I APPEAL# PART C-Decision under Appeal The decision under appeal is the Ministry of Social Development and Social Innovation (ministry) reconsideration decision dated November 6, 2014, which held that the appellant is not eligible f o r funding for a positioning chair because his request failed to meet the required legislative criteria set out in the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulation (EAPWDR). The ministry found that the appellant is eligible to receive health supplements under section 62 of the EAPWDR as he is in receipt of disability assistance. The ministry also found that the evidence suggests that the appellant may face a direct and imminent life threatening need pursuant to section 69 of the EAPWDR. However, the ministry determined that the positioning chair that the appellant requested is not a health supplement set out in Schedule C of the EAPWDR. PART 0-Relevant Legislation Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulation (EAPWDR) -Sections 69 and Schedule C, sections 2, 2.1, 2.2, and 3, 3.1 to 3.12, 4, 4.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9. EAAT 003(10/06/01)
APPEAL# I PART E-Summary of Facts The evidence before the ministry at the time of reconsideration consists of: 1. Request for Reconsideration signed and dated October 20, 2014 which includes 4 photos of the appellant taken while he eats a meal and a letter from the appellant's occupational therapist (OT) dated October 20, 2014. One photo is from December 2013 showing the appellant sitting upright and eating. The 3 additional photos are from September 2014 which show the appellant's body and head leaning to the left while he eats. The October 20, 2014 letter in part states the following: • supportive seat f o r mealtimes is medically necessary, even if he is ambulatory, and the most appropriate piece of equipment for him at this point; • the appellant is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, blind in the left eye, reduced vision in the right eye and has symptoms of progressive dementia. The Parkinson's disease causes rigidity, shaking and slowness of muscle movement including those involved in swallowing; • the appellant requires increased lateral support to minimize the leaning to his right side with the use of laterals and hip guides to help keep him in a more upright position; • the positioning chair requested was trialed and it was f o und that this particular chair best suits the appellant's posture needs and help him to maintain a more upright posture during mealtimes; • the appellant is independent, involved in most decision making that is related to his care and will not agree to the use of a wheelchair just for mealtimes. 2. Medical Equipment Request and Justification form signed and dated by the appellant on June 4, 2014, by the appellant's physician on June 5, 2014 and by the appellant's OT on June 12, 2014. The physician lists the appellant's medical conditions as Parkinson's disease, blindness in left eye and learning disabilities and supports the need f o r a supportive chair. The OT included a letter dated June 12, 2014, which states in part: • the appellant's medical conditions as Parkinson's disease, glaucoma, blindness in the left eye, deterioration of vision in the right eye, subcortical encephalopathy (progressive dementia) and learning difficulties; • the appellant leans to the right side while in a seated position at mealtime and his head also leans substantially to the right; • the appellant has been identified as being at increased risk of having swallowing difficulties and choking, and requiring ongoing monitoring; • the recommendation is a chair that will provide good lateral and pelvic support to decrease leaning, is a good height to fit under the dining table, comfortable to sit in, and easy for the appellant to shift in/out of; • the recommended positioning chair was trialed, it improved his trunk and head posture substantially, and it has the capacity to tilt in order to be able to work with gravity and help reduce leaning. 3. A quote dated April 25, 2014 f o r a positioning chair f o r $1,942.31. This includes the basic chair and attachments that are specific to the appellant's needs as indicated by the OT in his letters. A Notice of Appeal signed and dated by the appellant on November 12, 2014, which states that eventually his health will deteriorate and he will need to be in a wheelchair but he does not want one now. He would like to eat in peace and enjoy his meal without reminders from others regarding his EAAT 003(10/06/01)
p osture. At the h earing through his represen t a ti ve, who is also the manage a p pellant s t a ted that : • although called an "activity chair," the re q uested cards. Ra ther' it is a positi o ni n g c hair that comes wit to him wh y it ca nnot b e considered a wheelchair • eati n g is a b i g com ponent of h i s da y and it h ( e.g. 1. 5 hour s t o eat a meal) because of his positioning; • mealtime is also not enjoyable as he is constantly avoid choking; • he used th e positi o ni ng c hair o n a t rial basis and fo could eat upright and con t inued to sit upright for a coup return ed ; • the chair is th e r a p eutic and as essential as a wheelchair; • othe r alternatives have been explored but none meet hi to s u p port h im at mealtime; • t h e pos iti o n ing c h air c a n only be used fo r indo c on di t i o n w i ll det eri orate and there fore h e wil • h e does not li k e cha nge and c urr e n t ly he d o keep h im i n de pendent a nd as mo bil e as p o ssi • the s ta bil ity t hat t he pos i tioni ng chair provid es it i s i llo gi cal t o put him i n a whee lch air at t h is po in a whee lcha ir. The app ell ant als o provid ed an on line photo of a basic wi de, with l arge cush ion s and c o mes w i th adjustable a The wi tne s s, who is a caregiver at the a p pell a nt's h • the app e l lant lea ns to t he ri g h t when ea t ing an • he does not e njo y his meal s bec ause h e i s co chok i ng hazard ; • he will not finish his meal because he is in pain from lea • she notic ed that whe n he used th e positioning chair on a was sitting mor e upright in other chairs, and was able to participate in other activiti exercise class. At the hearing the ministry relied on its reconsideration decision a conside r s a ll additional in format ion . If a wheelchair the ministry will consider the medical information provided by th positioning chair is not a wheelchair, it can not be used m obility at this point. Admissibility of N ew I nformation The ministry did not object to the admission of the new information. photo of the positioning chair provided information regarding how the appellant would use the chair and how it is similar or dissimilar to a wheelchair. The EAAT 003(10/06/01) I APPEAL# r of the home he l iv es i n , the c hair is not for activities such as playing h wheels a nd a seat belt, and it is unclear ; a s become unen joy a ble a nd ta k e s m uch lo ng er reminded b y his care-gi vers to sit s t ra ight t o u nd t ha t it corr ected his postu re so that he le of weeks aft er the chair was s n e eds and currently pillows are used or mob i li ty and i t is ve ry po s sible th at his l require a wheel cha ir i n the fut ure; e s no t need or want a w h eel chair as it is bes t to ble ; will keep him more indepe n de n t an d mobi le, and int as h is c o nd ition wi ll l i ke ly dete r iorat e f urther model of t he po sit ioning chair. T he chair is r m r e s t s . o me, stated that: d w i ll take much longer to e at his mea ls; nstantly re minde d t o si t uprig ht because o f the n ing too long to o ne side; tri al ba sis, his postu r e co rre ct e d, he e s such as n d add ed that the m inist r y b ecomes medical ly essential for the appellant, e appell ant at that time. However the outdoors and is not medically essential for The panel found that the on line anel admitted this additional information as
b eing in s u ppo rt of informat ion and r ecords that were re consider ation, in acco rdance wit h S ect io n 22(4)(b) EAAT 003(10/06/01) APP EAL# ! b e fore the ministry a t the time of of the Em pl oyment and Assista n ce Act.
APPEAL# I PART F -Reasons for Panel Decision The issue on appeal is whether the ministry's decision which held that the appellant is not eligible for funding f o r an activity chair because his request failed to meet the legislative criteria set out in the EAPWDR was reasonably supported by the evidence or was a reasonable application of the applicable enactment in the circumstances of the appellant. In particular, was the ministry reasonable in determining that the positioning chair requested is not a health supplement set out in Schedule C of the EAPWDR? The relevant legislation is as follows: Schedule C of the EAPWDR General health supplements 2 ( 1) The following are the health supplements that may be paid for by the minister if provided to a family unit that is eligible under section 62 [general health supplements] of this regulation: (a) medical or surgical supplies that are, at the minister's discretion, either disposable or reusable, if the minister is satisfied that all of the following requirements are met: (i) the supplies are required for one of the following purposes: (A) wound care; (B) ongoing bowel care required due to loss of muscle function; (C) catheterization; (D) incontinence; (E) skin parasite care; (F) limb circulation care; (ii) the supplies are (A) prescribed by a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner, (B) the least expensive supplies appropriate for the purpose, and (C) necessary to avoid an imminent and substantial danger to health; (iii) there are no resources available to the family unit to pay the cost of or obtain the supplies Section 2(1)(c) provides that the following items are health supplements if the other criteria of the section are met: a service for acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy, naturopathy, non-surgical podiatry, physical therapy. Section 2(1 )(f) of Schedule C provides that the following items are health supplements if the other criteria of the section are met: the least expensive appropriate mode of transportation. Section 2.1 of Schedule C provides that the following are the optical supplements that may be provided under Section 62.1 of the EAPWOR: basic eyewear and repairs, pre-authorized eyewear and repairs. Section 2.2 of Schedule C provides that the minister may pay a health supplement under Section 62.2 of the EAPWDR for an eye examination if the other criteria of the section are met. Medical equipment and devices EAAT003(10/06/01)
3 ( 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 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 h a t m ( 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 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 i z a 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 i l 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 s S e c t i o n 3 . 1 p r o v i d e s t h a t t h e f o l l o w i n g i t e m s a r e h e a l t h S c h e d u l e , i f t h e o t h e r c r i t e r i a o f t h e s e c t i o n a r e m e t : a c c r u t c h o r a w a l k e r . S e c t i o n 3 . 2 p r o v i d e s t h a t t h e f o l l o w i n g i t e m s a r e h e a l t h c r i t e r i a o f t h e s e c t i o n a r e m e t : a w h e e l c h a i r , a n u p g r a d e t o a w h e e l c h a i r . S e c t i o n 3 . 3 p r o v i d e s t h a t t h e f o l l o w i n g i t e m s a r e h e a l t h S c h e d u l e , i f t h e o t h e r c r i t e r i a o f t h e s e c t i o n a r e m e t : a w w h e e l c h a i r s e a t i n g s y s t e m . S e c t i o n 3 . 4 p r o v i d e s t h a t t h e f o l l o w i n g i t e m s a r e h e a l t h S c h e d u l e , i f t h e o t h e r c r i t e r i a o f t h e s e c t i o n a r e m e t : a s a c c e s s o r y a t t a c h e d t o a s c o o t e r . 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 t o i l e t i n g , t r a n s f e r 3 . 5 ( 0 . 1 ) I n t h i s s e c t i o n : " p o s i t i o n i n g c h a i r ' ' d o e s n o t i n c l u d e " t r a n s f e r a i d " m e a n s a t r a n s f e r b o a r d ( 1 ) T h e f o l l o w i n g i t e m s a r e h e a l t h s u p p l e m 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 t h e i t e m i s m e p e r s o n o r t o a c h i e v e o r m a i n t a i n a p e r s o n ( a ) a g r a b b a r i n a b a t h r o o m ( b ) a b a t h o r s h o w e r s e a t ; ( c ) a b a t h t r a n s f e r b e n c h w i t h ( d ) a t u b s l i d e ; ( e ) a b a t h l i f t ; ( f ) a b e d p a n o r u r i n a l ; E M T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )I A P P E A L # 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 d e s c r i b e d i n s e c t i o n s 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 a t 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 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 d e v i c e 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 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 d e v i c e . s u p p l e m e n t s f o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f s e c t i o n 3 o f t h e a n e , a c r u t c h , a w a l k e r , a n a c c e s s o r y t o a c a n e , a s u p p l e m e n t s f o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f s e ct i o n 3 i f t h e o t h e r d c o m p o n e n t o f a w h e e l c h a i r , a n a c c e s s o r y a t t a c h e d s u p p l e m e n t s f o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f s e c t i o n 3 o f t h e h e e l c h a i r s e a t i n g s y s t e m , a n a c c e s s o r y t o a s u p p l e m e n t s f o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f s e c t i o n 3 o f t h e c o o t e r , a n u p g r a d e d c o m p o n e n t o f a s c o o t e r , a n s a n d p o s i t i o n i n g a i d s a l i ft c h a i r ; , t r a n s f e r b e l t o r s l i d e r s h e e t . e n t s f o r t h e p u r p o s e s o f s e c t i o n 3 o f t h i s S c h e d u l e i f d i c a l l y e s s e n t i a l t o f a c i l i t a t e t o i l e t i n g o r t r a n s f e r s o f a ' s p o s i t i o n i n g : ; h a n d h e l d s h o w e r ;
(g) a raised toilet seat; (h) a toile t safety frame; (i ) a floor-t o-ceiling pole i n a bathroom or bedroom; U) a portable commode ch ai (k) a standing frame for a per achieve or maintain basic mobility; (I) a po sitioni ng chair for a person for whom a wheelchair is me achieve or maintain basic mobilit (m) a tran s fe r aid f or a person transfer f rom one position to (2) The period o f ti me referred to in section 3 (3) (b) of this of an item described in subsection (1) of this m i nister prov i ded the item being repl a ced. Se ction 3.6 provi des that the fol lowi ng item s are health s Schedule, if the other c r i teria of th e s e ctio n are met: a hospital bed, an upgrad an acce ssory a t tac h e d to a hospi tal bed , and a posit ioning Sect ion 3. 7 pr ovides that the foll o wing item is a he al t h supple Schedu le, if the o ther cr iteria o f the sec tion are m et: a press S ec tion 3 .8 provid es t h at the follo wing i te m i s a health sup Schedul e, i f t h e other criteria o f the sect ion are met: a f l Sectio n 3.9 p r ovi de s th a t the follow in g ite ms a re health supplem Schedule, if the other criteria o f th e secti on a re met: breathin Secti on 3.10 p rovide s t hat th e followi ng item s are an orthosi sect ion 3 of th e Sched ule, if t he o ther criteria of t h e section a ort h o tic, cu sto m-made f ootwear, a p erma ne nt m od ifica tion p uspose , o ff-th e -s he lf orth opa edic f oo twea r, an a nkle brac a knee brace, a hip brace, an upper extremity brace, a cr orthosis, or a toe orthosis. Sect ion 3.10 provides that the following item is a health supplement for Schedule, if the other criteria of the section are met: a prosthetic and related supplies, a plaster or fiberglass cast, a hernia support, an abdom i nal su pp o rt, a walking boot for a fracture. Section 3. 1 1 pr ovide s t ha t th e f ollowing item is a he a lth supp S c hedule, if the other criteria of t he s e ction ar e m et : a hearing instrument. Section 3.12 provides that the fo llowing item is a health supplement for the purposes of section 3 of the Sc h edule, i f the o ther c r iteria of the se c tion are met: a n Section 4 of Schedule C provides that the health supplement that may be paid under section 63 [dental sup pl ements] are basic dental services, if the other criteria of the section are met. Section 4.1 provides that the health supplement may be paid un EAAT 003(10/06/01) A P PEAL# I r ; s on for whom a wheelchair is medically essential to dically essenti a l to y ; fo r w hom the transfer aid is m edically e s sential to another. Schedu le with respect to replacement sect ion is 5 yea rs from the date on which the upp lements for t he purpos es of s ection 3 of the ed co m po nent o f a hospit al b ed, item on a hos p ital bed . men t for the p ur p oses of secti on 3 of the u re r elief mat tre s s. plem ent f or t he p urpo s e s of s ecti on 3 of th e oor o r ceil ing l ift device. ents f o r th e purpos es of section 3 of the g d evi ces. s w h i ch i s a healt h supp lemen t for the p urp o se s of re m e t: a cust om-m ad e or off -t he-she l f foot to footw ear, off-the-sh e lf foo twear for a sp ecific e, an a nkle -foot orthosis, a k nee a nkl e-foot o rthosis, anial helmet, a torso or spine brace, a foot abdu c tion t he purposes of s ec tion 3 o f t h e lement for the purposes of s e ction 3 of t h e on-conventional g lucose meter. de r se ctio n 63.1 f or crow n and bridgework, if
t h e o t h e r c r i t e r i a o f t h e s e c t i o n a r e m e t . S e c t i o n 5 o f S c h e d u l e C p r o v i d e s t h a t t h e h e a l t h s u p p l e [ e m e r g e n c y d e n t a l a n d d e n t u r e s u p p l e m e n t ] o f t h e E A P S e c t i o n 6 o f S c h e d u l e C p r o v i d e s t h a t t h e a m o u n t o f a d [ d i e t s u p p l e m e n t s ] i s s e t o u t f o r v a r i o u s c o n d i t i o n s , i f t h e S e c t i o n 7 o f t h e S c h e d u l e p r o v i d e s a s f o l l o w s : 7 T h e a m o u n t o f a n u t r i t i o n a l s u p p l e m e n t t h a t m a y b e p t h i s r e g u l a t i o n i s t h e s u m o f t h e a m o u n t s f o r t h o s e o f t h e u n d e r s e c t i o n 6 7 ( 1 ) ( c ) : ( a ) f o r a d d i t i o n a l n u t r i t i o n a l i t e m s t h a t a r e p a r t o f a c $ 1 6 5 e a c h m o n t h ; ( b ) R e p e a l e d . [ B . C . R e g . 6 8 / 2 0 1 0 , s . 3 ( b ) . ] ( c ) f o r v i t a m i n s a n d m i n e r a l s , u p t o $ 4 0 e a c h m o n t h S e c t i o n 8 o f S c h e d u l e C p r o v i d e s t h a t t h e a m o u n t o f a n 6 8 [ n a t a l s u p p l e m e n t s ] i s s e t o u t , i f t h e o t h e r c r i t e r i a o f t S e c t i o n 9 o f S c h e d u l e C p r o v i d e s t h a t t h e m i n i s t e r m a y E A P W D R i f t h e o t h e r c r i t e r i a o f t h e s e c t i o n a r e m e t . S e c t i o n 6 9 o f t h e E A P W D R p r o v i d e s a s f o l l o w s : 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 i m m i n e 6 9 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 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 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 i s 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 r e a t 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 t n e e d , ( 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 a t n ( 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 a s s i s ( 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 v i s i ( 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 ( a ) o T h e M i n i s t ry ' s P o s i t i o n 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 t h e a p p e l l a n t i s e l i g i b l o f t h e EA P W D R . H o w e v e r , t h e r e q u e s t e d p o s i t i o n i s u r g i c a l s u p p l y i t e m s e t o u t i n S e c t i o n 2 ( 1 ) ( a ) o f S c 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 e t o u t i n S e c t i o n 3 a n l i s t e d i n S e c t i o n s 2 , 2 . 1 , 2 . 2 , 4 , 4 . 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 a n d 9 a r g u e d t h a t S e c t i o n 3 . 5 ( 0 . 1 ) o f S c h e d u l e C s p e c i f i e f o r a p e r s o n fo r w h o m a w h e e l c h a i r i s m e d i c a l l y e s s EM T 0 0 3 ( 1 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 )A P P E A L # I m e n t t h a t m a y b e p a i d f o r u n d e r S e c t i o n 6 4 W D R a r e e m e r g e n c y d e n t a l s e r v i c e s . i e t s u p p l e m e n t t h a t m a y b e p r o v i d e d u n d e r s e c t i o n 6 6 o t h e r c r i t e r i a o f t h e s e c t i o n a r e m e t . r o v i d e d u n d e r s e c t i o n 6 7 [ n u t r i t i o n a l s u p p l e m e n t ] o f f o l l o w i n g i t e m s s p e c i f i e d a s r e q u i r e d i n t h e r e q u e s t a l o r i c s u p p l e m e n t a t i o n t o a r e g u l a r d i e t a r y i n t a k e , u p t o . a t a l s u p p l e m e n t t h a t m a y b e p r o v i d e d u n d e r s e c t i o n h e s e c t i o n a r e m e t . p r o v i d e i n f a n t f o r m u l a u n d e r s e c t i o n 6 7 . 1 o f t h e n t l i f e t h r e a t e n i n g h e a l t h n e e d . 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 2 ( 1 ) ( a ) a n d ( f ) [ g e n e r a l e v i 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 t h e r w 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 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 h e e e d , 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 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 : f s e c t i o n 3 ( 1 ) . e f o r a h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n 6 2 n g c h a i r i s n o t a n e l i g i b l e i t e m a s m e d i c a l o r h e d u l e C o f t h e EA P W D R n o r i s i t a n e l i g i b l e a s a d S e c t i o n 3 . 1 t h r o u g h 3 . 1 2 o r a n y o f t h e i t e m s , o f S c h e d u l e C o f t h e EA P W D R . T h e m i n i s t r y s t h a t a " p o s i t i o n i n g c h a i r ' ' i s a h e a l t h s u p p l e m e n t e n t i a l t o a c h i e v e o r m a i n t a i n b a s i c m o b i l i t v a n d
the a ppell ant is amb ulatory with a walker an d , theref hea ring , t he m inistry ar g ued that the positio n ing chair is not a whe ite m and cannot be used for mobility outdoors. Therefo The Appellant's Position T he appellant's positio n is that the p os it ionin g chair corrects hi a wheelchair just f o r m ea ltimes . The positioning chair choking and e s se ntial t o keep his in dep end e nce an that the positioning ch a i r h as wheels that can be used f wheelchair. The Panel's Decision Section 2 ( 1)(a) o f Sch edule C of the EAPWDR sets o supplements t hat are medi ca l or surgical s up plies, if EAP WDR. The m i nist r y de termin e d th at t h e appell an speci fic he alth supp lements l is ted i n this sectio n are cat he t er i zati on, in contin e n ce, skin par asite car e, or limb the a ppellant has reques t e d is not a medical or su r gic r e sult the pan e l finds tha t the min i s t ry r ea sonably de ap p e l l ant i s not eligible fo r a hea lth s u p plemen t f o r a posi Schedul e C of th e EAPWDR. Sec t io n 3 of Sc h edul e C of the EAPWDR stipulates describ ed in Secti ons 3. 1 to 3.1 2 of Sch edule C are t th e ministry if the recip ien t i s e ligible unde r s ec tion 62 the appellant is e l i gible un d er se c tion 62. Howev er, s list specifi c m e dical equipm e nt or device s t hat do not mat theref ore the posi tioni n g chair is not me d ical equipmen se ct ions . S e ct ion 3.5 (1 )( I) d oe s describe a positi o ni position i n g c hair i s f o r a person f o r whom a wheelchair is medically essential to achieve or maintain basic mobility. The pane l finds t hat the evidence doe to be medically essential f o r the app ellan t t o achieve or mai currently ambulates with a walker and that the appellant does not wish to use a wheelchair at this t i me. While the positioni ng ch air ma y be simi l ar to a wheelchair in that it is a chair that can be supplied with wheels, the panel finds that the primary purpose of a positio pe rson unlike a wheelchair w hich is used primarily for mobility. be used f o r outdoor mo bil ity an d it i s an i te m th at i s lis dist inc t f rom a w h eelchair. As a result the p anel f i nds that the eviden c e establishes t hat the appell an t is not eligible for a chair pursuant to section 3 or Sectio ns 3.1 throug h 3.12 of Schedule The appellant does not dispute that the requested positioning chair does not fall within any of these other sections of Schedule C. The panel finds that the ministry's decision, which concluded that the positionin� chair is not an item listed in sections 2, 2.1, 2.2, 4, 4.1, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, of Schedule C of EAAT 003(10/06/01) APPEAL# I o re, does not meet the eli g i b il it y criterion. At the elchair as it is lis te d a s a sep arate re, i t is not an item the min istry can pro vi de. s posture and he does not w an t t o use is medically es sential to prev en t him from d mobility. At the hearing, the app ellant arg ued o r m obi lity i ndoors and i s similar to a u t tha t t h e m i n i str y may provide specific healt h the r ec ip ien t is el igib l e un d er s e ction 62 of th e t is eligible u nde r se ction 6 2. Ho wever, th e f o r wou nd c are, ongoin g bowe l c are, cir culation c ar e . T h e p osi ti oning ch a ir that a l s u pply a s l i s t e d und e r the section. As a term ined tha t the ev i d enc e estab li shes tha t th e tioning c h air pursuan t to section 2 (1)( a ) o f th a t t h e medic al eq uipmen t a nd dev i ces he h ealth su pp l eme nts tha t m ay be p r ov i d ed by of the EAPW D R. The minist r y dete r min e d that ect ions 3 . 1 to 3.4 a n d 3.6 to 3 .12 of Sched ule C ch the de scr iptio n of a p ositioning cha i r a nd t or a device t h a t can be provided u nd e r the se ng chair; however , i t specifically stat e s that the s not establish that a wheelchair has been f oun d n t ain basic mobility as the appe l lant n i n g chair is to positi on a As well, the p ositi oning ch a ir cannot ted in S c he d ule C of t h e EA P W D R as b e ing th e ministry reaso n a bly det er mined that health s up plement for a positioning C of the EAPWDR.
APPEAL# I the EAPWDR, was reasonable. The panel also finds that the ministry reasonably determined that the requirements of Section 69(d) are not met as a positioning chair is not set out under Schedule C, Section 2(1)(a) as medical or surgical supplies or under Section 2(1 )(f) as a mode of medical transportation, or under Sections 3 to 3.12, as detailed above. Conclusion: The panel finds that the ministry reasonably concluded that the evidence establishes that the appellant's request did not fully meet the legislative criteria set out in the EAPWDR to be eligible for a positioning chair. Specifically, the positioning chair requested is not an item that can be supplied by the ministry as it is not listed in sections 2, 2.1, 2.2 or 3, 3.1 to 3.12, or 4, 4.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of Schedule C or Section 69(d) of the EAPWDR. The panel therefore finds that the ministry's decision to deny the appellant an activity chair was a reasonable application of the legislation and supported by the evidence. The panel confirms the ministry's reconsideration decision. EAAT 003( 10/06/01)
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