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 a p p e l l a n t a p p e a l s t h e J u n e 1 9 , 2 0 1 4 r e c o n s i d 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 ) i n w t o r e n e w h e r q u a l i f i c a t i o n a s a p e r s o n w i t h p e r s i s t e s e c t i o 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 a p p e l l a n t ' s s c o r e o n t h e E m p l o y a b i l i t y S c r e e n w a s c o n s i d e r e d u n d e r s u b s . 2 ( 4 ) ) a n d d e t e r m i n e d t h a t 2 ( 4 ) o f t h e E A R b e c a u s e t h e i n f o r m a t i o n p r o v i d e d c o n d i t i o n p r e c l u d e s h e r f r o m s e a r c h i n g f o r , a c c e p t s u b s . 2 ( 4 ) ( b ) o f t h e E A R . 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 , s e c t i o n 2 E M T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )� A P P E A L # e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n o f t h e M i n i s t r y o f S o c i a l h i c h t h e M i n i s t r y d e n i e d t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a p p l i c a t i o n n t m u l t i p l e b a r r i e r s t o e m p l o y m e n t ( P P M B ) u n d e r l a t i o n ( " E A R " ) . T h e M i n i s t r y f o u n d t h a t t h e l e s s t h a n 1 5 ( s o h e r P P M B q u a l i f i c a t i o n w a s t o b e t h e a p p e l l a n t h a d n o t m e t t h e r e q u i r e m e n t o f s u b s . d o e s n o t e s t a b l i s h t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s m e d i c a l i n g o r c o n t i n u i n g i n e m p l o y m e n t , a s r e q u i r e d b y ( " E A R " ) .
'.APPEAL# PART E -Summary of Facts The evidence before the Ministry at the reconsideration included the following documents: • Copy of 2 page form, Medical Report -Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers, signed by both the appellant and her family physician on April 1, 2014 ("2014 PPMB Form"); • Copy of 1 page Ministry Employability Screen for the appellant, not dated, showing a total score of 7 ("2014 E Screen"); • Copy of 1 page Ministry Employability Screen, not dated, completed by the appellant by circling certain answers which would score a total of 13 ("Appellant's E Screen"); • A letter from the appellant's mother to the Ministry dated May 29, 2014; • Copies of the appellant's cheque stubs for the weeks of April 22, 29, May 6, 13 and 20, 2013 showing that she received $250/week for a training program; • Copies of the appellant's pay stubs for her current employment dated February 14, 28, March 14, 28, April 11, 25, May 9 and 23, 2014; • Copy of the appellant's fall 2013 registration at a post-secondary institution; • Copy of 1 page Ministry Employability Screen for the appellant, not dated, showing a total score of 11; • Copy of 2 page form, Medical Report -Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers, signed by both the appellant and her former physician on March 12, 2012 ("2012 PPMB Form"). On this form, the appellant's former physician identified the restriction caused by the appellant's medical conditions of major depressive disorder and panic disorder as follows: "difficulty [with] concentration [and] increased depression. Subject to panic attacks. Easily stressed out"; and • Copy of the appellant's request for reconsideration dated May 29, 2014 on which the appellant has submitted that the answers to questions 3, 5 and 6 on the 2014 E Screen are incorrect. The appellant qualified for PPMB designation June 1, 2012. The Ministry advised the appellant that her PPMB status was reviewed every two years and asked her to have her physician complete the PPMB Form and return it to the Ministry by April 17, 2014. In the 2014 PPMB Form completed April 1, 2014, the appellant's family physician identified the appellant's primary medical condition as major depressive disorder onset 2006 and her secondary medical condition as panic disorder onset 2007. The family physician indicated that the appellant's conditions were expected to last 2 years or more, commenting "likely lifetime" and that the conditions were not episodic but constant. The family physician indicated that the appellant was on medication for her conditions and that her "mood symptoms well-controlled, follow up with [her psychiatrist]." In describing the nature of the appellant's restrictions specific to her medical conditions, the family physician wrote, "restricted to jobs that allow flexibility in schedule (as she is unable to work prolonged hours, multitask); gets easily fatigued & overwhelmed." The Ministry denied the appellant's request for renewal of her PPMB qualification on May 14, 2014. At the hearing, the appellant submitted a medical certificate document from her family physician dated July 23, 2014, on which the appellant's physician has written that she would like to add to the 2014 PPMB Form completed April 1, 2014. In the medical certificate, the family physician writes that the appellant "tires easily and must ensure she gets adequate rest. Therefore, she is unable to work prolonged hours. She requires some flexibility in scheduling but would not be able to maintain a job with rotating shifts such as days/evenings/graveyards." The family physician wrote that, because the aooellant "is easily overwhelmed by small stressors" she "must work in an environment that is not fast EM1 003(10/06/01)
pac ed o r hig hly s tres sful. Her anxiety i s inc r e ase d di ff icult for her to continue in employment." The f am sym p toms are rel ati v ely stabl e; h owever , she is vulnerable a b e abl e to participate in full-ti me em ploy ment excep en vir onment." The M inistr y di d not object t o the admissio n of th e July a ppel lant 's family phy si cian a nd t h e panel adm its it as information in sup was b e for e th e Min i s t ry at recons ide ra tion, u nder section 22(4) o Act. The info rmat i on se t ou t in the J uly 23, 20 14 medical p rovid ed by t h e appel lant's fa m ily physici an in th e At the h earing, as in her request for re consid erat ion, to ques ti on s on th e 2014 E Scree n . T h e appellant said se rving c u stomers i n a foo d s t o r e, her job is not p ermanen guar antee d. Sh e s a id she t ypically wor k s 12 hour s w ee k. The a ppel l a nt als o t old th e panel that she ob s econd ary i ns t itut ion. Th e Ministry notes tha t the ap pe l lant has be en a r e ope n e d o n February 3, 2009 a n d ha s been on income months. EAAT 003(10/06/01) � APPE AL # b y stress which c a n trigge r p ani c at tack s mak ing it ily physi cian als o wrot e , "A t pr esent her moo d nd I am not certain [the app e l lant] wou ld t in a su pported or sheltered ty p e w o r k 23, 2014 me dica l ce r tificat e f r o m t he port of the i nformation that f t he Emp loyment and Ass istance c ert ifi c ate reite r a tes the i nf or m ation 2 01 4 PP MB For m. th e a ppellant que stioned th e Minist r y's answe r s that a l t h ou gh s h e has emplo ymen t working t , but pa rt-time a n d he r hours a re not per w ee k, and neve r more than 20 hou r s pe r tai ne d an as sociate arts degre e from a po s t  cipi e nt of incom e a s sista nc e sin ce he r file was as sis t ance for at l e a s t 12 of th e p ast 1 5
: APPEAL# PART F -Reasons for Panel Decision The issue on this appeal is the reasonableness of the Ministry's reconsideration decision of June 19, 2014, denying the appellant's application to renew her qualification as a person with persistent multiple barriers ("PPMB") to employment under section 2 of the Employment and Assistance Regulation ("EAR") on the basis that the information provided does not establish that the appellant's medical conditions preclude her from searching for, accepting or continuing in employment. Section 2 of the EAR governs the requirements to qualify as a person with persistent multiple barriers (PPMB) to employment. Under subsection 2(1 ), in order to qualify as a PPMB to employment, a person must meet the requirements set out in subsection 2(2) and subsection 2(3) or 2(4). Subsection 2(2) requires that the applicant must be a recipient for at least 12 of the immediately preceding 15 calendar months of income assistance or hardship assistance under the Employment and Assistance Act (subs. 2(2)(a)). Subsections 2(3) and 2(4) provide the following: (3) The following requirements apply (a) the minister (i) has determined that the person scores at least 15 on the employability screen set out in Schedule E, and (ii) based on the result of that employability screen, considers that the person has barriers that seriously impede the person's ability to search for, accept or continue in employment, (b) the person has a medical condition, other than an addiction, that is confirmed by a medical practitioner and that (i) in the opinion of the medical practitioner, (A) has continued for at least one year and is likely to continue for at least 2 more years, or (8) has occurred frequently in the past year and is likely to continue for at least 2 more years, and (ii) in the opinion of the minister, is a barrier that seriously impedes the person's ability to search for, accept or continue in employment, and (c) the person has taken all steps that the minister considers reasonable for the person to overcome the barriers referred to in paragraph (a). (4) The person has a medical condition, other than an addiction, that is confirmed by a medical practitioner and that (a) in the opinion of the medical practitioner, (i) has continued for at least 1 year and is likely to continue for at least 2 more years, or (ii) has occurred frequently in the past year and is likely to continue for at least 2 more years, and (b) in the opinion of the minister, is a barrier that precludes the person from searching for, accepting or continuing in employment. The Ministry found that the appellant met the requirement of subs. 2(2) as she had been receiving income assistance for at least 12 of the immediately preceding 15 months. The Ministry also determined that the appellant did not qualify for consideration under subs. 2(3) of the EAR, which requires a score of 15 or higher on the E Screen (the appellant's 2014 E Screen score was 7), and the Ministry considered her application for PPMB qualification under subs. 2(4) of the EAR. EAAT 003(10/06/01)
S u b m i s s i o n s T h e a p p e l l a n t a r g u e d t h a t b e c a u s e s h e h a d q u a l i f i h a d n o t c h a n g e d , s h e s h o u l d s t i l l q u a l i f y f o r P P M B b e e n w o r k i n g p a r t t i m e a t a f o o d s t o r e s e r v i n g c u s w e e k a s s h e i s n o t a b l e t o w o r k f u l l t i m e b e c a u s e o p a n e l t h a t s h e f i n d s t h e p r o c e s s o f h a v i n g t o r e a p p i n c r e a s e s h e r a n x i e t y . S h e t o l d t h e p a n e l t h a t d i d S c r e e n , t h a t s h e b e l i e v e d t h e a n s w e r s t o q u e s t i o n s t h e p a n e l t h a t s h e t h i n k s t h e a n s w e r t o q u e s t i o n 3 i n c o m e a s s i s t a n c e f o r t h e p a s t 3 y e a r s . S h e a l s o t a r t s d e g r e e / c e r t i f i c a t e f r o m a p o s t s e c o n d a r y i n s t i t u a p p e l l a n t s a i d t h a t a l t h o u g h s h e h a s b e e n w o r k i n g p r i o r t o t h a t , s h e r e c e i v e d $ 2 5 0 / w e e k i n t h e s p r i n g t h e M i n i s t r y i t w a s n o t e m p l o y m e n t . A c c o r d i n g l y , o n t h e E S c r e e n s h o u l d n o t b e " m o r e t h a n 1 2 m o n t s c o r e o f 4 b e c a u s e s h e o n l y w o r k s p a r t t i m e h o u r s T h e M i n i s t r y a d d r e s s e d t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s q u e s t i o n s r e 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 h a s b e e n r e c e a p p l i e d i n F e b r u a r y 3 , 2 0 0 9 a n d t h e a p p e l l a n t d o e s a s k s " a p a rt f r o m y o u r c u r r e n t a p p l i c a t i o n , h o w m a n a n y w h e r e i n C a n a d a i n t h e l a s t 3 y e a r s ? " T h e M i n i i s f r o m F e b r u a r y 2 0 0 9 , a n d t h e a n s w e r t o q u e s t i o n b e c a u s e s h e h a s n o t h a d t o r e a p p l y f o r i n c o m e a s s r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n , t h e M i n i s t r y a c c e p t e d t h a s h e h a s r e c e i v e d a d e g r e e f r o m a p o s t s e c o n d a r y i c o n s i d e r i n g t h e a n s w e r t o q u e s t i o n 6 o n t h e E S c r e s p e n d i n p a i d e m p l o y m e n t o v e r t h e l a s t 3 y e a r s ? " t h a n s w e r s , " m o r e t h a n 1 2 m o n t h s " ' f r o m 3 t o 1 2 m o n a s t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s w o r k e d s o m e p a r t t i m e h o u r s a n s w e r t o q u e s t i o n 6 w o u l d l i k e l y b e " u n d e r 3 m o n t e v e n w i t h c h a n g e s t o t h e a n s w e r s t o q u e s t i o n s 5 a n w o u l d s t i l l b e b e l o w 1 5 ( t h e m o s t s h e c o u l d s c o r e w P P M B d e s i g n a t i o n u n d e r s u b s . 2 ( 3 ) . T h e M i n i s t r y n o t e d t h a t i n o r d e r t o s a t i s f y s u b s . 2 ( 4 ) t h r e e t h i n g s : 1 ) t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s a m e d i c a l c o n d i t i a m e d i c a l p r a c t i t i o n e r h a s l a s t e d o r o c c u r r e d f r e q u e a t l e a s t 2 m o r e y e a r s , a n d , 3 ) i n t h e M i n i s t ry ' s o p i n i o p r e c l u d e s t h e a p p e l l a n t f r o m s e a r c h i n g f o r , a c c e p t i n n o t e d t h a t i n t h e 2 0 1 4 P P M B F o r m , t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s c o n d i t i o n o t h e r t h a n a n a d d i c t i o n s h e s u f f e r s f r o m a n d t h a t h e r c o n d i t i o n s a r e e x p e c t e d t o l a s t 2 y e a r s 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 h a s m e t t h e f i r s t c r i t e r p r a c t i t i o n e r h a s c o n f i r m e d s h e s u f f e r s f r o m a m e d i c 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 m o r e v e a r s . E AA T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )A P P F A I # : e d f o r P P M B i n 2 0 1 2 a n d h e r m e d i c a l c o n d i t i o n s i n 2 0 1 4 . T h e a p p e l l a n t t o l d t h e p a n e l t h a t s h e h a s t o m e r s , b u t s h e o n l y w o r k s a b o u t 1 2 h o u r s p e r f h e r m e d i c a l c o n d i t i o n s . T h e a p p e l l a n t t o l d t h e l y f o r P P M B q u a l i f i c a t i o n v e r y s t r e s s f u l a n d i t n o t u n d e r s t a n d h o w t h e M i n i s t r y s c o r e d h e r 2 0 1 4 E 3 , 5 a n d 6 s h o u l d b e d i f f e r e n t . T h e a p p e l l a n t t o l d s h o u l d b e " 1 t o 3 t i m e s " a s s h e h a s b e e n o n o l d t h e p a n e l t h a t s h e h a s o b t a i n e d a n a s s o c i a t e t i o n , a f f e c t i n g t h e a n s w e r t o q u e s t i o n 5 . T h e p a r t t i m e a t t h e f o o d s t o r e s i n c e F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 4 , o f 2 0 1 3 a s p a r t o f a t r a i n i n g p r o g r a m s p o n s o r e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t b e l i e v e s t h e a n s w e r t o q u e s t i o n 6 h s " f o r a s c o r e o f 0 , b u t " n o n e o r v e r y l i m i t e d " f o r a . g a r d i n g h e r s c o r e o f 7 o n t h e 2 0 1 4 E S c r e e n . i v i n g i n c o m e a s s i s t a n c e s t e a d i l y s i n c e s h e n o t d i s p u t e t h i s . Q u e s t i o n 3 o n t h e E S c r e e n y t i m e s h a v e y o u b e e n o n i n c o m e a s s i s t a n c e . . . 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 ' s " c u r r e n t a p p l i c a t i o n " 3 m u s t a c c o r d i n g l y b e " n e v e r ' ' f o r a s c o r e o f 0 i s t a n c e i n t h e l a s t 3 y e a r s . A s n o t e d i n t h e t t h e a p p e l l a n t s h o u l d s c o r e 1 o n q u e s t i o n 5 a s n s t i t u t i o n . T h e M i n i s t r y e x p l a i n e d t h a t i n e n , " w h a t i s t h e t o t a l a m o u n t o f t i m e y o u h a v e e M i n i s t r y d o e s n o t d e f i n e " m o n t h " i n t h e t h s " o r " u n d e r 3 m o n t h s . " T h e M i n i s t r y n o t e d t h a t a t t h e f o o d s t o r e s i n c e t h e b e g i n n i n g o f 2 0 1 4 , t h e h s " f o r a s c o r e o f 2 . T h e M i n i s t r y s u b m i t t e d t h a t d 6 o n t h e 2 0 1 4 E S c r e e n , t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s s c o r e o u l d b e 1 2 ) a n d s h e c o u l d n o t b e c o n s i d e r e d f o r o f t h e E A R , t h e m i n i s t e r m u s t b e s a t i s f i e d o f o n o t h e r t h a n a n a d d i c t i o n t h a t , 2 ) i n t h e o p i n i o n o f n t l y f o r a t l e a s t 1 y e a r a n d i s l i k e l y t o c o n t i n u e f o r n , t h e m e d i c a l c o n d i t i o n p r e s e n t s a b a r r i e r t h a t g o r c o n t i n u i n g i n e m p l o y m e n t . T h e M i n i s t r y f a m i l y p h y s i c i a n i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s a m a j o r d e p r e s s i v e d i s o r d e r a n d p a n i c d i s o r d e r o r m o r e , " l i k e l y l i f e t i m e . " A c c o r d i n g l y , t h e M i n i s t r y i a s e t o u t u n d e r s u b s . 2 ( 4 ) ( a ) t h a t a m e d i c a l a l c o n d i t i o n , o t h e r t h a n a n a d d i c t i o n , w h i c h i s
The M inistry no te d t hat a med ical c o n dit ion i s consi fo r , acc e ptin g or con tin uin g in e mployment (t he crit result of t h e me dical condi t io n, the r ec i p i ent is unabl leng th of t ime , exce pt in a sup por t e d or sheltered-type wor the 2014 PPMB Form, th e appellant's f a mi ly ph y si cian indic sympt o ms are well controll ed " w ith fol low up with the appe that th e fa mil y phy sician wr ot e in t h e 2 014 P PM B Form th caus e d he r t o be "r e str i c t ed t o j obs t h at allo w flexibili prol onged hours, m ultitask ), ge ts easily fatigue d and information in t h e July 23, 20 1 4 docume n t no ting that it suppo appell ant' s doctor i n th e 2 014 P PM B Fo r m . T he Mi PPMB Form t o that on the 2012 P PMB F orm and not condi t io n s " have impr oved with treatment ." T h e Mini to wo rk in part-time s i nc e Februa ry 20 1 4, t hat she completed a tra e nro lled i n pos t -se condary courses i n the fa l l of 2013. i nf or m a tion prov i ded, the ap pe llan t's medical con diti a c cept ing or contin u in g i n employ ment. The Min istry the eli g i bi l i t y req uirements of sub s . 2(4) (b ) fo r P PMB D e cision The panel notes that subs. 2(3) of the EAR re qui r es cons id e r e d for PPMB qu a l if ication unde r t he re st o f ha s been o n inc ome as sistanc e s i nc e F e br ua ry 2009 appl i catio n f or i ncom e assista nce) and a greed that th s core of 0. Further, t he appellan t d oes not dispute that she ha food sto re si nce the begi nn ing of Febru ar y 2014 -her ev per w eek, but ne ver more t h an 20 hour s per week . Mini st ry's d etermi nat ion that the appellant do e s no t of the EAR on the basi s that her E Scre en sco re is less than 15, even questio ns 5 (cha n ging the score from Ot o 1) and 6 (changing the score Subsection 2(4)(b) requires that the minister be satisfied that the medical condition of the person seek ing PPMB q ualification precludes t he p erson from employment. In the 2014 PPMB F orm, the app el lant' conditions "restricted [her] to jobs that allow flexibility in schedule (as she is unable to work prolonged hours, multitask); gets easily fatigued & overwhelmed." participated in a training program in 2013 and took a couple of post-secondary courses in the fall of 2013, and that she has been working part-time hours at a food store sinc In t he July 2 3, 2014 medical cer t ificate submitte d at th indicated that the appellant tires easily and is "unable to work prolonged hours" and "requires some flexibility in schedu li ng but would not be able to maintain a job with rotating shifts su days/evenings/graveyards." The appellant's family physician also wrote in the July 23, 2014 docume nt that, because the appel lant "is easily overwhelmed an environment that is not fast paced or hiahlv stressful" and that, "at present [the aooellant'sl mood EAAT 003(10/06/01) I AP PEA L# dered t o p r eclude the app e llant from searching eria set out i n s u b s. 2 ( 4)(b) of th e EA R) wh en, as a e t o par t i c i p a t e in any t ype of emplo yment f o r a ny k enviro nment. The M ini s t r y note d that i n at ed tha t with medication , her "mood ll ant's ps ychia trist. The M inistry al s o noted a t the appell ant's medi c a l conditions t y in schedu l e (as she is un a ble t o w ork o verwhe lmed." The Ministry also referr ed t o t h e rt e d th e information p ro vided b y t h e nistry com p ar ed th e inform ation in th e 20 1 4 e d that t h e informa tion sug gests the appellant 's str y al so noted t ha t t h e ap pella n t h as be en able ini ng pro gra m in 2013 and w as The Min is try deter mined th a t, b ase d on th e ons di d not preclude her fro m se arch ing , or d et ermi ned that t he a ppellant n o lon g er meets qu al i ficat ion. a s core of at least 15 on the E S creen t o be su bs. 2(3). The app e l la nt di d not dis p ute that s h e ( t he r enew a l of P PMB quali f i c at io n i s not a ne w e ans w er to question 3 should be "n e ve r" for a s bee n working part ti m e hour s at a idence was that s h e worked a bo u t 1 2 h ou rs Ac cordi ngl y , the panel fin d s rea so nable the qu alify fo r PP MB considerat io n under s u bs . 2(3) w ith t he amend ed an s wers to from Oto 2 or 4). s earching for , accepting or continuing in s family phys i cian wro te that the app ellant's The appellant does not dispute that she e Febru a r y 2014. e heari ng, the appellant's family physician ch as by small stressors" she "must work in
APPEAL# : symptoms are relatively stable; however, she is vulnerable and I am not certain [she] would be able to participate in full-time employment except in a supported or sheltered type work environment." There is no information from the appellant's family physician before the panel that the appellant's medical conditions preclude her from searching for, accepting or continuing in employment. The panel finds that the Ministry's determination that the information provided did not establish that the appellant's medical condition precludes her from searching for, accepting or continuing in employment as required by subsection 2(4)(b) of the EAR is reasonably supported by the evidence. In particular, the panel finds that the information provided by the appellant's family physician in the July 23, 2014 medical certificate document reiterates the information provided in the 2014 PPMB Form on which the Ministry based its determination that the appellant was no longer eligible for qualification as a PPMB under subs. 24(b). In both documents, the family physician indicates that the appellant can work -but she requires flexibility and must work in an environment that is "not fast paced or highly stressful." Accordingly, the panel confirms the reconsideration decision of June 19, 2014. EMT 003(10/06/01)
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