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 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 t w a s n o t e l i g i b l e f o r i n ( 2 ) 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 R e g u l a t i o n ( s t u d e n t i n a f u n d e d p r o g r a m o f s t u d i e s . T h e M i n i s t r i n c o m e a s s i s t a n c e f r o m t h e f i r s t d a y o f t h e m o n t h f o u n t i l t h e f i r s t d a y o f t h e m o n t h i n w h i c h h e r e x a m s w e l i g i b l e f o r a s s i s t a n c e e f f e c t i v e J u l y 1 , 2 0 1 4 b a s e d 2 0 1 4 . 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 R e g u l a t i o n ( E A R ) s e c C a n a d a S t u d e n t F i n a n c i a l A s s i s t a n c e R e g u l a t i o n ( C E M T 0 0 4 2 0 ( 0 7 / 1 7 / 1 4 )I A P P E A i 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 ( M i n i s t r y ) c o m e a s s i s t a n c e p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n 1 6 ( 1 ) a n d E A R ) b e c a u s e s h e i s e n r o l l e d a s a f u l l t i m e y h e l 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 l l o w i n g t h e m o n t h i n w h i c h h e r c l a s s e s s t a r t e d e r e h e l d . T h i s w o u l d m e a n t h a t s h e w a s n o t o n h e r f u l l t i m e e n r o l l m e n t c o m m e n c i n g J u n e 9 , t i o n 1 6 S F A R ) s e c t i o n 2 ( 1 )
APPEA I PART E -Summary of Facts The evidence before the Ministry at reconsideration was as follows: • The Appellant is a single parent with a 1 dependant child family unit and had been receiving income assistance since November 2013. • April 8, 2014 -The Appellant asked the Ministry if a hardship allowance was available to her if she enrolled in school for full time studies. The Ministry advised that she would not be eligible. • June 20, 2014-The Ministry received information from BC Student Loans that the Appellant had applied for a student loan to attend a full time funded program of studies. • June 20, 2014- The Ministry received a fax from Appellant's college stating that she was enrolled in the full time "ECE Basic" program from June 9, 2014 to May 8, 2015. • June 23, 2014 -The Appellant's Request for Reconsideration • June 26, 2014-The Appellant's Notice of Appeal At the hearing, the Appellant indicated that the Ministry did not provide details on how income assistance works in relation to student loans so she assumed her income assistance would continue until her student loan came through. The panel finds that the Appellant was enrolled as a full time student in a funded program of studies effective June 9, 2014. EAAT 00420(07/17/14)
APPEAi I PART F -Reasons for Panel Decision The issue on appeal is whether the Ministry's decision to deny the appellant income assistance because she was enrolled as a full time student in a funded program of studies contrary to section 16 of the Employment Assistance Regulation (EAR) is reasonably supported by the evidence or a reasonable application of the applicable legislation in the circumstances of the appellant. The relevant legislation is section 16 of the Employment and Assistance Regulation (EAR) and ·section 2(1) of the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulation (CSFAR). Employment and Assistance Regulation Definitions 1( 1)" full-time student" has the same meaning as in the Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulations (Canada); "funded program of studies" means a program of studies for which student financial assistance may be provided to a student enrolled in it; "student financial assistance" means funding provided to students under the Canada Student Financial Assistance Act (Canada); Effect of family unit including full-time student 16 (1) A family unit is not eligible for income assistance for the period described in subsection (2) if an applicant or a recipient is enrolled as a full-time student (a) in a funded program of studies, or (b) in an unfunded program of studies without the prior approval of the minister. (2) The period referred to in subsection (1) (a) extends from the first day of the month following the month in which classes commence and continues until the last day of the month in which exams in the relevant program of studies are held, and (b) is not longer than one year. Canada Student Financial Assistance Regulation 2. (1) In the Act and these Regulations, "full-time student" "full-time student" means a person (a) who, during a confirmed period within a period of studies, is enrolled in courses that constitute (i) at least 40 per cent and less than 60 per cent of a course load recognized by the designated educational institution as constituting a full course load, in the case of a person who has a permanent disability and elects to be considered as a full-time student, or (ii) at least 60 per cent of a course load recognized by the designated educational institution as constituting a full-time course load, in any other case, EMT 00420(07/17/14)
( b ) w h o s e p r i m a r y o c c u p a t i o n d u r i n g t s t u d i e s i s t h e p u r s u i t o f s t u d i e s i n t h o s ( c ) w h o m e e t s t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s o f s u b s e b e . ( e t u d i a n t a t e m p s p l e i n ) S e c t i o n 1 ( 1 ) o f t h e E A R i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e d e f i n i t i o n t h e C a n a d a S t u d e n t F i n a n c i a l A s s i s t a n c e R e g u l a t i o T h e A p p e l l a n t i n d i c a t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h s h e s t a r t e d s e n r o l l e d u n t i l t h e s c h o o l r e c e i v e d h e r c r i m i n a l r e c o r d M i n i s t ry e a r l i e r b e c a u s e s h e w a s n ' t s u r e i f t h e c r i m i l o a n w o u l d b e a p p r o v e d . T h e J u n e 2 0 , 2 0 1 4 l e t t e r f e n r o l l e d i n t h e E C E B a s i c p r o g r a m a s a f u l l t i m e s t u 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 d e t e r m i n a t i o n t h a 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 a s t h e p a n e l m e e t s t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s a s s e t o u t i n s e c t i o n s 1 ( 1 ) o S e c t i o n 1 6 ( 1 ) o f t h e E A R s e t s o u t t h a t a f a m i l y u n i t o r a r e c i p i e n t i s e n r o l l e d a s a f u l l t i m e s t u d e n t . T h e p a n e l f i n d s t h e M i n i s t r y ' s d e t e r m i n a t i o n t h a t t h e 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 a s t h e p e n r o l l e d i n a f u n d e d p r o g r a m o f s t u d i e s a s s e t o u t i n S e c t i o n 1 6 ( 2 ) o f t h e E A R s e t s o u t t h a t t h e p e r i o d f o i n c o m e a s s i s t a n c e e x t e n d s f r o m t h e f i r s t d a y o f t h e c o m m e n c e a n d c o n t i n u e s u n t i l t h e l a s t d a y o f t h e m s t u d i e s a r e h e l 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 d e t e r m i n a t i o n t h a a s s i s t a n c e f r o m J u l y . 1 , 2 0 1 4 t o t h e l a s t d a y o f t h e m 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 a s t h e p a n e l J u n e 9 , 2 0 1 4 a n d w i l l e n d o n M a y 8 , 2 0 1 5 . T h e p a n e l f i n d s t h e M i n i s t ry ' s d e c i s i o n w a s r e a s o n a d e c i s i o n . E AA T 0 0 4 2 0 ( 0 7 / 1 7 / 1 4 )I A P P E A i h e c o n f i r m e d p e r i o d s w i t h i n t h a t p e r i o d o f e c o u r s e s , a n d c t i o n 5 ( 1 ) o r 7 ( 1 ) o r s e c t i o n 3 3 , a s t h e c a s e m a y o f f u l l t i m e s t u d e n t i s t h e s a m e a s t h a t p r o v i d e d i n n . c h o o l o n J u n e 9 , 2 0 1 4 , s h e w a s n o t o f f i c i a l l y c h e c k o n J u n e 1 3 , 2 0 1 4 . S h e d i d n o t a d v i s e t h e n a l r e c o r d c h e c k w o u l d b e c l e a r a n d i f t h e s t u d e n t r o m t h e c o l l e g e i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e A p p e l l a n t i s d e n t e f f e c t i v e J u n e 9 , 2 0 1 4 . t t h e A p p e l l a n t w a s a f u l l t i m e s t u d e n t w a s f i n d s t h a t A p p e l l a n t ' s e n r o l l m e n t a t t h e c o l l e g e f t h e E A R . i s n o t e l i g i b l e f o r i n c o m e a s s i s t a n c e i f a n a p p l i c a n t 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 i n c o m e a s s i s t a n c e a n e l f i n d s t h a t A p p e l l a n t w a s a f u l l t i m e s t u d e n t s e c t i o n 1 6 ( 1 ) o f t h e E A R . r w h i c h t h e A p p e l l a n t w o u l d n o t b e e l i g i b l e f o r m o n t h f o l l o w i n g t h e m o n t h i n w h i c h c l a s s e s o n t h i n w h i c h e x a m s i n t h e r e l e v a n t p r o g r a m o f 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 i n c o m e o n t h i n w h i c h y o u r e x a m s w i l l b e h e l d w a s f i n d s t h a t t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s p r o g r a m c o m m e n c e d o n b l y s u p p o rt e d b y t h e e v i d e n c e a n d 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.