�APPEAL# PART C -Decision under Appeal The decision under appeal is the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation (the "ministry") reconsideration decision of June 20, 2014, which found that the appellant did not meet three of five statutory requirements of section 2 of the Employment and Assistance for Persons With Disabilities Act ("EAPWDA") for designation as a person with disabilities ("PWD"). The ministry found that the appellant met the age requirement and that in the opinion of a medical practitioner the appellant's impairment is likely to continue for at least two years. However, the ministry was not satisfied that: • the evidence establishes that the appellant has a severe physical or mental impairment; • the appellant's daily living activities ("DLA") are, in the opinion of a prescribed professional, directly and significantly restricted either continuously or periodically for extended periods; and that • as a result of those restrictions, the appellant requires the significant help or supervision of another person, an assistive device, or the services of an assistance animal. PART D -Relevant Legislation Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act ("EAPWDA"), section 2 Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulation ("EAPWDR"), section 2 EAAT 003( 10/06/01)
I ��PEAL# PART E -Summar of Facts With the consent of the appellant, the ministry had an observer attend the hearing. The information before the ministry at the time of reconsideration included the following: • The appellant's PWD application form consisting of the appellant's self-report (dated September 12, 2013) along with a physician's report ("PR") and assessor's report ("AR") completed by a general practitioner who had been the appellant's physician since April, 2013 (both dated January 26, 2014). • Copies of the PR and AR forms as completed by the appellant and her advocate and submitted to the appellant's physician prior to completion of the PR and AR by the physician. • An advocate-prepared form dated June 10, 2014 in which the appellant's physician indicated her agreement or disagreement with various statements made by the appellant. The panel reviewed the evidence as follows: Diagnosis • In the PR the physician diagnosed the appellant with cervical degenerative disc disease, C6-7 neuropathy, hyperlipidemia, depression/anxiety and sleep apnea. In the Additional Comments section of the PR the physician also referred to "shortness of breath". • In response to the question 'What are the applicant's mental or physical impairments ..." in the AR, the physician wrote "Pain in neck+ back makes it painful to do her [DLA] in a timely manner + needs assistance from others for household duties." Physical Impairment • In the Health History portion of the PR the physician described "severe neck discomfort aggravated by lifting", "mod-severe degenerative disc disease, and decreased hearing. • In terms of physical functioning, the physician reported in the PR that the appellant can walk 1 to 2 blocks unaided on a flat surface, climb 5+ steps unaided, lift 5 to 15 pounds, and has no limitations to how long she can remain seated. • In the AR the physician indicated that the appellant requires periodic assistance with most aspects of mobility and physical ability, and continuous assistance climbing stairs. • In the advocate-prepared form of June 10, 2014 the physician was asked to agree or disagree with a number of statements made by the appellant. The physician disagreed with the appellant's statement that she cannot walk than one half block independently -the physician commented "able to walk 2-3 blocks". The physician agreed that the appellant can't sit for more than 30 minutes, and that it takes her 20 minutes to get dressed. • In her self-report, the appellant wrote that: ► She can walk 2-4 blocks before pain prevents her going any further; ► She can climb 5 stairs before stopping to rest; ► Lifting is limited to 1 0 pounds, but she can't carry that much because of neck pain. ► Sitting is limited to no more than 1 hour because of back pain. ► Her hearin is terrible and she has not been tested to determine the cause. EAA T003(10/06/01)
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" t h e p h y s i c i a n i n d i c a t e d n c o m m e n t e d " n o a s s i s t i v e d e v i c e s b u t r e q u i r e s i t e m s / h o u s e w o r k " . • I n h e r 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 s a i d t h a t s t h a t t h e p h y s i c i a n w a s w r o n g t o i n d i c a t e t h a t • 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 p a n e l , t h e h s i c i a n ' s a s s e s s m e n t i n t h e A R t h a t s h e c a E M T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )I A P P E A L # t h e f l o o r s o r c l e a n t h e b a t h r o o m . s b e c a u s e o f n e c k a n d b a c k p a i n . h e h a s t o s t a r t e a c h d a y w i t h p a i n m e d i c a t i o n e l l a n t h a s n o d i f f 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 a n d t i o n a l f u n c t i o n . t ' s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s k i l l s a r e g o o d i n a l l r e s p e c f s , a b o u t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s h e a r i n g . 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 b l a n k e x c e p t f o r e l l a n t h a s b e e n p r e s c r i b e d m e d i c a t i o n o r rf o r m D L A . e l l a n t ' s i m p a i r m e n t d i r e c t l y r e s t r i c t s h e r a b i l i t y t o l s e l f c a r e ( a b l e t o d o s e l f c a r e i n t e r m i t t e n t l y , b a s i c h o u s e w o r k , d a i l y s h o p p i n g , a n d t h e r s . t a s i n d e p e n d e n t l y m a n a g i n g a l l t a s k s r e l a t e d t o f p e r s o n a l f i n a n c e s ( p a y r e n t a n d b i l l s ) , t r a n s p o rt a t i o n , a n d s o c i a l f u n c t i o n i n g ( r e l a t e t o , l y ) . S h e a l s o i n d i c a t e d t h e a p p e l l a n t D L A o f p e r s o n a l s e l f c a r e ( t a k e s l o n g e r t h a n t o p a i n / s t i f f n e s s a n d n e e d t o s u p p o r t h e r s e l f ) , u n a b l e t o v a c u u m a n d s w e e p d u e t o p a i n i n g p u r c h a s e s h o m e ) . e s s e n t i a l l y m i r r o r s t h e i n p u t p r o v i d e d b y t h e y v e r s i o n o f t h e f o r m s . 1 4 t h e p h y s i c i a n i n d i c a t e d h e r a g r e e m e n t o r n t s m a d e b y t h e a p p e l l a n t r e g a r d i n g h e r a b i l i t y t o o n t h e p h y s i c i a n i n d i c a t e d a g r e e m e n t t h a t t h e n s h e c a n p r e p a r e s i m p l e m e a l s , a n d t h a t h e r p a r e d f o r m " W o u l d y o u a g r e e t h a t t h e s e v e r e , t h a t s h e h a s s i g n i f i c a n t r e s t r i c t i o n s w i t h n t i n u o u s a s s i s t a n c e ( m o s t o f t h e t i m e ) a s e i t h e r a g r e e m e n t n o r d i s a g r e e m e n t . 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i n d e p e n d e n t l y . • I n r e s p o n s e t o a n o t h e r q u e s t i o n f r o m t h e p a n a d v o c a t e a n d p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t o c o m p l e p r o v i d e d t o t h e p h y s i c i a n . T h e a p p e l l a n t s a i d b l o c k s a t t h e t i m e t h e f o r m s w e r e f i l l e d i n s h 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 m i n i s t r y , t h w h i l e t h e p h y s i c i a n r e s p o n d e d t o t h e a d v o c a t t h a t s h e o b j e c t e d w h e n t h e p h y s i c i a n w r o t e t h w o u l d n ' t l i s t e n t o h e r . S h e a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a a d v o c a t e s e n t t h e d r a f t P R a n d A R f o r m s t o t c o m p l e t e d t h e d r a f t s t o g e t h e r . H e l p w i t h 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 i m p a i r m e n t , b u t c o m m e n t e d " h e a r i n g a i d s " . I c a n e t o s u p p o r t h e r s e l f w h i l e d r e s s i n g a n d f o n e e d s a C P A P m a c h i n e . • 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 • T h e p h y s i c i a n c o m m e n t e d t h a t n e i g h b o u r s a n r u n s , a n d t h a t w i t h o u t t h i s h e l p s h e d o e s w i t h w i t h l i g h t e r w e i g h t s . A d m i s s i b i l i t y o f A d d i t i o n a l I n f o r m a t i o n I n h e r 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 p r o v i d e d a d d i t i o n r e l a t e d r e s t r i c t i o n s . T h i s i n f o r m a t i o n g e n e r a l l y p r o v i r a i 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 c c o r d i n g l y , 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 c o r d s t h a t w e 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 n E M T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )I A P P E A L # e l , t h e a p p e l l a n t s a i d t h a t s h e s a t w i t h h e r t e t h e d r a f t c o p i e s o f t h e P R a n d A R t h a t w e r e t h a t w h i l e s h e m a y h a v e b e e n a b l e t o w a l k 2 t o 4 c a n ' t d o s o a n y m o r e . e a p p e l l a n t s a i d t h a t s h e ' d s a t w i t h t h e p h y s i c i a n e p r e p a r e d f o r m d a t e d J u n e 1 0 , 2 0 1 4 . S h e s a i d a t s h e c o u l d w a l k 2 -3 b l o c k s , b u t t h e p h y s i c i a n t a c c o r d i n g t o t h e c o v e r l e t t e r w i t h w h i c h h e r h e p h y s i c i a n , t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d t h e a d v o c a t e h a d e l l a n t d o e s n o t r e q u i r e a i d s o r p r o s t h e s e s f o r h e r n t h e A R s h e w r o t e t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t u s e s a r m o b i l i t y t o a l l e v i a t e b a c k p a i n ; a l s o t h a t s h e e l l a n t d o e s n o t h a v e a n a s s i s t a n c e a n i m a l . d f r i e n d s h e l p w i t h c a r r y i n g / l i f t i n g / d o i n g g r o c e r y o u t , a s s h e c a n n o t a f f o r d t o m a k e m u l t i p l e t r i p s 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 i m p a i r m e n t s a n d d e s a d d i t i o n a l d e t a i l w i t h r e s p e c t t o m a t t e r s 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 i n f o r m a t i o n a s 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 . 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 e 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 i 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 p p e l l a n t d o e s n o t r e q u i r e h e l p t o p e r f o r m D L A a s a 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 e 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 s " 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 e ( 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 t 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 y ( 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 r 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 p ( 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 )I A P P E A L # 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 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 f o r e x t e n d e d p e r i o d s , a n d t h a t t h e 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 ? 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 c r i b e d m e a n i n g ; 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 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 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 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 , 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 .
EAPWDR section 2(1): 2 (1) For the pu rposes of the Act and this re (a) in relatio n to a perso n m ental impairment, m ea ns the following (i) p r ep ar e o wn meals; (ii) man age person (iii) shop for personal needs; (iv) use public or personal transportati (v) pe r form ho usework acceptable s a n itary (vi) move about indoors and o (vii ) perf orm personal hygi (v i ii ) manage p er sonal (b) in rela tion to a pers o n wh follo wi ng a ctivitie s : (i ) make de cis i ons a ( i i) re la te t o, co m munic (2) F o r the purp o ses of the A ct, "presc r i (a) au th or ized und er an enac (i) m edical prac ti t (ii) reg ist e red psychol (iii) reg istered nurse (iv) occ up ational t (v) p hysical t herapist (vi) so cia l worker , ( v i i) chir op r a ctor, ( vi ii ) nurse pr a cti t (b) acting in the cours e of th by (i) an authority, as that term is defined in section 1 (1) of the Independent School Act, (ii) a board or a francopho defined in section 1 (1) if qualifications in psychology are a condi ti ******* Severe Physical Impairment The appellant's position is that the combination of her diagnos disc disease and associated severe pain, constitut es she is in pain continually from her neck to her feet, and h The appellant argued that she simply is not able to work at paid employment. EMT003(10/06/01) I APPE AL# gulation, "daily living a ctiv i ties", who has a severe physical im pa irm ent o r a severe activi ties: a l fi n ances; on facilities; to maintain the person's place o f res ide n c e in conditio n; u t doors; ene and self care; me dication , and o has a severe m e n t a l impa i rmen t, in c lud es t he b ou t personal activitie s , care o r fi n anc e s; ate or i n te ract w i th othe rs ef fecti vely. bed pro fess iona l " means a pers o n w ho is t m ent to pra c tise the profe s sion of i on e r, ogist, or registe red psychiatr ic n urse, h erapist, , or i on er , or e person's employment as a school psychologist or n e e d uc atio n authority, as tho se terms are of the School Act, on of such e m ployment. ed conditions, including degenerative a severe physical impairment. She said that as to spend the major i ty of he r tim e in bed.
T h e m i n i s t r y ' s p o s i t i o n , a s s e t o u t i n i t s r e c o n s i d e r a t a r e m o r e i n k e e p i n g w i t h a m o d e r a t e d e g r e e o f i m p a m i n i s t r y a r g u e 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 e 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 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 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 , t h e l e g i s l a 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 p r o f e I n t h i s c a s e t h e a p p e l l a n t d i s a g r e e d w i t h t h e l e v e l o f p a n e l n o t e s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a s s e s s m e n t s u b s t a n p h y s i c i a n b y t h e a p p e l l a n t a n d h e r a d v o c a t e . T h e a h a v e b e e n a s r e f l e c t e d i n t h e f o r m s a t t h e t i m e t h e f o s i n c e t h e n . A c c o r d i n g t o t h e a p p e l l a n t , a n d a s i s e v 1 0 , 2 0 1 4 t h e p h y s i c i a n d i s a g r e e d w i t h t h e a p p e l l a n 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 a s u b s e q u e n t s e c t i o n R e s t r i c t i o n s t o D L A , a n y l i m i t a t i o n s r e s u l t i n g f r o m t h t r a n s l a t e d 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 h e r a b i l i t y t o C o n s i d e r i n g t h e e v i d e n c e a s a w h o l e , t h e p a n e l c o n t h a t i t d o e s n o t d e m o n s t r a t e a s e v e r e p h y s i c a l i m p a i 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 a d v a n c e d n o a r g u m e n t w i t h r e s p e c t t o T h e m i n i s t r y ' s p o s i t i o n , a s s e t o u t i n i t s r e c o n s i d e r a t d e m o n s t r a t e a s e v e r e m e n t a l i m p a i r m e n t . P a n e l D e c i s i o n W h i l e t h e p h y s i c i a n d i d p r o v i d e a d i a g n o s i s o f d e p r e a n d t h e A R t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s n o s i g n i f i c a n t d e f i c S e c t i o n 2 ( 1 ) ( b ) o f t h e E A P W D R p r e s c r i b e s t w o D L A 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 n a n c e s i n t e r a c t w i t h o t h e r s e f f e c t i v e ! s o c i a l f u n c t i o n i n . E A A T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 l 0 1 )I A P P E A L # i o n d e c i s i o n , i s t h a t t h e 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 i r m e n t w i t h s o m e a g e r e l a t e d f a c t o r s . T h e v i d e n c e o f 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 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 , 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 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 r s s i o n a l 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 n . f u n c t i o n a l s k i l l s i n d i c a t e d b y t h e p h y s i c i a n . T h e t i a l l y r e f l e c t s t h e i n f o r m a t i o n s u b m i t t e d t o t h e p p e l l a n t a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t h e r c o n d i t i o n m a y r m s w e r e c o m p l e t e d , b u t t h a t i t h a s d e t e r i o r a t e d i d e n t f r o m t h e a d v o c a t e p r e p a r e d f o r m o f J u n e s a s s e s s m e n t o f h e r m o b i l i t y . 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 e a p p e l l a n t ' s 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 ("J , m a n a g e h e r D L A i n d e p e n d e n t l y . 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 d e t e r m i n e d r m e n t . s e v e r e m e n t a l i m p a i r m e n t . i o n d e c i s i o n , i s t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e d o e s n o t s s i o n / a n x i e t y , s h e a l s o i n d i c a t e d i n b o t h t h e P R i t s i n 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 a t a r e s p e c i f i c t o m e n t a l i m p a i r m e n t m a k e ( d e c i s i o n m a k i n g ) , a n d r e l a t e t o , c o m m u n i c a t e o r
The evid ence ind icates that the appellant is n ot si gnificantly in that -according to the p h ysician's e vidence -i ndepen related t o the DLA o f meal preparation (meal p l annin management of personal fin ances (bankin g , budgetin (filling/refilling/taking as directed). Rega rd ing social f u nctioni ng, t h e eviden ce i ndicates impairment. W it h respect to functional skills, the evidence i ndicates good in all re spects, exc ept p erhaps for poor hearing. Conside r i ng t he e vidence as a who le, the panel concludes th at it d o es not dem ons trat e a seve re ment a l imp a irme Sign ific ant Restr i ctions to DLA The ap pellant's positi o n is th at her abil ity t o pe rfor m a rg u ed th at pa i n lim its v irtually a l l of he r ph ysi c al activi evid enc e of th i s. Th e m ini stry 's po sition is that the app ellant's f unctiona mini stry a c know ledged that act ivities invo lvi ng l ifti ng p erson a l shopping ca rt wou l d assist to tra nsport pu r fro m the p r esc ri bed p rofe ssiona l doe s not establish tha app e llant's D LA either conti nu o us ly or peri odicall y for Panel D ecis ion Th e legis la tion s . 2( 2)(b)(i) o f the EAPWDA -req uires and significant res trictions of DLA in consideration of the opin case the a ppe ll a n t ' s g ener al practiti oner . This d oe sn' factored in as required to provide clarification of the professional evidence, but the legislative language makes it clear that the prescr i bed professional's opinion is fundam d etermination a s to whether it is "satisfied". The legislation requires that a severe impairment di re a b ili t y t o perform D LA either conti nuou sly or periodically for extended periods. means that there must be a causal link between the severe impairment and the restriction. restriction must also be signific ant. Finally, there is a component related to time or duration. d i rect and significant restriction m ay be e i ther c ontin extended time. Inherently, any analysis of periodicity must also include consideration of the frequency. All other things being equal, a restriction that only arises once a y signif icant than one which occurs several times a week. evid ence indicates tha t a restr iction arises periodically, evidence of the duration and fre uenc of the restriction in order to be "satisfied" that this le EM T003( 10/06/01) I AP PF;AI JI restricted with respec t to decisio n making dently manag e s t he d ecision-making task s g ), daily shoppi ng (making appropriate choices ), g), and manageme n t of pe rsonal medicat io ns t hat the a ppe llant is n o t i mpacted b y her th at t he a p pellant's ab ility to comm u ni c at e is that the ministry reasonably d etermined nt . DLA is sign ificantl y rest ri c ted by p ain. She t i es, and t ha t the phy si cian has pr ovi ded l skills are n o t s i gnifica nt ly re stricted . The are signi fi c a ntly impact e d, but s ugg e st ed t hat a cha ses . The minist ry argued that t h e inform ation t i mpair ment si gni fi c an t l y res t ricts t he e xtended periods . t h e mini s ter t o subs tan tiall y as sess dire ct ion of a prescribed professional, in this t m ea n that othe r evid e n c e sh ouldn't be ent al t o the ministry's ctly and significantly re stricts the appellant's The term "directly" The direct The uous or periodic. If it is peri od i c it must be for a n ea r i s less li kely t o be Accordin gly, in circumstances where the it i s appropriate for the ministry to require islative
c r i t e r i o n i s m e t . T h e a p p e l l a n t r e f e r r e d t o h e r i n a b i l i t y t o e n g a g e i n p 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 c r i t e r i o n r e g a r d i n g P W 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 p a n e l n o t e s t h a t t h e r e a r e c o n f l i c t s i n t h e e v i d e n c o n v i n c i n g p i c t u r e o f 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 a p e v i d e n c e i n A R e s s e n t i a l l y a g r e e s w i t h t h e e v i d e n c e c o p i e s o f t h e a p p l i c a t i o n f o r m s . T h e s e d o c u m e n t s i a l m o s t a l l t a s k s r e l a t e d t o v i r t u a l l y a l l D L A . T h e o n l y t r a n s f e r s c a u s i n g t h e m t o t a k e l o n g e r t h a n t y p i c a l , u c o n t i n u o u s a s s i s t a n c e r e q u i r e d f o r c a r r y i n g p u r c h a s r e s t r i c t i o n n o t e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t i s i n h e r s e l f r e p o r t s w e e p t h e f l o o r s a n d c a n n o t c l e a n t h e b a t h r o o m . T h e p h y s i c i a n a l s o a g r e e d w i t h m o s t o f t h e o t h e r r e s a d v o c a t e p r e p a r e d f o r m o f J u n e 1 0 , 2 0 1 4 , b u t d i d n b e t w e e n t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n a n d t h e i n f o r m a t i o n i n t h e P h a s w o r s e n e d s i n c e t h e P R a n d A R w e r e c o m p l e t e d F i n a l l y , t h e p a n e l n o t e s t h a t w h e n a s k e d t o c o n f i r m i t h a t " [ t h e a p p e l l a n t ] h a s s i g n i f i c a n t r e s t r i c t i o n s w i t h m i n d i c a t e h e r a g r e e m e n t . T h e p h y s i c i a n s i m p l y w r o t e d a u g h t e r a n d r o o m m a t e t o c a r r y i t e m s a n d d o h o u s e t h a t t h e h e l p r e q u i r e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t i s " p e r i o d i c " , h h e l p r e q u i r e d i s e i t h e r i n c o n s i s t e n t o r n o n e x i s t e n t . C o n s i d e r i n g t h e e v i d e n c e a s a w h o l e a n d w h i l e a c 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 d e t e r m i n e d t b a l a n c e o f p r o b a b i l i t i e s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a b i l i t y t o 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 . 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 l p f r o D L 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 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 P a n e l D e c i s i o n A f i n d i n g 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 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 " 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 A P W D A 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 )A P P E A L # '. a i d e m p l o y m e n t . T h e p a n e l n o t e s t h a t D d e s i g n a t i o n t h e f o c u s o f t h e l e g i s l a t i o n i s o n c e w h i c h c a u s e i t n o t t o p r e s e n t a c o h e r e n t a n d p e l l a n t ' s a b i l i t y t o p e r f o r m D L A . T h e p h y s i c i a n ' s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h e r s e l f p r o v i d e d i n t h e d r a f t n d i c a t e t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t i n d e p e n d e n t l y m a n a g e s r e s t r i c t i o n s i n d i c a t e d a r e p a i n a n d s t i f f n e s s i n s e o f a n a s s i s t i v e d e v i c e f o r h o u s e w o r k , a n d e s h o m e f r o m t h e s t o r e . T h e o n l y a d d i t i o n a l w h e r e s h e n o t e d t h a t s h e i s u n a b l e t o v a c u u m o r t r i c t i o n s d e s c r i b e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t i n t h e o t p r o v i d e a n y e x p l a n a t i o n f o r t h e d i f f e r e n c e s R a n d A R . T h e a p p e l l a n t s a i d t h a t h e r c o n d i t i o n b u t t h e r e i s n o m e d i c a l c o n f i r m a t i o n o f t h i s . n t h e a d v o c a t e p r e p a r e d f o r m o f J u n e 1 0 , 2 0 1 4 a n y o f h e r [ D L A ] " , t h e p h y s i c i a n d e c l i n e d t o 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 f r o m h e r w o r k . W h i l e t h e p h y s i c i a n i n d i c a t e d i n t h e P R e r e v i d e n c e o n 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 k n o w l e d g i n g a d e g r e e o f r e s t r i c t i o n t h e p a n e l h a t t h e e v i d e n c e i s i n s u f f i c i e n t t o s h o w o n t h e p e r f o r m h e r D L A 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 e i t h e r m h e r f r i e n d s a n d r o o m m a t e t o p e r f o r m m o s t 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 . f 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 i s a p r e c o n d i t i o n t o a p e r s o n r e q u i r i n g . 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 .
I APPEAL# Accordingly, the panel finds that the ministry reasonably concluded it could not be determined that the appellant requires help with DLA as defined by section 2(3)(b) of the EAPWDA. Conclusion The panel acknowledges that the appellant's medical conditions affect her ability to function. However, having reviewed and considered all of the evidence and the relevant legislation, the panel finds that the ministry's decision finding the appellant ineligible for PWD designation is a reasonable application of the legislation in the circumstances of the appellant. The panel therefore confirms the ministry's decision. EMT003(10/06/01)
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.