( P A R T C D E C I S I O N U N D E R A P P E A L T h e d e c i s i o n u n d e r a p p e a l i s t h e M i n i s t r y o f S o c i a l D e v e r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n d a t e d M a r c h 2 6 , 2 0 1 9 w h i c h h e s u p p l e m e n t f o r f o o d b y r e a s o n t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t d i d n o t c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t p u r s u a n t t o s . 5 7 ( 1 ) E m p l o y m e n t a n d A ( " E A P W D R " ) . P A R T D R E L E V A N T L E G I S L A T I O N s . 2 2 ( 3 ) ( b ) , 2 2 ( 4 ) 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 A c t s . 5 E m p l o y m e n t a n d A s s i s t a n c e fo r P e r s o n s w i t h D i s a b s . 5 7 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 P e r s o n s w i t h D i s a b ( I A P P E A L N U M B E R l o p m e n t a n d P o v e r t y R e d u c t i o n ( t h e " M i n i s t ry " ) l d t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t w a s n o t e l i g i b l e f o r a c r i s i s m e e t a n y o f t h e t h r e e c r i t e r i a r e q u i r e d t o b e e l i g i b l e f o r a s s i s t a n c e f o r 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 AA " ) i l i t i e s A c t ( " E A P W D A " ) i l i t i e s R e g u l a t i o n ( " E A P W D R " )
( P A R T E S U M M A R Y O F F A C T S W i t h t h e c o n s e n t o f b o t h p a rt i e s , t h e h e a r i n g w a s c o n d u c t h e E A A . T h e e v i d e n c e b e f o r e t h e M i n i s t ry a t r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n w a s A w r i t t e n s u b m i s s i o n f r o m t h e a p p e l l a n t s t a t i n g : O n e m o n t h p r i o r h e w a s g r a n t e d t h e c r i s i s s u p p l w i n t e r c o l d t e m p e r a t u r e s w e r e u n e x p e c t e d . T h e m o n t h , t h e c o l d w a s n o t u n e x p e c t e d t o t h e a p p e T h e a p p e l l a n t d i d h a v e u n e x p e c t e d f i n a n c i a l r e s H e r e q u e s t s t h e t r i b u n a l t o c o m p e l t h e M i n i s t r y t t h e M i n i s t r y t o p a y p u n i t i v e d a m a g e s . T h e M i n i s t r y w a s n o t c o r r e c t i n a s s e r t i n g t h a t t h e o T h e a p p e l l a n t p a y s $ 4 0 0 p e r m o n t h f o r f o T h e a p p e l l a n t p a y s $ 1 7 8 f o r c a r i n s u r a n o T h e a p p e l l a n t p a y s $ 2 0 p e r m o n t h f o r c a H e h a d t h e u n e x p e c t e d s i t u a t i o n o f h i s m o t h e r h g i f t . H e i n c u r r e d $ 1 8 0 0 i n e x p e n s e s . H e s p e n t 2 0 1 4 -2 0 1 5 . H e r e l i e d o n h i s m o t h e r f o r f i n a n c i a l s u p p o rt a n d H e w a s g i v e n a n o t i c e t o e n d t e n a n c y f r o m h i s r e h i s v e h i c l e . L i v i n g o u t o f h i s c a r i s a n e c e s s i t y f o r h i m . H e c T h e M i n i s t r y , i n c a n c e l l i n g h i s o r i g i n a l a p p l i c a t i o n b e t w e e n $ 3 0 0 0 -$ 7 0 0 0 . T h e w i n t e r o f 2 0 1 8 -2 0 1 9 w a s c o l d e r t h a n a v e r a g r e d u c e d t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a b i l i t y t o p a y f o r fo o d . H e h a s c h r o n i c o s t e o m y e l i t i s i n h i s f o o t , a n d p o s i n f e c t i o n . H i s m o t h e r o w e d h i m $ 2 , 0 0 0 t h a t s h e w a s t o p a b e c a u s e o f h e r d e m e n t i a . H e a tt e m p t e d t o o b t a f o r h i s m o t h e r , b u t h i s b r o t h e r r e f u s e d t o p a y . H e h a s b e e n u n a b l e t o p a y h i s b i l l s s i n c e t h e f a l T h e a p p e l l a n t ' s n o t i c e o f a p p e a l s t a t e s t h a t t h e M i n i s t r y d M i n i s t r y w a s u n r e a s o n a b l y s t r i n g e n t a n d d i d n o t a d d r e s s t o t h e b e n e f i t a v a i l a b l e . O n M a y 7 , 2 0 1 9 t h e p a n e l c h a i r p e r m i tt e d a l a t e s u b m i s s A n a m e n d e d p e t i t i o n t o t h e B C S u p r e m e C o u r t c M i n i s t ry o T h e a m e n d e d p e t i t i o n s t a t e s t h a t t h e M i a n d t r a n s p o rt a t i o n p a y m e n t t o M a y 2 0 1 6 o T h e a m e n d e d p e t i t i o n s t a t e s t h a t t h e M i a p p e l l a n t f o r b a s i c f i n a n c i a l a s s i s t a n c e a A n a f f i d a v i t o f t h e a p p e l l a n t i n t h a t j u d i c i a l r e v i e w o T h i s a ffi d a v i t o u t l i n e s t h e d e t a i l s o f t h e c r e q u e s t e d j u d i c i a l r e v i e w o f t h e t r i b u n a l ' A w r i tt e n s u b m i s s i o n f o r a n a p p e a l o f a r e c o n s i d t o f u e l a n d o t h e r c o s t s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h h i s s h e l t e o T h i s s u b m i s s i o n f o c u s i n g o n w h y t h e a p c i r c u m s t a n c e s a r e u n e x p e c t e d A c o p y 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 A p p e b a c k d a t e d d i s a b i l i t v □ a v m e n t .( I A P P EA L N U M B E R t e d a s a w r i t t e n h e a r i n g , p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n 2 2 ( 3 ) ( b ) o f : e m e n t f o r f o o d b e c a u s e t h e M i n i s t r y d e t e r m i n e d t h a t t h e f a c t t h a t t h e M i n i s t r y m a d e t h e d e t e r m i n a t i o n t h a t t h i s l l a n t , w a s a r b i t r a r y . o u r c e s a n d c i r c u m s t a n c e s o p a y h i m $ 4 0 f o r t h e c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t a n d t o a l s o c o m p e l r e w a s n o u n e x p e c t e d f i n a n c i a l n e e d u e l i n t h e c o l d m o n t h s b e c a u s e h i s c a r i s h i s s h e l t e r c e m o n t h l y r m a i n t e n a n c e a v i n g d e m e n t i a . H e n o w n o l o n g e r g e t s a $ 6 0 0 0 p e r y e a r o n e y e a r l i v i n g o u t o f h i s v e h i c l e i n a n o t h e r p r o v i n c e d u r i n g h e r d e m e n t i a w a s u n k n o w n t o h i m u n t i l r e c e n t l y . s i d e n c e i n 2 0 1 6 a n d 2 0 1 7 c a u s i n g h i m t o h a v e t o l i v e i n u r r e n t l y l e a s e s a v e h i c l e f o r $ 4 0 0 p e r m o n t h . f o r i n c o m e a s s i s t a n c e , c o s t t h e a p p e l l a n t e x p e n s e s e a n d h i s f u e l c o s t s f o r s h e l t e r / c a r h e a t w e r e h i g h e r a n d t 2 0 1 1 p a rt i a l f o o t a m p u t a t i o n d u e t o g a n g r e n e a n d y h i m i n t h e l a t e f a l l o f 2 0 1 8 . H o w e v e r , s h e c o u l d n ' t p a y i n p a y m e n t f r o m h i s b r o t h e r w h o i s t h e a p p o i n t e d a t t o r n e y l o f 2 0 1 8 a n d h i s p h o n e s e rv i c e h a s b e e n c u t o ff . i d n o t r e a s o n a b l y a p p l y t h e c r i t e r i o n f o r e l i g i b i l i t y . T h e t h e r e a l i t y o f a b e n e f i t r e c i p i e n t ' s c i r c u m s t a n c e s , r e l a t i v e i o n b y t h e a p p e l l a n t . T h e l a t e s u b m i s s i o n c o n t a i n e d : o n c e r n i n g a j u d i c i a l r e v i e w o f a p r e v i o u s d e c i s i o n o f t h e n i s t r y f a i l e d t o b a c k d a t e t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s d i s a b i l i t y p a y m e n t n i s t r y d i d m a k e a r e t r o a c t i v e p a y m e n t o f $ 5 , 9 2 2 t o t h e n d $ 3 5 0 f o r a r e t r o a c t i v e f o o d s u p p l e m e n t . s w o r n J a n u a r y 2 , 2 0 1 8 i r c u m s t a n c e s , a n d a r g u m e n t , o f w h y t h e a p p e l l a n t s d e c i s i o n e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n f o r a 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 ( r e l a t e s r [ e a r l ) d a t e d M a y 1 , 2 0 1 9 p e l l a n t r e q u i r e s a 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 a n d w h y h i s a l T r i b u n a l d e c i s i o n o n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a p p e a l r e s p e c t i n g
( A c o p y 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 A p p e b a c k d a t e d t r a n s p o r t a t i o n s u p p l e m e n t . A l e t t e r t o t h e M i n i s t r y d a t e d S e p t e m b e r 2 0 , 2 0 1 a m e n d e d p e t i t i o n . T h e M i n i s t r y r e s p o n d e d t o t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a d d i t i o n a l i n f o 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 d i d n ' t o b j e c t t o t h e T h e p a n e l h a s r e v i e w e d t h e n e w i n f o r m a t i o n a n d f i n d s t h a t t h e d o c u m e n t s s u b m i t t e d b y t h e a p p e l l a n t a r e a d m r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n t h a t h e w a s i n l i t i g a t i o n w i t h t h e M i n i s t r y F u rt h e r , t h e d o c u m e n t s a r e a l s o a d m i s s i b l e i n s u p p o r t o f t o o b t a i n m o n e y f r o m h i s m o t h e r w a s a l s o u n e x p e c t e d t o p u r s u a n t t o s . 2 2 ( 4 ) ( b ) E AA o n t h e b a s i s t h a t t h e y a r e d o t i m e o f r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n .( I A P P EA L N U M B E R a l T r i b u n a l d e c i s i o n o n t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a p p e a l r e s p e c t i n g 8 w i t h r e s p e c t t o t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s n o t i c e o f i n t e n t t o f i l e a n r m a t i o n a n d c o n t i n u e d t o r e l y o n t h e i r p r i o r w r i t t e n e n t r y o f t h e n e w e v i d e n c e b y t h e a p p e l l a n t . w i t h o u t d e t e r m i n i n g t h e m e r i t o f t h e d o c u m e n t s a t t h i s p o i n t i s s i b l e i n s u p p o r t o f t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a r g u m e n t a t a n d t h a t t h i s w a s a n u n e x p e c t e d f i n a n c i a l e x p e n s e t o h i m . t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s a r g u m e n t a t r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n t h a t a f a i l u r e h i m . T h e p a n e l t h e r e f o r e a d m i t s t h e a d d i t i o n a l e v i d e n c e c u m e n t s i n s u p p o rt o f i n fo 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
( ( I APPEAL NUMBER I PART F -REASONS FOR PANEL DECISION I The issue on appeal is whether the Ministry's decision to deny the appellant a crisis supplement for food by reason that the appellant did not meet any of the three criteria required to be eligible for a crisis supplement pursuant to s.57(1) EAPWDR is reasonably supported by the evidence or a reasonable application of the applicable legislation in the circumstances of the appellant. The legislation provides: EAA-Panels of the tribunal to conduct appeals 22 (1) If a person commences an appeal in accordance with section 21 (1), the chair must appoint a panel consisting of up to 3 members of the tribunal to hear and determine the appeal. (2) If a panel consists of more than one member, the chair must designate a chair of the panel from among the members of the panel, and if a panel consists of one member, that member is the chair of the panel. (3) A panel must conduct a hearing into the decision being appealed within the prescribed period either (a) orally, or (b)with the consent of the parties, in writing. (4)In a hearing referred to in subsection (3), a panel may admit as evidence only (a)the information and records that were before the minister when the decision being appealed was made, and (b)oral or written testimony in support of the information and records referred to in paragraph (a). (5) Evidence referred to in subsection (4) may be admitted whether or not it would be admissible as evidence in a court of law. (6) The panel chair is responsible for deciding any question of practice or procedure that arises during a hearing and is not provided for in the regulations or in the practices and procedures of the chair under section 20 (2) {a) [powers and duties of the chair]. EAPWDA -Disability assistance and supplements 5 Subject to the regulations, the minister may provide disability assistance or a supplement to or for a family unit that is eligible for it. EAPWDR -Crisis supplement 57 (1) 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.
( I APPEAL NUMBER (2) A crisis supplement may be provided only for the calendar month in which the application or request for the supplement is made, (3) A crisis supplement may not be provided for the purpose of obtaining (a)a supplement described in Schedule C, or (b)any other health care goods or services, (4)A crisis supplement provided for food, shelter or clothing is subject to the following limitations: (a) if for food, the maximum amount that may be provided in a calendar month is $40 f o r each person in the family unit; (b)if for shelter, the maximum amount that may be provided in a calendar month is the smaller of (i) the family unit's actual shelter cost, and (ii)the maximum set out in section 4 of Schedule A or Table 2 of Schedule D, as applicable, f o r a family unit that matches the family unit; (c) if for clothing, the amount that may be provided must not exceed the smaller of (i)$100 for each person in the family unit in the 12 calendar month period preceding the date of application for the crisis supplement, and (ii) $400 for the family unit in the 12 calendar month period preceding the date of application for the crisis supplement (5)and (6) Repealed. [B.C. Reg, 248/2018, App, 2, s, 2.] (7) Despite subsection (4) (b), a crisis supplement may be provided to orfora family unit for the following: (a)fuel for heating; (b)fuel for cooking meals; (c)water; (d)hydro, [am. B.C, Regs, 13/2003; 248/2018, App. 2.] The panel finds: To be eligible for a crisis supplement for food, the appellant must meet all three criteria set out in s.57 EAPWDR The appellant focuses his argument on the first requirement, being that his need for the crisis supplement for food is to meet an unexpected expense or obtain an item unexpectedly needed. The appellant provides information about how he had many unexpected occurrences that have led him to the point of unexpectedly not having the income for food, The appellant speaks to his on-going litigation with the Ministry, his mother's dementia and her inability to pay him monies that she owes him or to continue to support him. The appellant provides evidence about an unusually cold winter and a loss of housing that causes him to have to live in his car. The appellant provides evidence that because he is required to live in his car he is required to spend additional funds on fuel for his vehicle in order to keep the car warm in an unexpectedly cold month. The Ministry's response to this argument was to determine that the cold winter should not have been unexoected to the annellant because he has lived in his car
( I APPEAL NUMBER before. The appellant declared but had not shown that the circumstances were unexpected. The ministry also did not accept that the appellant's need for food was unexpected. The panel finds that the legislation requires the appellant to show that his unexpected expense is in relation to food. The appellant did not provide information about that, except that his other unexpected expenses prevented him from having the funds for food. The panel, however finds that the unexpected nature must relate to the crisis supplement the appellant is seeking, which in this case is for food. The appellant hasn't shown that the need for food or the inability to obtain food is unexpected. The panel therefore finds that the Ministry was reasonable in determining that the appellant did not require the supplement to meet an unexpected expense or to obtain an item unexpectedly needed. The appellant states he doesn't have the income available to purchase food, however the appellant also conceded that he accesses free community resources for food. The Ministry provides numerous examples of places where the appellant can access free meals in the community that he resides. The appellant did not deny or explain if and why he wasn't accessing those services or why they weren't sufficient. The panel therefore finds, that it was reasonable for the Ministry to determine that the appellant had other community resources available to him to assist him with the food expense. The appellant did not provide evidence on if he would suffer imminent danger to his physical health without the crisis supplement for food, and it was not self-evident. The appellant does state his medical conditions but did not give the kind of evidence required to show that his medical condition would imminently worsen, or a deterioration of his health would occur imminently without the crisis supplement for food. The panel therefore finds that the Ministry was reasonable in determining that the appellant would not suffer imminent danger to his physical health without the crisis supplement for food. For these reasons, the panel finds the Ministry's decision was reasonably supported by the evidence and a reasonable interpretation of the legislation in the circumstances of the appellant and confirms the decision.
( ( PART G -ORDER THE PANEL DECISION IS: (Check one) IS]UNANIMOUS □BY MAJORITY THE PANEL IS]CONFIRMS THE MINISTRY DECISION □RESCINDS THE MINISTRY DECISION If the ministry decision is rescinded, is the panel decision referred back to the Minister for a decision as to amount? □Yes □No LEGISLATIVE AUTHORITY FOR THE DECISION: Employment and Assistance Act Section 24(1)(a) IS] or Section 24(1)(b) IS] and Section 24(2)(a) IS] or Section 24(2)(b) D PART H-SIGNATURES PRINT NAME MEGHAN WALLACE SIGNATURE OF CHAIR DATE (YEAR/MONTH/DAY) 2019/05/23 PRINT NAME KENT ASHBY DATE(YEAR/MONTH/DAY) 2019/05/23 JANE NIELSEN SIGNATURE OF MEMBER DATE (YEAR/MONTH/DAY) 2019/05/23
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.