e s t h a t t h e m e D L A , t h e p a n e l a l s o f i n d s t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y 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 p e r f o r m i n e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t r e q u i r e s h e l p t o p e r f o r m a n d 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 f i n d s t h a t t h e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t w a s n o t e l i g i b l e f o r P W D n c e , a n d t h e r e f o r e c o n f i r m s t h e d e c i s i o n . . . . ยท .
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.