PART C -DECISION UNDER APPEAL The decision under appeal is the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (the ministry) reconsideration decision dated March 7, 2019, which denied the appellant's request for a crisis supplement to assist with home repairs required due to plumbing leaks and mold because she does not meet all of the eligibility criteria described in section 57 of the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulation (EAPWDR). The ministry determined that • the appellant's need is not unexpected; and • failure to obtain a crisis supplement for home repairs does not result in imminent danger to the appellant's physical health. PART D -RELEVANT LEGISLATION EAPWDR section 57.
P A R T E S U M M A R Y O F F A C T S T h e i n f o r m a t i o n b e fo 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 T h e a p p e l l a n t i s a s o l e 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 S h e o w n s a n d r e s i d e s i n a 1 9 9 4 t r a v e l t r a i l e r . T h e t S h e r e p o r t e d t h a t s h e l i v e d i n t h e t r a i l e r f o r a b o u t a O n D e c e m b e r 1 0 , 2 0 1 8 t h e a p p e l l a n t s u b m i t t e d h e r g r o w i n g u n d e r h e r s i n k a n d s h o w e r a r e a d u e t o p l u t h e r e p a i r c o s t . O n D e c e m b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 8 t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s r e q u e s t w a s t h e p i p e s m a y h a v e b e e n l e a k i n g f o r a f e w m o n t h s . A s p a rt o f h e r r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n p a c k a g e t h e m i n i s t r y i n f o r m a t i o n o f 1 1 a d v o c a t e s . O n F e b r u a r y 6 , 2 0 1 9 t h e m i n i s t r y r e c e i v e d h e r s i g n e x t e n s i o n . S h e r e p o r t e d s h e n e e d e d a h o t w a t e r t a n t a n k c o s t s $ 5 2 9 p l u s i n s t a l l a t i o n . O n M a r c h 6 , 2 0 1 9 t h e m i n i s t r y c o n t a c t e d t h e a p p e l l t h a t o n a b o u t J a n u a r y 2 9 t h s h e h a d t h e p r o b l e m i n t s t a t e d t h a t t h e r e w a s m o l d u n d e r t h e k i t c h e n s i n k b S h e r e c e i v e d a q u o t e b y e m a i l a n d w o u l d s u b m i t i t I n h e r N o t i c e o f A p p e a l d a t e d M a r c h 2 2 , 2 0 1 9 t h e a I f i n a l l y f o u n d t h a t t h e h o t w a t e r t a n k w a s c a u s i n g t h t h e r e p a i r m a n . E v e r y t h i n g t a k e s a l o n g t i m e t o c o m s o m e o n e o v e r t h e t e l e p h o n e + o n l y r e c e i v e d m y p a t h e V o l u n t e e r S e r v i c e s . " O n a p p e a l t h e a p p e l l a n t p r o v i d e d a n e m a i l a n d q u o s t a t e d t h a t " a n y p r i c e t h a t m a y b e p r e s e n t e d w o u l d p a c k a g e / D o c u m e n t a t i o n F e e / G o v e r n m e n t G a s C e rt o f a h o t w a t e r h e a t e r w o u l d b e $ 5 8 8 . 1 7 . 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 t a t e d s h e h a s d i s a b i l i t T h e r e w a s a l r e a d y a l e a k w h e n s h e g o t t h e t r a i l e r . S w h e n s h e h a d t h e c a r p e t r i p p e d o u t . T h i s m o l d i s u n t h e r e w e r e 2 l e a k s ; t h e o n e i n t h e w a s h r o o m i s n o w r e t u r n e d . T h e r e p a i r m a n s a i d t h a t i t w a s c a u s e d b y k n o w n t o h e r f a t h e r a n d w i l l p r o v i d e h e r w i t h f r e e l a T h e a p p e l l a n t t e s t i f i e d f u r t h e r t h a t t h e d e f e c t i v e w a t l o c a t e d u n d e r t h e k i t c h e n s i n k . I t w a s s p e c i a l l y m a d o n i n c l u d e d t h e f o l l o w i n g : n c e w i t h n o d e p e n d e n t s . r a i l e r w a s g i ft e d t o h e r b y h e r f a t h e r i n O c t o b e r 2 0 1 7 . y e a r b e f o r e t h a t . r e q u e s t . S h e i n d i c a t e d t h a t s h e n o t i c e d m o l d m b i n g l e a k s . S h e r e p o rt e d t h a t s h e c o u l d n o t a ff o r d d e n i e d . I t w a s n o t e d o n h e r f i l e t h a t s h e i n d i c a t e d p r o v i d e d t h e a p p e l l a n t w i t h n a m e s a n d c o n t a c t e d r e q u e s t fo r r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n r e q u e s t i n g a n k p l u s i n s t a l l a t i o n a n d h a d f o u n d o u t t h a t a h o t w a t e r a n t fo r a d d i t i o n a l i n f o r m a t i o n . T h e a p p e l l a n t a d v i s e d h e b a t h r o o m f i x e d a n d a t a p w a s r e p l a c e d . S h e e c a u s e h e r h o t w a t e r t a n k n e e d e d t o b e r e p l a c e d . t o t h e m i n i s t ry t h e n e x t d a y . p p e l l a n t w r o t e : " I o n l y r e c e i v e d i t o n M a r c h 2 2 . W h e n e l e a k , W o r k i n g o n c o l l e c t i n g i n f o r m a t i o n , W a i t i n g f o r e t o g e t h e r . " S h e w r o t e f u rt h e r : " I ' v e s p o k e w i t h c k a g e t o d a y . I ' m n o w w a i t i n g f o r a n a d v o c a t e t h r o u g h t e f r o m a n R V d e a l e r s h i p d a t e d M a r c h 7 , 2 0 1 9 w h i c h b e i n c l u s i v e o f F r e i g h t , b u t e x c l u d e t h e R o a d R e a d y i f i c a t i o n o f $ 4 9 5 . 0 0 a n d T a x e s " . T h e e s t i m a t e d c o s t i e s a n d d o e s n o t a l w a y s u n d e r s t a n d . h e n o t i c e d t h e l e a k a n d t h e m o l d a r o u n d 2 y e a r s a g o h e a l t h y . W h e n s h e a p p l i e d f o r t h e c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t f i x e d w h i l e t h e l e a k u n d e r t h e k i t c h e n s i n k h a s t h e l e a k i n g h o t w a t e r h e a t e r . T h i s r e p a i r m a n i s b o u r . e r h e a t e r i s r u n n i n g o n p r o p a n e , w a s g a s f i t t e d a n d i s e f o r a n R V o r t r a v e l t r a i l e r .
She has not performed any maintenance because she cannot afford it. The whole tank is rusty now but she did not shut it off because she needs the hot water for showering and doing dishes. She does not know how to shut it off. She stated she does not have an advocate -there was not enough time to get one because she received her reconsideration package too late. The appellant displayed 18 photos on her cell phone and stated that she had no paper copies made because she cannot afford it 2 photos showed part of the outside and underside of an old trailer. One photo showed part of what the appellant identified as her defect hot water heater. The other photos showed various pipes and wet wood flooring. The ministry did not object to the admissibility of these photos but referred the panel to the EAAT letter to the appellant dated March 26, 2019 which stated that additional documentation should be provided to the Tribunal at least 3 business days before the hearing and, if unable, sufficient copies should be brought to the hearing. The ministry reviewed the reconsideration decision and added that the address of the appellant is known to them as a result of her filling out her shelter information. There is a check box to indicate whether the mailing address is different from the home address; when it is not checked the ministry has only the one address the appellant gave to the ministry. Pursuant to section 22(4) of the Employment and Assistance Act the panel admits the appellant's submissions on appeal, the quote for the hot water heater, and the photos she presented at the hearing as in support of information that was before the ministry at reconsideration. These documents provide additional details on the appellant's plumbing issues.
PART F -REASONS FOR PANEL DECISION The issue in this appeal is the reasonableness of the ministry reconsideration decision which denied the appellant's request for a crisis supplement to assist with home repairs required due to plumbing leaks and mold because she does not meet all of the eligibility criteria described in section 57 of the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulation (EAPWDR). Specifically, was the ministry reasonable in its determination that • the appellant's need is not unexpected; and • failure to obtain a crisis supplement for home repairs does not result in imminent danger to the appellant's physical health. Crisis supplement 57 (l)The minister may provide a crisis supplement to or for a family unit that is eligible for disability assistance or hardship assistance if (a)the family unit or a person in the family unit requires the supplement to meet an unexpected expense or obtain an item unexpectedly needed and is unable to meet the expense or obtain the item because there are no resources available to the family unit, and (b)the minister considers that failure to meet the expense or obtain the item will result in (i)imminent danger to the physical health of any person in the family unit, or (ii)removal of a child under the Child, Family and Community Service Act. Appellant's Position: The appellant argues that she should be eligible for a crisis supplement because her defective hot water heater causes a leak and unhealthy mold in her trailer and she cannot afford the cost of replacing it. She was not able to perform any maintenance because she could not afford it. She argues further that she did not have enough time to obtain an advocate because her reconsideration package arrived too late -thus she is at a disadvantage. Ministry Position: Under the EAPWDR requests for a crisis supplement must • meet an unexpected expense or an item unexpectedly needed, • when the family unit has no resources to meet the need, and • the ministry considers that failure to provide the item will result in imminent danger to the physical health of a member of the family unit or the removal of a dependent child under the Child, Family and Communitv Service Act (CFCSA).
The ministry's policy is as follows: A crisis supplement for emergency home repairs may be provided if recipients meet the requirements for a crisis supplement and • require emergency repairs for their place of residence, and • their place of residence is owned by a person in their family unit, and • the repairs are the least costly, appropriate option, and • the cost of the repairs has been pre-approved by the ministry. Emergency home repairs may include essential items for the protection, replacement, and repair that are part of the physical structure of the recipient's home and the repair and replacement of home heating and cooking appliances when no other means are available for home heating and cooking, and all other eligibility requirements are met. The ministry is not satisfied that the appellant's need is unexpected. It is reasonable given the age of her 1994 travel trailer that she would be required to replace the hot water tank to avoid leakage and mold and would be required to do regular maintenance and repair. The trailer is 25 years old and she has not provided any information that would support that the water tank was within the warranty period thus being an unexpected need for the appellant to replace the tank and deal with mold. It is reasonable that the appellant does not have the resources to pay the full amount; however, she s hould be able to budget for the expense. The ministry is not satisfied that there would be imminent danger to her physical health if not assisted at this time. She has provided no information that would support that the hot water tank is not working or that it is causing unsafe living conditions in its current state, nor did she provide any additional information after being contacted by the ministry. Panel Decision: While the appellant argues that she is at a disadvantage because she did not have enough time to find an advocate as her reconsideration package arrived too late the panel finds that the ministry completed the reconsideration decision within the legislated time frame. Unexpected expense or item unexpectedly needed Section 57(1)(a) of the EAPWDR sets out that that the appellant has to demonstrate that she has to meet an unexpected expense or obtain an item unexpectedly needed. While the appellant argues that she should be eligible for a crisis supplement because she needs to replace her defective hot water heater the panel finds that the ministry reasonably determined that regular maintenance and repair is required for a travel trailer, and, given the age of her 1994 travel trailer, it is not unexpected that the appellant would be required to replace her hot water tank to avoid leakage and mold. Furthermore, as there is no evidence that the hot water tank was within the warranty period the ministry reasonably determined that the need for replacement was not unexpected.
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T H E P A N E L D E C I S I O N I S : ( C h e c k o n e ) BJ U N A N I M O U S □ B Y M A J O R I T Y T H E P A N E L BJ C O N F I R M S T H E M I N I S T R Y D E C I S I O N □ R E S C I N D S T H E M I N I S T R Y D E C I S I O N I f t h e m i n i s t r y d e c i s i o n i s r e s c i n d e d , i s t h e p a n e l d e c i s i o n r e f e r r e d b a c k t o t h e M i n i s t e r f o r a d e c i s i o n a s t o a m o u n t ? □ Y e s □ N o L E G I S L A T I V E A U T H O R I T Y F O R T H E D E C I S I O N : E m p l oy m e n t a n d A s s i s t a n c e A c t S e c t i o n 2 4 ( 1 ) ( a ) BJ o r S e c t i o n 2 4 ( 1 ) ( b ) D a n d S e c t i o n 2 4 ( 2 ) ( a ) BJ o r S e c t i o n 2 4 ( 2 ) ( b ) D P A R T H S I G N A T U R E S P R J N T N A M E I n g e M o r r i s s e y S I G N A T U R E O F C H A l R D A T E ( Y E A R / M O N T H / D A Y ) 2 0 1 9 / 0 4 / 1 2 P R I N T N A M E M a r n e e P e a r c e S l G N A T U R E O F M E M B E R D A T E ( Y E A R / M O N T H / D A Y ) 2 0 1 9 / 0 4 / 1 2 P R I N T N A M E D o n a l d S t e d e f o r d S I G N A T U R E O F M E M B E R D A T E ( Y E A R / M O N T H / D A Y ) 2 0 1 9 / 0 4 / 1 2 �
You are being directed to the most recent version of the statute which may not be the version considered at the time of the judgment.