PART C -Decision under Appeal The decisio n under a p peal i s th e Ju l y 4, 2014 reconsiderati Development and Social Innovat i on ("Mi nistry") in which the Ministry d for a crisis supplem en t for utili ties und er section 57 of the Employment and Assistance with Dis abi lities Regul a tion ("EAPWDR" ) . PART D -R e l ev a nt Le gislatio n E m p l o ym ent and As sis tance for Pers o ns w ith Disabilities Regula EMT 003(10/06/01)APPEA L ii '. on de c ision of the Ministry o f S o ci a l enied t h e A p pellan t 's request fo r Pers ons tion (EAPWDR ) section 57( 1 ).
P A R T E S u m m a r v o f F a c t s T h e A p p e l l a n t h a s b e e n d e s i g n a t e d a p e r s o n w i t h d a s s i s t a n c e . T h e i n f o r m a t i o n b e f o r e t h e M i n i s t r y a t t h e J u l y 4 , 2 0 • A c o p y o f t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s 2 p a g e B C H y d r o b i n d i c a t e s a $ 5 , 0 7 1 . 4 1 b a l a n c e p a y a b l e f r o m o n p a y m e n t m a d e M a r c h 1 9 , 2 0 1 4 , t h r e e l a t c h a r g e s f o r t h e p e r i o d f r o m F e b r u a r y 2 0 , 2 0 a m o u n t t o b e p a i d o f $ 2 , 9 0 9 . 9 6 . O n t h e s e c " t r a n s f e r a m o u n t t o i n s t a l l m e n t p l a n " o f $ 4 , 8 2 5 , 2 0 1 4 " o f $ 2 , 5 0 6 . 2 8 . I t a l s o i n d i c a t e s o n • A c o p y o f a p r e v i o u s d e c i s i o n o f t h e E m p l o y 2 0 1 4 ( " A p r i l A p p e a l " ) p r o v i d e d t o t h e M i n i s t r y A p p e a l , t h e T r i b u n a l r e s c i n d e d a p r e v i o u s r e D e c e m b e r 1 7 , 2 0 1 3 , i n w h i c h t h e M i n i s t r y h a s u p p l e m e n t f o r h y d r o m a d e i n e a r l y N o v e m b r e f e r r e d i t s d e c i s i o n b a c k t o t h e M i n i s t e r f o r b e p r o v i d e d t o t h e A p p e l l a n t b a s e d o n t h e i n • A c o p y o f t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s r e q u e s t f o r r e c o n s i T h e A p p e l l a n t d o e s n o t d i s p u t e t h e f o l l o w i n g f a c t 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 A p p e l l a n t r e c e i v e s a t o t a l o f $ 9 0 6 . 4 2 p e $ 3 7 5 p e r m o n t h i s s h e l t e r a l l o w a n c e a n d $ 5 3 • T h e A p p e l l a n t ' s m o n t h l y m o r t g a g e p a y m e n t • A s a r e s u l t o f t h e A p r i l A p p e a l d e c i s i o n , t h e M A p p e l l a n t ' s o u t s t a n d i n g B C H y d r o b i l l w a s $ 5 B C H y d r o o n t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s b e h a l f o n A p r i l p a y m e n t , $ 2 , 5 0 6 . 2 8 w a s h a l f o f t h e A p p e l l a n • A l s o a s a r e s u l t o f t h e A p r i l A p p e a l d e c i s i o n , o f $ 2 0 8 . 8 6 o n t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s b e h a l f t o b e p a 1 2 m o n t h s ( t h e s e i n s t a l l m e n t s a m o u n t t o $ 2 , A p p e l l a n t ' s h y d r o b i l l a s o f A p r i l 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 ) . T d i r e c t l y t o H y d r o b y t h e M i n i s t r y a n d d e d u c t e m o n t h l y d i s a b i l i t y a s s i s t a n c e . T h e A p p e l l a n t w a s d i s s a t i s f i e d w i t h t h e a m o u n t t h e r e s u l t o f t h e A p r i l A p p e a l i n p a r t i c u l a r , t h e A p p e l l a o u t s t a n d i n g a m o u n t o f $ 5 , 0 1 2 . 5 5 o n h i s b e h a l f a n d p a y m e n t s o f $ 2 0 8 . 8 6 d i r e c t l y t o B C H y d r o f r o m h i s n e w c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t f o r u t i l i t i e s i n t h e a m o u n t o f $ o n t h e A p r i l 2 5 , 2 0 1 4 B C H y d r o b i l l a n d d i r e c t e d t h p a y m e n t s o f $ 2 0 8 . 8 6 t o B C H y d r o . O n M a y 1 , 2 0 1 4 d e n y i n g h i s n e w r e q u e s t f o r a c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t f o r r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n , w h i c h h a s r e s u l t e d i n t h i s c u r r e n t a E AA T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 ): A P P E A L # i s a b i l i t i e s a n d r e c e i v e s m o n t h l y d i s a b i l i t y 1 4 r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n i n c l u d e d t h e f o l l o w i n g : i l l d a t e d A p r i l 2 5 , 2 0 1 4 . O n t h e f i r s t p a g e , t h e b i l l t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s p r e v i o u s b i l l , a $ 2 0 0 c r e d i t b a s e d e p a y m e n t c h a r g e s t o t a l i n g $ 1 4 1 . 1 4 , c u r r e n t 1 4 t h r o u g h A p r i l 2 2 , 2 0 1 4 o f $ 2 6 2 . 5 4 a n d p a s t d u e o n d p a g e o f t h e A p r i l 2 5 , 2 0 1 4 b i l l , i t i n d i c a t e s a 7 1 . 4 1 a n d a " s e c u r i t y d e p o s i t i n s t a l l m e n t d u e A p r i l t h i s p a g e a b a l a n c e p a y a b l e o f $ 2 , 9 0 9 . 9 6 . m e n t A s s i s t a n c e A p p e a l T r i b u n a l d a t e d A p r i l 4 , a n d t h e A p p e l l a n t o n A p r i l 2 4 , 2 0 1 4 . I n t h e A p r i l c o n s i d 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 d d e n i e d t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s r e q u e s t f o r a c r i s i s e r 2 0 1 3 . A s r e q u i r e d b y l e g i s l a t i o n , t h e T r i b u n a l a d e c i s i o n a s t o t h e a m o u n t o f c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t t o f o r m a t i o n b e f o r e t h e T r i b u n a l a t t h e A p r i l A p p e a l . d e r a t i o n d a t e d J u n e 1 5 , 2 0 1 4 . e t o u t i n t h e M i n i s t r y ' s J u l y 4 , 2 0 1 4 r m o n t h i n d i s a b i l i t y a s s i s t a n c e ; o f t h i s a m o u n t , 1 . 4 2 p e r m o n t h i s s u p p o r t . i s $ 5 5 0 . 0 0 . i n i s t r y c o n f i r m e d t h a t a s o f A p r i l 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 , t h e , 0 1 2 . 5 5 . T h e M i n i s t r y p a i d $ 2 , 5 0 6 . 2 8 d i r e c t l y t o 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 t o a v o i d d i s c o n n e c t i o n ; a t t h e t i m e o f t h i s t ' s o u t s t a n d i n g h y d r o b i l l . t h e M i n i s t r y s e t u p m o n t h l y i n s t a l l m e n t p a y m e n t s i d d i r e c t l y t o B C H y d r o s t a rt i n g J u n e 8 , 2 0 1 4 f o r 5 0 6 . 2 8 t h e r e m a i n i n g o u t s t a n d i n g a m o u n t o f t h e h e m o n t h l y i n s t a l l m e n t p a y m e n t s w e r e t o b e p a i d d f r o m t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s s u p p o r t p o r t i o n o f h i s M i n i s t r y d e t e r m i n e d i t w o u l d p a y B C H y d r o a s a n t b e l i e v e d t h e M i n i s t r y s h o u l d p a y t h e e n t i r e s h o u l d n o t h a v e s e t u p m o n t h l y i n s t a l l m e n t d i s a b i l i t y a s s i s t a n c e . T h e A p p e l l a n t r e q u e s t e d a 2 , 9 0 9 . 9 6 t h e a m o u n t o u t s t a n d i n g a s r e f l e c t e d e M i n i s t ry t o c a n c e l t h e m o n t h l y i n s t a l l m e n t , t h e M i n i s t r y i n f o r m e d t h e A p p e l l a n t t h a t i t w a s u t i l i t i e s o f $ 2 , 9 0 9 . 9 6 a n d t h e A p p e l l a n t r e q u e s t e d n n e a l .
I n h i s N o t i c e o f A p p e a l d a t e d J u l y 2 1 , 2 0 1 4 , t h e A p r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n b e c a u s e h e " s u c c e s s f u l l y a r r e a r s " [ r e f e r r i n g t o t h e A p r i l A p p e a l ] . H e w r i t e s t h " h y d r o i s a b a s i c r e q u i r e m e n t . " T h e A p p e l l a n t i n d i c a s s i s t a n c e ] i s $ 9 0 6 . 4 2 . H e w r i t e s t h a t h i s " r e n t " i s $ h e d o e s n o t p a y r e n t , b u t h a s a m o r t g a g e ] a n d t h a h i s s h e l t e r c o s t s o v e r a n d a b o v e t h e $ 3 7 5 m o n t h l y T h e A p p e l l a n t w r i t e s t h a t h i s " r e g u l a r p a y m e n t p e r p r e s c r i p t i o n s , s o h e i s n o t a b l e t o a f f o r d h i s f o o d . H w o o d f o r h e a t a n d h e h a s n o a b i l i t y t o p a y $ 2 0 8 . 8 6 a s p e c i a l d i e t s o h i s h e a l t h i s a t r i s k b e c a u s e o f i n s P r i o r t o t h e h e a r i n g , t h e A p p e l l a n t a n d h i s a d v o c a t e • A c o p y o f a B C H y d r o d i s c o n n e c t i o n n o t i c e o f $ 2 , 3 8 0 . 7 5 i s p a s t d u e ; • A c o p y o f a c o m p u t e r p r i n t o u t t h a t t h e A p p e H y d r o s h o w i n g l a t e p a y m e n t c h a r g e s o n t h e 1 8 , 2 0 1 2 t h r o u g h A u g u s t 5 , 2 0 1 4 . • A c o p y o f a 2 p a g e l e t t e r f r o m t h e A p p e l l a n P r o v i n c i a l D i r e c t o r o f C h i l d W e l f a r e d a t e d M I n s u p p o r t o f t h e i r s u b m i s s i o n o f t h e n e w d o c u m e n t h a t b e c a u s e t h e M i n i s t r y d i d n o t p r o v i d e t h e A p p e l t o t h e r e s t o f h i s o u t s t a n d i n g h y d r o a r r e a r s a s a t A p c a n c e l t h e i n s t a l l m e n t p a y m e n t s o f $ 2 0 8 . 8 6 , B C H y t h e e n d o f A u g u s t 2 0 1 4 a s r e f l e c t e d i n t h e d i s c o n n e h i s a d v o c a t e s a i d t h a t t h e A p p e l l a n t h a s l a t e p a y m c o m p u t e r p r i n t o u t ) f o r w h i c h h e s h o u l d n o t b e r e s p t i m e t h a t h e w a s a t t e m p t i n g t o s c h e d u l e a n o r a l h e a d v o c a t e s a i d t h a t g i v e n t h e A p r i l A p p e a l d e c i s i o n c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t f o r h y d r o , i f t h e T r i b u n a l ' s o r a l h e t h e A p p e l l a n t w o u l d n o t h a v e i n c u r r e d a l l o f t h e l a t e a d v o c a t e r e f e r r e d t o h i s l e t t e r t o t h e c o m p l a i n t s p e c s e t t i n g a n o r a l h e a r i n g w a s n o t t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s f a u l A t t h e h e a r i n g , t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s a d v o c a t e p r o v i d e d a h e a r i n g . I n t h i s s u b m i s s i o n , t h e a d v o c a t e h a s l i s t e d $ 1 , 8 9 8 . 0 0 , b r o k e n d o w n a s f o l l o w s : • M o r t g a g e -$ 5 5 0 • G l u t e n f r e e d i e t -$ 4 0 0 • E l e c t r i c i t y -$ 1 0 0 • C a r [ i n s u r a n c e ] -$ 1 4 8 • G a s -$ 3 0 0 E M T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )p e l l a n t w r i t e s t h a t h e d i s a g r e e s w i t h t h e M i n i s t r y ' s w o n [ h i s ] T r i b u n a l f o r a c r i s i s g r a n t o n h y d r o a t h e i s a p e r s o n w i t h s e v e r e d i s a b i l i t i e s a n d a t e s t h a t h i s m o n t h l y " i n c o m e " [ d i s a b i l i t y 5 5 0 [ t h e A p p e l l a n t c o n f i r m e d a t t h e h e a r i n g t h a t t $ 1 7 5 c o m e s o u t o f h i s m o n t h l y s u p p o r t [ t o c o v e r s h e l t e r c o s t s p o r t i o n o f h i s d i s a b i l i t y a s s i s t a n c e ] . m o n t h f o r h y d r o i s $ 8 0 " a n d h e p a y s f o r e w r i t e s t h a t h e a l s o h a s t o p a y a m o n t h l y c o s t f o r [ t h e m o n t h l y i n s t a l l m e n t s t o B C H y d r o ] a n d h e h a s u f f i c i e n t f u n d s . s u b m i t t e d t h e f o l l o w i n g a d d i t i o n a l d o c u m e n t s : d a t e d J u l y 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 i n d i c a t i n g t h a t a t o t a l a m o u n t l l a n t ' s a d v o c a t e s t a t e d w a s p r o v i d e d t o h e r b y B C A p p e l l a n t ' s a c c o u n t f o r t h e p e r i o d f r o m F e b r u a r y t t o t h e c o m p l a i n t s p e c i a l i s t a t t h e O f f i c e o f t h e a r c h 2 1 , 2 0 1 4 . t s , t h e A p p e l l a n t a n d h i s a d v o c a t e t o l d t h e p a n e l l a n t t h e c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t o f $ 2 , 5 0 6 . 2 8 ( a m o u n t i n g r i l 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 ) , a n d h e h a d d i r e c t e d t h e M i n i s t r y t o d r o i n t e n d s t o d i s c o n n e c t t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s h y d r o a t c t i o n n o t i c e o f J u l y 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 . T h e A p p e l l a n t a n d e n t c h a r g e s f r o m B C H y d r o ( s e t o u t i n t h e o n s i b l e b e c a u s e t h e s e c h a r g e s a r o s e d u r i n g t h e a r i n g a t t h e T r i b u n a l . T h e A p p e l l a n t a n d h i s r e s c i n d i n g t h e M i n i s t r y ' s d e n i a l o f h i s r e q u e s t f o r a r i n g h a d o c c u r r e d e a r l i e r a s h e h a d r e q u e s t e d , p a y m e n t c h a r g e s . T h e A p p e l l a n t a n d h i s i a l i s t a s e v i d e n c e s e t t i n g o u t t h a t t h e d e l a y i n t . 3 p a g e w r i t t e n s u b m i s s i o n t h a t s h e r e a d a t t h e t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s m o n t h l y e x p e n s e s t o t a l i n g
• Me d ication -$14 0 ["Reactine and nasal spray are 'ove • P hone -$60 • Visitation -$20 0 [ t he Appellan t "h a s 2 sons cur The Ministry did not object to th e admi ss i on of the additio provided by the App ellan t and his a dvocate prior to and at additional documents an d t he writt en subm iss i on of t of th e Employment and Assistance Act. The BC Hydro disconnec computer printout of t he Appell ant's l a t e payme n t ch a bout the Ap pell a nt's hydro account, the subject of the reconsiderati submission provides writt en tes ti mony and inform ation su p porting his argument on reconsideration that he did not expenses . T he p anel not es, ho w e ver, that the Appellant did not provid support the amounts li s ted for hi s monthly expenses (such as copies of his car insurance or tele ph o ne b i ll s , or re ce i pt s for his gas, spe ci al di e t and ove A ppella nt' s let ter to th e co mplaint speci ali st of March 21, 2014 recons iderati on t ha t th e delay o f sev eral mon ths for a mo unt of hi s hydro deb t. T h e App el lant's testi mony at th e h ear i ng is as foll o h as a dded a dditio nal room s) on a n acreage he ow ns mon th, bu t he has n ot b een able to pay h i s ho m e own on h i s pro perty a nd run s the p o nd pumps al l th e time. gen erate he a t for th e fish pond and t he greenho uses H is doctor h a s t old hi m t hat he shou l d not us e th e w disabil iti es ( h e h as CO P D, a mon g other con ditio ns), resid e nce, th e fish pon d, a nd t he gre enho us es. The Appellant ty a nd keeps his liv ing qua rters a t ?8 ° F to redu ce t he pain $10 0 pe r mont h to BC Hydro, but he cannot af f or d Hy d ro in installmen ts. When BC Hy d ro i nsta lled a "smart inc r e ased . Th e Mini stry did n ot c ontac t h im to disc uss BC Hydro and he would have liked the opp ort u nity to negotiate with exp enses ar e m uch higher t ha n his m o nthly disabili expenses on his cr e d it c a rd. A friend paid off his previous credit card debt of he has a current credit card bill of $5,0 00.00. At the hearing, the Ministry advised that it wou ld only supplement for utilities to avoid disconnection. The Ministry explained that in the Appellant's case, the amou nt of $2,506.28 paid directly to BC Hydro on April 26, 2014 was the maximu would pay for the Appellant's crisis supplement as it avoided disconnection at that time. stated that, given the Appellant's usage h istory and the amount ou Hydro req ui r ed repayment of the remaining $2,506.28 in monthl Ministry said there was no room to negotiate the amount with BC Hydro and that the Ministry was aware that $208.86 per month was hiah. EMT 003( 10/06/01) APP E AL# � r the count er' drugs" ] rently in care who each visit twic e a month"] na l documents and written submission t he hearing. T h e pa nel admits th e he App e llant' s advoca te under sec tion 22( 4)(b) t i on not i ce of July 30, 20 1 4 and the a r ges t o B C Hydro provides updated informati o n o n de c i sion. The a dv oca te 's about the Appellant's monthly expenses, ha v e res ources to cover h i s mo nt hly hydro e documentary evidence to r the cou n t e r medications). The supports his ar g umen t on an oral hearin g b efore the Tri buna l in cr ea sed the ws. The A ppel lan t li ve s in a t r a ile r (t o whi ch h e an d h i s mo r t gage paym ents a r e $550 p er er' s i nsurance. The A ppel lant h as a fish pon d H e use s a w ood s t ov e to h e a t th e tr a iler an d he has built o n t o the tr a iler and its e xten si o ns . ood stov e be cau se t he smo k e agg r avates his bu t h e needs the wood s t o ve to hea t th e picall y ta k es 3-4 hot s how er s pe r day c ause d b y h is disab ili ties . H e trie s t o p a y to pay a n addit ional $2 08. 86 per month to B C me ter '' a co uple of yea r s ago, h is h yd ro bil ls t he ins tall men t plan p a yment s it arr an ged wit h BC Hydro himsel f . His monthly ty assistance a nd he ha s paid many of his $6,000.00 for him, but p ay ha l f of the outstanding amount for a crisis m amou nt it The Mini st ry t s t a nd ing on hi s account, BC y installments within one year -the
PA RT F -Rea son s f or Panel D ecisio n The iss ue to be deci d e d is wh ether the Mini s t ry's r request f or a crisis supple m e n t for ut il it ies f or outst m ee t th e cr i teria se t out in se c t ion 57(1) o f th e EAP The cri t eria to b e ap plie d b y t h e M inis t ry on a r e qu e 57( 1) of t he EAPWDR as fo l low s: (1 ) The minister m ay pr ovide a cr isis suppleme disabi lity ass ist a nce or h a rdship assi st a nce i (a) t h e fa mily uni t or a person in the f amily uni exp ens e or obt ai n an ite m unexp ect edly ne eded t he ite m becau se the r e are no resou rces availabl (b) the mi nis t er con s id ers that fa ilur e t o mee (i ) im minent danger to t h e ph ysic al health of an Submissi ons The Appellan t' s position i s t hat he me ets th e eligi bility utilitie s f or hi s ou ts ta nd i n g hydro a rre a rs. Th e Appe Minis try 's d e c i sion , su bseq u ent to the April Appeal, hydro arrears o f $2,5 0 6.28 and to a rra nge m o nt hly 12 m on t hs d i rec tly from the App ellan t 's disabili ty assis a rrear s . T he App el lant a rgue d t hat he does not have fi i n stall ments t o BC H ydro and po i nts to the e vidence h d ouble his m on th ly dis abilit y a s sistance o f $ 906.42. of t he Mi nistry t o negotiate ins tal lm ent pay m e nts of $20 consulting with hi m about t he amo un t h e c ou ld pay. a re high and he sai d th a t he t r i es to p a y $ 10 0 per month mon thly charg e s may be mo r e than $10 0 (he doe s F ebrua r y 20, 2014 thr ou g h A pr i l 2 2, 2014 of $26 2.5 reconsid eration). T he Ap pel lant further a rg u ed that charges w hich accr ued on h is BC Hydro accoun t duri hear ing befor e the Tribun al was del a yed -he argues that if his oral hearing had been held when he initially re q ue s te d it, he would not have incurred the late payment charges. The Appellant relies on the f ind ings of the pa nel in the Ap r i l Appeal that his that wi tho u t h y dro , he f aces an i mminent da nger t o The Ministry stood by i ts rec onsideration decision. The Ministry's position is that the Appellant's outstand i n g hydro arrears are not an unexpected expense -although the Appellant argues that the delay i n scheduling the April Appeal was not his fault, as requirement to pay [his] hydro bill during that time was not an unexpected expense." also says that the A p pe l lant h as th e re s o urces to cov assistance to hy d ro eac h month; although t he Ministry repr $208.86 was high , t h is am ount was required by BC representative at the hearing acknowledged that hydro is considered a basic necessity, but the Ministry's position is that as the Ministrv has paid half of the Annellant's outstandina debt to BC Hvdro EMT 003(10/06/01) APPEAL# : e cons ideratio n deci sion to deny th e App ellan t's and i ng hydro ar rears o n the b asis t h a t he did not W OR is r eason able. st f or a c risis sup ple ment are set ou t i n sec tion nt to or f o r a fami ly uni t that i s eligible for f t requ ires the suppl eme nt to meet an une xpe cte d a nd is unab l e to meet th e expen s e or obtain e to the fa m ily uni t , and t th e expen s e or o b t a i n th e it em w ill re s ult i n y p erson in the family un it . . . criteria to recei ve a crisi s su ppl ement for ll an t 's sub miss ion s f oc used primari l y on the to pay on e hal f of t he App ellant' s outstan ding i n s t allment paymen t s to BC Hyd r o of $ 208.8 6 for tan c e t o rep a y the remainder of the outstanding nanci al reso ur ces to p a y th e $208. 86 monthly is mon t hl y expens es are $ 1,898, mor e t han Th e App el l a nt argu ed th a t it w as unre asonab le 8. 8 6 to BC Hy dro on hi s beha lf w i t h o u t Th e Appella nt a ckno w l edges th a t h is hyd ro bill s tow a rds h is hydro b i l l, but he k nows t hat his n o t d ispute the ch arges for the period f rom 4 on t he A pri l 2 5 , 2014 bill be f ore the Mi ni s try at h e should not be responsible for late payment ng the p erio d i n whi ch his req uest f o r an oral hydro charges are an unexpected exp en s e and his health. it stated in its recon sideration dec ision, "the The Ministry er the payments of $20 8 . 8 6 from his disability e sentative at the hear i ng agreed that Hydro and was not negotiable. The Ministry
a n d h a d n e g o t i a t e d m o n t h l y i n s t a l l m e n t p a y m e n t s o u t s t a n d i n g a m o u n t w o u l d n o t r e s u l t i n i m m i n e n t d D e c i s i o n I n o r d e r t o r e c e i v e a c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t u n d e r s e c t i o t h r e e o f t h e c r i t e r i a s e t o u t i n s u b s . 5 7 ( 1 ) i f t h e a p c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t w i l l n o t b e p r o v i d e d . A s w a s e x p l a i n e d t o t h e A p p e l l a n t a n d h i s a d v o c a t a p p e a l i s t h e r e a s o n a b l e n e s s o f t h e M i n i s t r y ' s J u l y A p p e l l a n t ' s n e w r e q u e s t f o r a c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t f o r T h i s p a n e l a l s o e x p l a i n e d t o t h e A p p e l l a n t a n d h i s r e s c i n d a r e c o n s i d 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 , a t h e M i n i s t r y t o p a y a s p e c i f i c a m o u n t s u b s e q u e n t t o t h e M i n i s t r y p a i d $ 2 , 5 0 6 . 2 8 d i r e c t l y t o B C H y d r o t o w u p a n i n s t a l l m e n t p a y m e n t p l a n d i r e c t l y t o B C H y d r A p p e l l a n t ' s r e m a i n i n g h y d r o d e b t . T h e M i n i s t r y t h e n s u p p l e m e n t f o r u t i l i t i e s t o c o v e r t h e r e m a i n d e r o f h i t h e d e c i s i o n u n d e r a p p e a l t o t h i s p a n e l . S u b s e c t i o n 5 7 ( 1 ) ( a ) o f t h e E A P W D R r e q u i r e s t h a t " u n e x p e c t e d e x p e n s e " ( o r o b t a i n a n i t e m u n e x p e c t e t o f o l l o w d e c i s i o n s o f o t h e r p a n e l s o f t h e T r i b u n a l . b e f o r e i t o n t h i s a p p e a l i s d i f f e r e n t f r o m t h e e v i d e n c f i n d s t h a t t h e A p p e l l a n t h a s c o n t i n u e d t o a c c r u e o u h a s a p p e a l e d t h 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 o f h i s i n c r e a s i n g d e b t t o B C H y d r o f o r s o m e t i m e . T t h a t t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s o u t s t a n d i n g h y d r o a r r e a r s i s n o 5 7 ( 1 ) ( a ) ) i s r e a s o n a b l e b a s e d o n t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s o w o u t s t a n d i n g a r r e a r s t o h y d r o a n d h i s h y d r o b i l l s a r e T h e p a n e l h a s a l r e a d y f o u n d t h a t i t w a s r e a s o n a b l e t h e o u t s t a n d i n g h y d r o b i l l w a s n o t u n e x p e c t e d s u c h i n s u b s . 5 7 ( 1 ) ( a ) o f t h e E A P W D R . S u b s e c t i o n 5 7 ( 1 t h a t h e d o e s n ' t h a v e r e s o u r c e s t o p a y t h e h y d r o c h h e a r i n g a g r e e d t h a t a m o n t h l y p a y m e n t o f $ 2 0 8 . 8 6 a s s i s t a n c e . T h e 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 r e c h i s e v i d e n c e a t t h e h e a r i n g i s t h a t h i s m o n t h l y e x p e ( a l t h o u g h h e d i d n o t p r o v i d e d o c u m e n t a ry e v i d e n c e e v i d e n c e i s t h a t h e h a s a c r e d i t c a r d t h a t h e u s e s t o p a i d h i s c r e d i t c a r d d e b t f o r h i m i n t h e p a s t . T h e p a 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 a t i t w a s s a t i s f i e d t h a t t h p a y m e n t s o f $ 2 0 8 . 8 6 f r o m h i s d i s a b i l i t y a s s i s t a n c e E M T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )A P P E A L # : t o a v o i d d i s c o n n e c t i o n , t h e f a i l u r e t o p a y t h e a n g e r t o t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s p h y s i c a l h e a l t h . n 5 7 o f t h e E A P W D R , a n a p p l i c a n t m u s t m e e t a l l p l i c a n t d o e s n o t m e e t o n e o f t h e t h r e e c r i t e r i a , t h e e a t t h e h e a r i n g , t h e i s s u e b e f o r e t h i s p a n e l o n t h i s 4 , 2 0 1 4 r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n d e n y i n g t h e h i s o u t s t a n d i n g h y d r o a r r e a r s o f $ 2 , 9 0 9 . 9 6 . a d v o c a t e t h a t a l t h o u g h a p a n e l o f t h e T r i b u n a l m a y p a n e l o f t h e T r i b u n a l h a s n o j u r i s d i c t i o n t o o r d e r a s u c c e s s f u l a p p e a l . F o l l o w i n g t h e A p r i l A p p e a l , a r d s t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s o u t s t a n d i n g a r r e a r s a n d s e t o f r o m t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s a s s i s t a n c e t o c o v e r t h e d e n i e d t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s n e w r e q u e s t f o r a c r i s i s s o u t s t a n d i n g h y d r o a r r e a r s o f $ 2 , 9 0 9 . 9 6 , w h i c h i s t h e r e q u e s t e d c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t i s t o m e e t a n d l y n e e d e d ) . T h e p a n e l n o t e s t h a t i t i s n o t b o u n d I n p a r t i c u l a r , t h e p a n e l n o t e s t h a t t h e e v i d e n c e e b e f o r e t h e p a n e l o n t h e A p r i l A p p e a l . T h e p a n e l t s t a n d i n g h y d r o c h a r g e s d u r i n g t h e t i m e t h a t h e n s a n d , f u r t h e r , t h a t t h e A p p e l l a n t h a s b e e n a w a r e 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 a n u n e x p e c t e d e x p e n s e ( a s r e q u i r e d b y s u b s . n e v i d e n c e a c k n o w l e d g i n g t h a t h e h a s g e n e r a l l y h i g h . o f t h e M i n i s t r y t o d e t e r m i n e t h a t t h e e x p e n s e o f t h a t t h e A p p e l l a n t h a s n o t m e t t h e c r i t e r i a s e t o u t ) ( a ) f u r t h e r r e q u i r e s t h e A p p e l l a n t d e m o n s t r a t e a r g e s . T h e M i n i s t r y ' s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e a t t h e f o r h y d r o w a s h i g h f o r a p e r s o n r e c e i v i n g d i s a b i l i t y e i v e s m o n t h l y d i s a b i l i t y a s s i s t a n c e o f $ 9 0 6 . 4 2 a n d n s e s a r e a t l e a s t d o u b l e h i s d i s a b i l i t y a s s i s t a n c e o f h i s m o n t h l y e x p e n s e s ) . T h e A p p e l l a n t ' s c o v e r h i s m o n t h l y e x p e n s e s a n d a f r i e n d h a s 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 i n i t s e A p p e l l a n t h a s t h e r e s o u r c e s t o c o v e r t h e t o B C H y d r o e a c h m o n t h w a s r e a s o n a b l e .
APPEAL# : The Appellant argues that with the pending hydro disconnection, his physical health is in imminent danger -the criteria set out in subs. 57(1 )(b) of the EAPWDR. The Ministry representative at the hearing agreed that hydro is a basic necessity. The Appellant argued that because the Ministry has not paid the remainder of his outstanding hydro bill ($2,909.96), he has received a disconnection notice from BC Hydro that his hydro will be cut off as of the end of August 2014. The panel notes that at the time of the Appellant's new request for a crisis supplement, the Ministry had paid half of the Appellant's outstanding BC Hydro bill and had set up monthly installment payments to avoid disconnection. The evidence before this panel is that the Appellant has a wood stove which provides him heat, he tries to pay $100 per month to BC Hydro and, further, that the Appellant directed the Ministry to stop the installment payments to BC Hydro which would have paid off his outstanding arrears. The panel notes that it is the Appellant's action in cancelling the installment payments that has resulted in the disconnection notice from BC Hydro. The panel finds that the Ministry was reasonable in its determination that failure to provide the requested crisis supplement of $2,909.96 for the remainder of the BC Hydro charges will not result in imminent danger to the Appellant's physical health. The panel finds that the Ministry's determination that the Appellant did not meet the requirements of section 57(1) was a reasonable application of the legislation in the circumstances of the Appellant and confirms the Ministry's reconsideration decision. EAAT 003(10/06/01)
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