PA R T C -D ecision under Appe al This is an appeal of t he J une 18, 2014 reconsideration d ecision o f the Ministry of S ocial Development and Soc i al Innovation ("Ministry"), in which the Min is t ry denied the Ap pellant's request for replacement seat belts for his po wer wheelchair on the basis the reque st d id not m eet the criteria set ou t i n s ubsections 3 ( 5 ), 3( 2) , 3(1 )(b )(i i ) o r 3(1)(b)(iii ) of Schedule C of the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Dis abilities Regulati o n ( " EAPW D R"), o r the criteria set out in section 69 of the EAPWDR. PART D -Re l e vant L e gis lat ion Employ ment and Assistan ce for Perso ns with D isabilities Regula t ion (E APW DR) sections 62 and 69 and Schedule C -Heal th Sup plem ents, s e c t i o ns 3 and 3.2. EAAT 003( 10/06/01)
PART E Sum marv o f Fact s The Appe ll a nt is de signated a pers on with dis abilit i he meets the cr iteria under section 62 of t h e EAPWD Ministr y did not pr ovide his w h ee lch air to him . On or about May 22, an ema il to the M inis try th at the Ministr y pr ovide h im whe elchai r . T he info rma tion b efore the Mini s try at reconsideration • The Appel lant's req ues t fo r recons i de ra tion dat wr itte n su bmissions on r e c ons id e r a t ion in w h of the sea t be lt s o n his wheelcha i r is a m a tter of "Client S • A cop y of a l ett e r da ted May 14, 2014 f r o m the a b ove m en t i oned who suffe rs from a di s a b i l i ty quote]) fo r m o bility ''; and • A cop y of a sales quo t e f r o m a health c a re s up c o st of $27 6.87 f or two b e l ts ( o n e s eat b elt an th e la bour to install the b e l ts. At the h e aring, t he Ap pell ant provid e d a bound b o ok ("Book of Docum ent s") t hat he argued are relevan t to docume n ts at Ta bs 1 , 4 , 5, 6, a nd 11 of th e Bo ok o f be fore t he Ministry at r e c on si derati on , in cluding the Ministr co py of the Ap pe llant's notic e of a pp eal an d Tab 8 i s argu ment o n t his ap peal, whi ch he read to the panel at t a ddit ional docu ments co nt a ined in t he Bo ok of Docume • Tab 2 : cop y of a l etter f r o m the M in istry to the "Pl ea se ha v e your d o ctor indicate what t hese equipment." The Ministry's letter is attached to a copy of an email from the Appellant to th Minis t ry dated May 22 , 2014 "requesting funding" to which the Appellant h letter of May 14, 2014 from his physician and the May 21, 2014 sales quote • Tab 3: copy of an email from the App ellant to the Ministry dated Ma Appellant writes, "Kindly find attached follow-up documentation requested by [the Ministry] in May 23, 2014 letter received by this writer today .... This request is an emergency as this request is in regards to seat belts for a power wheelchair and therefore Client safety is at immed i a te risk witho ut having correct seatbelt on Wheelchair. Kindly app possible." Attached to t he A ppellant's email is a co Appellant's physician dated May 23, 2014 on which is written, "Wheelchair (Ranger 706)" with a comment typed by the Appellan t on the prescr as per May 23, 20 14 letter from [Minist ry] -to be atta funding request -this is the equipme nt the seat belts are for. URGEN PROVIDE FUNDING ASAP. Thank you." • Tab 9: a copy of a letter dated June 23, 2014 from the Appellant's physician stating, "The above mentioned is a patient of mine who I supp wheelchair. He has lost aooroximatelv 80 oounds and his current seatbelts are not sufficient in EAA T003(10/06/01) es and r e c e ives mont h l y disability ass istance and R . The A p pellant do es not disp ute that t he 2 01 4 , t he A ppe l lant requ est ed i n fun ding to r epla ce two se at b elt s o n hi s cons is t e d of th e following: ed Ju ne 9, 20 14 wit h attached " Appe ndix A " ich the Appe ll a nt indicat e d tha t th e repla cem e nt a f e ty"; Appel lant' s p h ysician s tati ng " please ass i s t the and re quires s eatb e l ts ( se e att ached [s ales pli es provi der da te d May 21, 2014 indi cati n g a d o n e le g belt) fo r the Appel lant' s wh eel cha i r plus contai ni ng 12 tabs of addit ional do cume n ts t his appe a l . Th e pa nel n otes that the D ocu ments a r e copie s of do cum ents t hat w ere y 's reconsidera tion p a ckage. Tab 7 is a a c o py of the Ap pell ant' s 2 -page written he h ea r i ng. T he follow ing i s a list of the nts a t the noted tabs: App ell a n t dated Ma y 2 3 , 2014 whic h a dv i se s, se a tbel ts are for -make /mode l/ty p e of e a s a t tached t he not ed a bove . y 2 8, 2 014 in w hi ch the rov e as soon as p y of a prescription note from the iption form, "Attached as per [Ministry] request c he d to May 14, 20 14 Letter for Sea tbelt T R EQ UEST PLEASE o r t in the application for new seatbelts f or his
s e c u r i n g h i m t o h i s c h a i r ( a s t h e y c a n n o t b e p a r t i c u l a r l y w h e n t r a v e l i n g b y p u b l i c t r a n s i t o e T a b 1 0 : a f f i d a v i t s w o r n b y t h e A p p e l l a n t o n h a s " l o s t 1 0 0 L b s b e t w e e n D e c e m b e r 4 , 2 0 1 p h o t o g r a p h s o f t h e s e a t b e l t a n d l e g b e l t o n t • T a b 1 2 : a f f i d a v i t s w o r n b y t h e A p p e l l a n t o n J s w e a r s t h a t t h e m o n e y h e u s e d t o p u r c h a s e h i s m o n e y t h a t c a m e o u t o f h i s " m o n t h l y m a r p u r c h a s e . " T h e A p p e l l a n t a t t a c h e d a s e x h i b • A c o p y o f a n i n v o i c e f r o m a h e a l t h c a r e s u p p t h e p u r c h a s e o f 2 s e a t b e l t s f o r t h e A p p e l l a n t • A c o p y o f t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s s a l e s r e c e i p t f o r t h • A c o p y o f a n i n v o i c e f r o m t h e s e a t b e l t i n s t a l l t h e c o s t o f t h e l a b o u r f o r i n s t a l l i n g t h e s e a t b e w a s $ 5 0 . 0 0 ; • A c o p y o f t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s s a l e s r e c e i p t t o t h e • A c o p y o f h i s m o n t h l y s t a t e m e n t f r o m a f o o d t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s c h a r g e f o r t h e m o n t h e n d i n g T h e M i n i s t r y h a d n o o b j e c t i o n t o t h e a d m i s s i o n o f t h d o c u m e n t s a t T a b s 2 a n d 3 w e r e i n t h e M i n i s t r y ' s f i l A p p e l l a n t a r g u e d t h a t t h e r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e s e a t b e c o u l d f a l l o u t o f t h e w h e e l c h a i r w h e n u s i n g p u b l i c t r a t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s d o c t o r a t T a b 9 s t a t e s t h a t t h e r e p l a p a r t i c u l a r l y w h e n t r a v e l l i n g b y p u b l i c t r a n s i t o r t a x i , " s u b m i s s i o n s o n r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n a n d t h e p a n e l a d m i s u p p o r t o f t h e i n f o r m a t i o n a n d r e c o r d s b e f o r e t h e M u n d e r s e c t i o n 2 2 ( 4 ) ( b ) o f t h e E m p l o y m e n t a n d A s s i s i n f o r m a t i o n i n t h e l e t t e r f r o m t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s d o c t o r a n o t 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 r e c o n s i d e r a t i o t h e r e f o r e , t h e p a n e l d o e s n o t a d m i t t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n T h e i n f o r m a t i o n s e t o u t i n t h e a f f i d a v i t a n d t h e a t t a c h A p p e l l a n t ' s w e i g h t l o s s , w h i c h i n f o r m a t i o n w a s n o t b i n f o r m a t i o n s e t o u t i n t h e a f f i d a v i t a t T a b 1 2 a n d t h e 2 0 1 4 p u r c h a s e o f s e a t b e l t s f o r t h e w h e e l c h a i r , s u b s A p p e l l a n t a r g u e s t h a t t h e r e a s o n h e r e q u i r e d n e w s e w e i g h t l o s s , t h e a c t u a l c o s t o f t h e r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b M i n i s t r y a t r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n , h e h a d t o p u r c h a s e t h e r s a f e t y w h i l e t r a v e l l i n g i n h i s w h e e l c h a i r a n d , a s a r e s h i s f o o d . T h e p a n e l f i n d s t h a t t h e d o c u m e n t s s e t o u 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 b e f o r e t h e M i n i s t r y m a d e , a s r e q u i r e d b y s . 2 2 ( 4 ) o f t h e E m p l o y m e n t a n t h e s e a t b e l t s o c c u r r e d a f t e r t h e r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i a d m i t a s e v i d e n c e a t t h i s a p p e a l t h e i n f o r m a t i o n a t T D u r i n q t h e h e a r i n q , t h e M i n i s t r v a n d t h e A p p e l l a n t r e E AA T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )L . . . . . . m a d e s m a l l e r ) . T h i s i s a s a f e t y c o n c e r n , r t a x i . " J u l y 4 , 2 0 1 4 i n w h i c h t h e A p p e l l a n t s w e a r s t h a t h e 3 a n d J u n e 2 6 , 2 0 1 4 " w i t h a t t a c h e d e x h i b i t s h e A p p e l l a n t ' s c h a i r " a s o f J u n e 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 . " u l y 1 0 , 2 0 1 4 . I n t h i s a f f i d a v i t , t h e A p p e l l a n t a n d i n s t a l l n e w s e a t b e l t s o n h i s w h e e l c h a i r w a s k e d f o o d f u n d s m a k i n g t h i s a n e m e r g e n c y i t s t o t h i s a f f i d a v i t t h e f o l l o w i n g f o u r d o c u m e n t s : l i e s p r o v i d e r d a t e d J u l y 8 , 2 0 1 4 f o r $ 2 2 6 . 7 8 f o r ' s w h e e l c h a i r ; e s e a t b e l t s ; a t i o n c o m p a n y d a t e d J u l y 8 , 2 0 1 4 i n d i c a t i n g t h a t l t s o n t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s w h e e l c h a i r o n J u l y 8 , 2 0 1 4 s e a t b e l t i n s t a l l a t i o n c o m p a n y f o r $ 5 0 ; a n d s e r v i c e s p r o v i d e r d a t e d J u l y 9 , 2 0 1 4 i n d i c a t i n g J u n e 3 0 , 2 0 1 4 i s $ 2 7 2 . 7 5 . e A p p e l l a n t ' s B o o k o f D o c u m e n t s , n o t i n g t h a t t h e e s . I n h i s s u b m i s s i o n o n r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n , t h e l t s o n h i s w h e e l c h a i r w a s a s a f e t y i s s u e a s h e n s i t o r a t a x i a n d i n j u r e h i m s e l f . T h e l e t t e r f r o m c e m e n t o f t h e s e a t b e l t s i s " a s a f e t y c o n c e r n , w h i c h s u p p o r t s t h e i n f o r m a t i o n i n t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s t s t h e s e d o c u m e n t s a s w r i t t e n t e s t i m o n y i n i n i s t r y w h e n t h e d e c i s i o n u n d e r a p p e a l w a s m a d e t a n c e A c t . H o w e v e r , t h e p a n e l n o t e s t h a t t h e t T a b 9 r e g a r d i n g t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s w e i g h t l o s s w a s n a n d i t i s n o t i n s u p p o r t o f s u c h i n f o r m a t i o n ; a s e v i d e n c e . e d p h o t o g r a p h s a t T a b 1 0 r e l a t e t o t h e e f o r e t h e M i n i s t r y a t r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n . T h e a t t a c h e d e x h i b i t s r e l a t e t o t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s J u l y 8 , e q u e n t t o t h e 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 t b e l t s f o r h i s w h e e l c h a i r i s a s a r e s u l t o f h i s e l t s w a s c l o s e t o t h e e s t i m a t e d c o s t b e f o r e t h e e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s t o e n s u r e h i s p h y s i c a l u l t o f t h e p u r c h a s e , h e w i l l n o t b e a b l e t o p a y f o r t a t T a b s 1 0 a n d 1 2 a r e n o t i n s u p p o r t o f a t t h e t i m e t h e d e c i s i o n u n d e r a p p e a l w a s d A s s i s t a n c e A c t t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s p u r c h a s e o f s i o n w a s i s s u e d . T h e r e f o r e , t h e p a n e l d o e s n o t a b s 1 0 a n d 1 2 o f t h e B o o k o f D o c u m e n t s . f e r r e d t o t h e M i n i s t rv ' s o n l i n e r e s o u r c e s w h i c h
contains the Ministry's Medical Equipment and Devices procedure dated October 1, 2012, available on the Ministry's website. In it, the Ministry sets out the procedure for its workers to follow in considering a request for medical equipment and devices which are under $500 and which are over $500. The Ministry procedure was read out at the hearing and the Ministry agreed to provide copies of it to the panel and the Appellant. In the appeal materials provided by the Ministry, the Ministry included a copy of a decision of another panel of this Tribunal dated March 14, 2013 in which the panel confirmed the Ministry's February 18, 2013 reconsideration decision denying the Appellant's request for funding for brake repairs and a custom toggle switch for his wheelchair. In this appeal decision, the panel referred to a copy of a medical equipment request and justification form completed by the Appellant's physician on December 14, 2012, with the accompanying functional assessment from an occupational therapist dated December 18, 2012. The Appellant argued that because the Ministry in its reconsideration decision had noted that he did not provide a functional assessment from an occupational therapist with his request for replacement seatbelts, this panel should note that an occupational therapist's report was before the Ministry in December 2012. The Appellant requested that the Ministry provide to the panel and to him a copy of the December 2012 functional assessment and the Ministry's file on the previous reconsideration. In his testimony at the hearing, the Appellant told the panel that he requested funding from the Ministry to replace two seatbelts on his wheelchair because he had lost a lot of weight in the previous 1 O months and the belts no longer held him in place. The Appellant told the panel that once he lost weight, the waist seatbelt provided with his wheelchair was too large and could not be shortened to hold him in place. The Appellant told the panel that the other belt on his wheelchair around his shins used to hold his legs in place was one he had purchased himself and it needed to be replaced because it was not the proper leg belt for his wheelchair and needed to be upgraded. The Appellant told the panel that he had replaced the seatbelt and the leg belt on his wheelchair in early July 2014 and paid for it himself. Other Procedural Issues The Appellant told the panel that he intends to pursue a judicial review of the panel's decision and he wanted the panel to note in this decision the following procedural issues he raised. The Ministry representative at the hearing had been involved with the Appellant's file, but did not write the reconsideration decision under appeal. The Appellant asked the panel to record his objection to the Ministry representative's attendance at the hearing on the grounds that the Ministry representative is biased. The panel records his objection, but notes that the Appellant does not assert that the panel -the decision-maker on this appeal -is biased. The Appellant asked the panel to record his request that the panel order the Ministry to reimburse him for his disbursements -the Appellant says he incurred costs in the order of $200-$250 to produce the Books of Documents and that he had to pay for the delivery of appeal materials to him. The panel has no authority to award costs on an appeal. EAAT 003(10/06/01)
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 r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s f o r h i s w h e e l c h a i r o n t h e b a s s u b s e c t i o n s 3 ( 5 ) , 3 ( 2 ) , 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) ( i i ) o r 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) ( i i i ) o f S c P e r s o n s w i t h D i s a b i l i t i e s R e g u l a t i o n ( " E A P W D R " ) , o w a s r e a s o n a b l e b a s e d o n t h e e v i d e n c e o r a r e a s o n c i r c u m s t a n c e s . L e g i s l a t i o n T h e f o l l o w i n g a r e t h e r e l e v a n t p r o v i s i o n s o f t h e l e g i s A p p e l l a n t ' s r e q u e s t f o r r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s f o r h i s 6 2 . G e n e r a l h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t s ( 1 ) S u b j e c t t o s u b s e c t i o n s { 1 . 1 ) a n d { 1 . 2 ) , t h e m i n i s t e r 2 [ g e n e r a l h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t s ] o r 3 [ m e d i c a l e q u i p i f t h e h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t i s p r o v i d e d t o o r f o r a p e r s ( a ) a r e c i p i e n t o f d i s a b i l i t y a s s i s t a n c e , 6 9 . H e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t f o r p e r s o n s f a c i n g d i r e c t a n d T h e m i n i s t e r m a y p r o v i d e t o a f a m i l y u n i t a n y h e a l t h s u p h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t s ] a n d 3 [ m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t a n d d e v i p r o v i d e d t o o r f o r a p e r s o n i n t h e f a m i l y u n i t w h o i s o t h e rw r e g u l a t i o n , a n d i f t 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 ( a ) t h e p e r s o n f a c e s a d i r e c t a n d i m m i n e n t l i f e t h t h e p e r s o n ' s f a m i l y u n i t w i t h w h i c h t o m e e t t h a ( b ) t h e h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t i s n e c e s s a r y t o m e e t t h ( c ) t h e p e r s o n ' s f a m i l y u n i t i s r e c e i v i n g p r e m i u m ( d ) t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s s p e c i f i e d i n t h e f o l l o w i n g p r o ( i ) p a r a g r a p h ( a ) o r { f ) o f s e c t i o n 2 ( 1 ) ; ( i i ) s e c t i o n s 3 t o 3 . 1 2 , o t h e r t h a n p a r a g r a p h ( S c h e d u l e C H e a l t h S u p p l e m e n t s 3 . M e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t a n d d e v i c e s ( 1 ) S u b j e c t t o s u b s e c t i o n s ( 2 ) t o ( 5 ) o f t h i s s e c t i o n , t h e m 3 . 1 t o 3 . 1 2 o f t h i s S c h e d u l e a r e t h e h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t s t ( a ) t h e s u p p l e m e n t s a r e p r o v i d e d t o a f a m i l y u n i t t h a t s u p p l e m e n t s ] o f t h i s r e g u l a t i o n , a n d ( b ) a l l o f t h e f o l l o w i n g r e q u i r e m e n t s a r e m e t : ( i ) t h e f a m i l y u n i t h a s r e c e i v e d t h e p r e a u t h o r d e v i c e r e q u e s t e d ; ( i i ) t h e r e a r e n o r e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e t o t h e f a m e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e ; ( i i i ) t h e m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e i s t h e l e a d e v i c e . ( 2 ) F o r m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e s r e f e r r e d t o i n s e c t i o r e q u i r e m e n t s i n t h o s e s e c t i o n s a n d s u b s e c t i o n ( 1 ) o f t h i s o n e o r b o t h o f t h e f o l l o w i n a , a s r e q u e s t e d b v t h e m i n i s t e r E A A T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )e c i s i o n t o d e n y t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s r e q u e s t f o r i s t h e r e q u e s t d i d n o t m e e t t h e c r i t e r i a s e t o u t i n h e d u l e C 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 f o r r t h e c r i t e r i a s e t o u t i n s e c t i o n 6 9 o f t h e E A P W D R a b l e a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e l e g i s l a t i o n i n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s l a t i o n ( t h e E A P W D R ) a p p l i c a b l e t o t h e w h e e l c h a i r . m a y p r o v i d e a n y h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t s e t o u t i n s e c t i o n m e n t a n d d e v i c e s ] o f S c h e d u l e C t o o r f o r a f a m i l y u n i t o n i n t h e f a m i l y u n i t w h o i s i m m i n e n t l i f e t h r e a t e n i n g n e e d . p l e m e n t s e t o u t i n s e c t i o n s 2 { 1 ) ( a ) a n d { f ) [ g e n e r a l c e s ] o f S c h e d u l e C , i f t h e h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t i s i s e n o t e l i g i b l e f o r t h e h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t u n d e r t h i s r e a t e n i n g n e e d a n d t h e r e a r e n o r e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e t o t n e e d , a t n e e d , a s s i s t a n c e u n d e r t h e M e d i c a r e P r o t e c t i o n A c t , a n d v i s i o n s o f S c h e d u l e C , a s a p p l i c a b l e a r e m e t : a ) o f s e c t i o n 3 ( 1 ) . e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t a n d d e v i c e s d e s c r i b e d i n s e c t i o n s h a t m a y b e p r o v i d e d b y t h e m i n i s t e r i f i s e l i g i b l e u n d e r s e c t i o n 6 2 [ g e n e r a l h e a l t h i z a t i o n o f t h e m i n i s t e r f o r t h e m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r i l y u n i t t o p a y t h e c o s t o f o r o b t a i n t h e m e d i c a l s t e x p e n s i v e a p p r o p r i a t e m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r n s 3 . 1 t o 3 . 8 o r s e c t i o n 3 . 1 2 , i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e s e c t i o n , t h e f a m i l y u n i t m u s t p r o v i d e t o t h e m i n i s t e r :
(a) a pr e sc ription o f a m edical practition e r o r nurs e p ( b) an ass essment by an occupational therapist or physical th medical equipment or device. (3) Subject to s ectio n (6), the minister may provide as a health supplement a replacement of medical equipment or medical de vi ce , previous l y provi ded by the or not functioning if, (a) it is m ore ec onomical to rep lace t han to repair the m th e mi n i ster, and ( b) th e period of ti m e, if a n y , set out in se c t io ns 3.1 to 3.11 o of t h i s paragraph, has passed. (4) Subject to s ection (6), the m i nister may provide as a healt medical dev i ce th at wa s previously pro v ided by the minister if it is more economical to repair t equipme nt or device tha n to replace it. (5) Subject to section (6), the minister may provide as a health medical device that was not previously p rovide d by t he minister if (a) a t the time of the rep air the r equ irements in t h i s s appl ica b le , are met in r e sp e ct of the med i c al e q uipment (b) it is m o re e cono mi cal to repair t h e me dical equipme (6) Th e mi nist e r may not pr ov ide a replac ement of medi cal repai r s of med ical equipment or a medic al dev ice under section (4) or medic al equipme n t or device was dama ged through mis use. 3.2 Medi cal eq uipment and devices -wh eelch a irs (1 ) In th is sect i o n , "wheelc h air" does not include a stro lle ( 2 ) Subject to s u bsecti o n (4) of this section, the follow in g sec tio n 3 of this Sched ule if the minister is sati sf i e d t hat t ba s i c mobi lit y; (a ) a w heel ch a ir; (b ) an u p grad ed c omponent o f a wheelchai r; (c) an a ccesso ry attached to a wh ee l chair . ( 3) The per iod of time ref err e d to in sectio n 3 (3) (b) of th is S describ ed in s ub s ectio n (2 ) of t his se cti on is 5 ye ars after (4 ) A high-performance wheelch air f o r re cre a tiona l or spo section 3 of this Schedule. The foll o wing sections of Schedule C of the EAPWDR are not relevant to the Appellant's request for replacement seatbelts for his whee lchair: 3.1 -c ane systems; 3.4-scooters; 3. 5 -ba t hing and toile t ing a mattresses; 3.8 -floor or ceiling lift; 3.9 -positive airway pressure devices; 3.10 -orthoses; 3.11 hearing aids. Submissions The Appellant does not dispute the fact that the Ministry did not provide him with his wheelchair. Appellant argues that he requires replacement seatbelts for his wheelchair because the seatbelts are too big to m ain tain him safely in his wheelchair. He says he year and the se atb e l t a r ound hi s waist can not b e cin ched wheelchair. He says that the belt around his legs needs to be upgraded to the proper leg belt for his wheelchair. He araues that the i nfor mation he provided to EMT003(10/06/01) ract ition er for the medical e qui p ment o r de vi ce ; era pi st confirming t he m ed ical need fo r t he mini ster under this section th a t is damaged, worn out edical equi pme nt or device p revious ly pr ov i d ed by f t his Schedule , as a p pl icable, for the purposes h sup plemen t r epai r s of medical equipment or a he m edi cal supp l em ent repairs of medical equipment or a e ction and sec tion 3 . 1 to 3 .1 1 of this S ch e dule, as o r de vice being r e paired, and n t or a med ical d evic e than t o r e place it. equipment or a medi cal de vic e und er sec t ion (3 ) or (5) if th e m inister c ons id ers that th e r . it e m s a re health sup plements for the pur poses o f he it em is medically essentia l t o achiev e or maintain che dule w i t h respect t o re pl a c e ment of an i tem the m inister pr ovided th e it e m being repl ac ed. rts us e is n ot a health supple m e nt for the pur po ses o f s, c rutches an d walkers; 3.3 -w heelchair seatin g ids; 3.6-hos pital bed; 3.7 -p ress ur e relief The has lost a great d eal of weight in t he pas t i n tig h t e n oug h to kee p him in the the Ministrv in Mav 2014 with his request
f o r f u n d i n g t h e d o c t o r ' s n o t e o f M a y 1 4 , 2 0 1 4 t o g e d e m o n s t r a t e s t h a t h e n e e d s t h e r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b t r a v e l l i n g o n p u b l i c t r a n s i t o r i n t a x i s ( w i t h o u t a p r o p w h e e l c h a i r i f t h e v e h i c l e s t o p p e d s u d d e n l y ) . H e a l s e v i d e n c e s u p p o r t i n g h i s c l a i m t h a t h i s w e i g h t l o s s h s a f e t y . R e f e r r i n g t o s u b s e c t i o n 3 ( 5 ) o f S c h e d u l e C i n f o r m a t i o n i n t h e M a y 2 1 , 2 0 1 4 q u o t e t h a t i t w o u l d d e m o n s t r a t e s t h a t t h e r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e s e a t b e l t s h i s e x p e n s i v e w h e e l c h a i r ) . T h e M i n i s t r y d o e s n o t d i s p u t e t h a t t h e A p p e l l a n t i s a d i s a b i l i t y a s s i s t a n c e a n d h e m e e t s t h e r e q u i r e m e n t 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 n o t e d t h a t t h e i n f o r m a t i o n t o t h e M i n i s t r y t o s u p p o r t h i s r e q u e s t f o r • w h e t h e r t h e r e a r e o t h e r r e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e t r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s ; • w h e t h e r t h e r e q u e s t e d r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e ; • a n a s s e s s m e n t b y a n o c c u p a t i o n a l o r p h y s i c a r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e s e a t b e l t s ; • i n f o r m a t i o n o n t h e c o n d i t i o n o r r e p a r a b i l i t y o f w h e e l c h a i r ; a n d • a m e d i c a l p r o f e s s i o n a l ' s s u b s t a n t i a t i o n t h a t t h r e q u e s t e d r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s . T h e M i n i s t r y t h u 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 ' s r e d i d n o t m e e t t h e c r i t e r i a s e t o u t i n s u b s e c t i o n s 3 ( 1 ) ( b E A P W D R , o r t h e c r i t e r i a s e t o u t i n s e c t i o n 6 9 o f t h e P a n e l D e c i s i o n U n d e r s u b s e c t i o n 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) o f S c h e d u l e C o f t h e E A P W e q u i p m e n t a n d d e v i c e s l i s t e d i n s e c t i o n s 3 . 1 t h r o u g h f o l l o w i n g r e q u i r e m e n t s a r e m e t : t h e f a m i l y u n i t h a s r t h e m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e r e q u e s t e d ( s u b s . 3 ( f a m i l y u n i t t o p a y t h e c o s t o f o r o b t a i n t h e m e d i c a l e q m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e i s t h e l e a s t e x p e n s i v e a 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) ( i i i ) ) . I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s s e t o u t i n 3 ( 2 ) o f S c h e d u l e C o f t h e E A P W D R p r o v i d e s t h a t t h e s e c t i o n s 3 . 1 t o 3 . 8 a n d t h e A p p e l l a n t m u s t p r o v i d e t o r e q u e s t e d b y t h e m i n i s t e r : a p r e s c r i p t i o n o f a m e d i c a e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e , o r a n a s s e s s m e n t b y a n o c c u p m e d i c a l n e e d f o r t h e m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e . r e q u e s t f o r r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s f o r h i s w h e e l c h a i r 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 p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s f o r e q u i r e m e n t s s e t o u t i n s u b s . 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) o f S c h e d u l e C o E A A T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )t h e r w i t h h i s o w n e m a i l c o m m u n i c a t i o n s e l t s f o r h i s w h e e l c h a i r f o r h i s s a f e t y w h e n e r l y f i t t i n g s e a t b e l t , h e c o u l d f a l l o u t o f t h e o p o i n t s t o h i s d o c t o r ' s l e t t e r o f J u n e 2 3 , 2 0 1 4 a s a s n e c e s s i t a t e d r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s f o r h i s o w n o f t h e E A P W D R , t h e A p p e l l a n t a r g u e s t h a t t h e c o s t $ 2 7 6 . 8 7 t o r e p l a c e t h e s e a t b e l t s i s e c o n o m i c a l ( m o r e e c o n o m i c a l t h a n r e p l a c i n g d e s i g n a t e d p e r s o n w i t h d i s a b i l i t i e s i n r e c e i p t o f s e t o u t i n s e c t i o n 6 2 ( 1 ) ( a ) o f t h e E A P W D R . I n t h e A p p e l l a n t d i d n o t p r o v i d e a n y o f t h e f o l l o w i n g r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e s e a t b e l t s o f h i s w h e e l c h a i r : o t h e A p p e l l a n t t o p a y t h e c o s t o f o r o b t a i n t h e a r e t h e l e a s t e x p e n s i v e a p p r o p r i a t e m e d i c a l l t h e r a p i s t c o n f i r m i n g t h e m e d i c a l n e e d f o r t h e t h e e x i s t i n g s e a t b e l t s o n t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s e A p p e l l a n t h a s a l i f e t h r e a t e n i n g n e e d f o r t h e q u e s t f o r r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s f o r h i s w h e e l c h a i r ) ( i i ) , 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) ( i i i ) , 3 ( 2 ) , o r 3 ( 5 ) o f S c h e d u l e C E A P W D R . D R , t h e m i n i s t e r m a y p r o v i d e t h e m e d i c a l 3 . 1 1 i f t 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 a l l o f t h e e c e i v e d t h e p r e a u t h o r i z a t i o n o f t h e m i n i s t e r f o r 1 ) ( b ) ( i ) ) ; t h e r e a r e n o r e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e t o t h e u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e ( s u b s . 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) ( i i ) ) ; a n d t h e p p r o p r i a t e m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e ( s u b s . s u b s e c t i o n 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) o f S c h e d u l e C , s u b s e c t i o n r e q u e s t m u s t m e e t t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s s e t o u t i n t h e m i n i s t e r o n e o f b o t h o f t h e f o l l o w i n g , a s l p r a c t i t i o n e r o r n u r s e p r a c t i t i o n e r f o r t h e m e d i c a l a t i o n a l o r p h y s i c a l t h e r a p i s t c o n f i r m i n g t h e T h e l e g i s l a t i o n r e q u i r e s t h a t t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s m u s t s a t i s f y a l l t h e a p p l i c a b l e r e q u i r e m e n t s . r h i s w h e e l c h a i r m u s t m e e t a l l o f t h e f t h e E A P W D R . T h e A n n e l l a n t d o e s n o t d i s p u t e
t h a t h e d i d n o t r e c e i v e t h e p r e a u t h o r i z a t i o n o f t h e m b e l t s f o r h i s w h e e l c h a i r ( a s r e q u i r e d b y s u b s . 3 ( 1 ) ( b S u b s e c t i o n 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) ( i i ) o f S c h e d u l e C , E A P W D R r e q u f a m i l y u n i t t o p a y t h e c o s t o f o r o b t a i n t h e m e d i c a l e A p p e l l a n t h a d n o t p r o v i d e d i n f o r m a t i o n t o a l l o w t h e r e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e t o p a y t h e c o s t o f o r o b t a i n t h e r 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 A p p e l l a n t d i d n a v a i l a b l e s e t o u t i n s u b s e c t i o n 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) ( i i ) i s r e a s o n a b S u b s e c t i o n 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) ( i i i ) o f S c h e d u l e C , E A P W D R r e q e x p e n s i v e a p p r o p r i a t e m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e q u o t e f o r r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e s e a t b e l t s . T h e p a n e l f i n d i d n o t m e e t t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s s e t o u t i n s u b s e c t i o n a s o n e q u o t e i s i n s u f f i c i e n t t o d e t e r m i n e w h e t h e r t h e t h e r e a r e n o o t h e r q u o t e s f o r c o m p a r i s o n . S u b s e c t i o n 3 ( 2 ) o f S c h e d u l e C , E A P W D R r e q u i r e s a m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e a n d a n a s s e s s m e n t b y c o n f i r m i n g t h e n e e d f o r t h e m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r d e A p p e l l a n t a r g u e s h e n e e d s t h e r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t o n p u b l i c t r a n s i t o r i n t a x i s ( w i t h o u t a p r o p e r l y f i t t i n g v e h i c l e s t o p p e d s u d d e n l y ) , a n a s s e s s m e n t b y a n o c c o n f i r m i n g t h e m e d i c a l n e e d f o r t h e r e q u e s t e d w h e e M i n i s t r y a r g u e s t h a t w h i l e t h e d o c t o r w r i t e s t h a t t h e A w h e t h e r r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s a r e " r e q u i r e d " a s p e w h e e l c h a i r h a s e x i s t i n g s e a t b e l t s . T h e p a n e l f i n d s t h n o t m e e t t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s s e t o u t i n s u b s . 3 ( 2 ) w a s " r e q u i r e m e n t " f o r t h e s e a t b e l t s i s u n c l e a r a n d n o f u rt t h e r a p i s t w a s p r o v i d e d t o s u p p o r t t h e A p p e l l a n t ' s r e q i n f o r m a t i o n o n w h e t h e r h i s w h e e l c h a i r h a s e x i s t i n g s s e a t b e l t s o n h i s w h e e l c h a i r w a s r e q u i r e d b e c a u s e o f S u b s e c t i o n 3 ( 5 ) o f S c h e d u l e C , E A P W D R s t a t e s t h a r e p a i r s o f m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t o r a m e d i c a l d e v i c e t h a i s m o r e e c o n o m i c a l t o r e p a i r t h e m e d i c a l e q u i p m e n t 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 a t t h e M i n i s t r y d i d n o t p t h a t a l t h o u g h i t d i d n o t p r o v i d e t h e w h e e l c h a i r t o t h e b e l t s , n o t " r e p a i r ' ' o f s e a t b e l t s , a s r e q u i r e d b y s u b s . 3 n o t e s t a b l i s h e d t h a t r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e e x i s t i n g s e a t s e a t b e l t s o r t h a t r e p a i r o f t h e e x i s t i n g s e a t b e l t s w a s d e t e r m i n a t i o n 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 h e r e q b a s e d o n t h e e v i d e n c e a s t h e A p p e l l a n t d i d n o t s e e k d i d n o t p r o v i d e i n f o r m a t i o n o n w h e t h e r h i s w h e e l c h a i o f t h e e x i s t i n g s e a t b e l t s o n h i s w h e e l c h a i r w a s r e q u i r S e c t i o n 6 9 E A P W D R s t a t e s t h e m i n i s t e r m a v p r o v i d e E AA T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )i n i s t e r f o r t h e r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e r e q u e s t e d s e a t ) ( i ) o f S c h e d u l e C ) . i r e s t h a t t h e r e a r e n o r e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e t o t h e q u i p m e n t o r d e v i c e . T h e M i n i s t r y n o t e d t h a t t h e m i n i s t e r t o d e t e r m i n e w h e t h e r h e h a s f i n a n c i a l e q u e s t e d r e p l a c e m e n t s e a t b e l t s . T h e p a n e l f i n d s o t m e e t t h e r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t h e h a s n o r e s o u r c e s l e b a s e d o n t h e e v i d e n c e . u i r e s t h a t t h e m e d i c a l d e v i c e i s t h e l e a s t . T h e A p p e l l a n t p r o v i d e d t h e M i n i s t r y w i t h o n e 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 A p p e l l a n t 3 ( 1 ) ( b ) ( i i i ) i s r e a s o n a b l e b a s e d o n t h e e v i d e n c e c o s t p r e s e n t e d i s t h e l e a s t e x p e n s i v e b e c a u s e p r e s c r i p t 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 f o r t h e a n o c c u p a t i o n a l t h e r a p i s t o r p h y s i c a l t h e r a p i s t v i c e i f r e q u e s t e d b y t h e m i n i s t e r . W h i l e t h e s f o r h i s w h e e l c h a i r f o r h i s s a f e t y w h e n t r a v e l l i n g s e a t b e l t , h e c o u l d f a l l o u t o f t h e w h e e l c h a i r i f t h e c u p a t i o n a l t h e r a p i s t o r p h y s i c a l t h e r a p i s t l c h a i r s e a t b e l t s w a s n o t p r o v i d e d . F u r t h e r , t h e p p e l l a n t " r e q u i r e s s e a t b e l t s " , i t i s n o t c l e a r r t h e l e g i s l a t i o n a s i t i s n o t k n o w n w h e t h e r t h e 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 A p p e l l a n t d i d r e a s o n a b l e b a s e d o n t h e e v i d e n c e a s t h e h e r a s s e s s m e n t o f a n o c c u p a t i o n a l o r p h y s i c a l u e s t . T h e A p p e l l a n t a l s o d i d n o t p r o v i d e e a t b e l t s o r w h e t h e r r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e e x i s t i n g a d e f a u l t i n t h e e x i s t i n g s e a t b e l t s . t t h e m i n i s t e r m a y p r o v i d e a s a h e a t h s u p p l e m e n t t w a s n o t p r e v i o u s l y p r o v i d e d b y t h e M i n i s t r y i f i t o r d e v i c e t h a n t o r e p l a c e i t ( s u b s . 3 ( 5 ) ( b ) ) . T h e r o v i d e h i s w h e e l c h a i r t o h i m . T h e M i n i s t r y a r g u e s A p p e l l a n t , t h e r e q u e s t i s f o r " r e p l a c e m e n t " s e a t ( 5 ) . T h e M i n i s t r y f o u n d t h a t t h e A p p e l l a n t h a d b e l t s w a s r e q u i r e d d u e t o d e f a u l t i n t h e e x i s t i n g n o t p o s s i b l e . 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 u i r e m e n t s s e t o u t i n s u b s . 3 ( 5 ) w a s r e a s o n a b l e " r e p a i r ' ' o f t h e s e a t b e l t s o f h i s w h e e l c h a i r a n d r h a s e x i s t i n g s e a t b e l t s o r w h e t h e r r e p l a c e m e n t e d b e c a u s e o f a d e f a u l t i n t h e e x i s t i n g s e a t b e l t s a n v h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t s e t o u t i n s e c t i o n s
I --2(1 )(a) and (f) and 3 of Schedule C of the EAPWDR if the minister is satisfied that the person faces a direct and imminent life threatening need and there are no resources available to the family unity with which to meet that need. The Appellant argues that the replacement of the seatbelts on his wheelchair is necessary to avoid imminent danger to his physical health- he says without the properly fitted seatbelts, he is at risk of falling out of the wheelchair during transport and injuring himself. The Ministry argued that aside from the Appellant's opinion that without "correct seat belts" there is a safety risk, there is no substantive information on the condition of the existing seatbelts or evidence from either the equipment supplier, an occupational or physical therapist, or the Appellant's physician to confirm the Appellant's opinion that he faced a safety risk without the correct seatbelts on his wheelchair. The panel has already found the Ministry's determination that the Appellant did not meet the requirement of having no resources is reasonable based on the evidence. As there is no substantive information on the condition of the existing seatbelts, the panel finds the Ministry's determination that the Appellant did not meet the requirements set out in s. 69 EAPWDR to be reasonable based on the evidence. On the basis of the foregoing, the panel finds that the Ministry was reasonable in determining that the Appellant's request for replacement seatbelts did not meet the legislative criteria set out in subsection 3 of Schedule C of the EAPWDR or in section 69 of the EAPWDR. Therefore, the panel confirms the Ministry's reconsideration decision to deny the Appellant's request for the replacement of the seatbelts of his wheelchair as the legislative requirements set out in the EAPWDR were not met. EMT003(10/06/01)
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