I APPEAL NUMBER PART C -DECISION UNDER APPEAL The decision under appeal is the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (ministry) reconsideration decision dated August 1, 2019 which held that the appellant was not eligible for a crisis supplement for clothing pursuant to Section 5 of the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act (EAPWDA) and Section 57 (1) of the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulation (EAPWDR). The ministry determined that the appellant meets the criterion of section 5 of the EAPWDA as the appellant is eligible for disability assistance and meets the criteria of section 57 1 (a) of the EAPWDR; namely that the appellant does not have the resources to cover the cost of her request. However, the ministry determined that the appellant failed to establish that, pursuant to subsection (1) (a), the crisis supplement for clothing is to meet an unexpected expense or was unexpectedly needed and pursuant to subsection 1 (b), that failure to meet the need would result in imminent danger to her physical health. PART D -RELEVANT LEGISLATION Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulation -EAPWDR-Section 57 (1) Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act -EAPWDA-Section 5
I APPEAL NUMBER PART E -SUMMARY OF FACTS The evidence before the ministry at the time of reconsideration consisted of: 1. Request for crisis supplement-clothing, signed and dated July 7, 2019, and stated the following responses: • What is your need? -"Dental assistance, going into surgery for dental treatment''. • The request is for the appellant's child. • How have you tried to meet this need on your own?--"Yes, and it takes up my other needs for my money for food and clothing". • What available resources do you have? -"There is some money in the bank [and] used it to pay in advance". • What is the direct threat to your health and safety?-"Cavities and no normal dentist would deal with me unless I can go to the hospital for treatment and found a pediatric dentist who had a right to the hospital to take me in. otherwise will have to go to [another city's] hospital [instead] of local hospital". 2. Request for Reconsideration (RFR), signed and dated July 25, 2019, which in part, stated the following: • She does not have a credit with the dental office; "it is payment for coming hospital visit" for aesthetic. • It was paid in advance so that her child "will have a chance to be on the waiting list". • The child "does not cooperate with regular dentist and [was] recommended to go to [a] specialist that [has] hospital right". • The child has 2 cavities and a baby tooth needs to be extracted and the appellant does not want to wait too long for her child's dental treatment. • The rules are made by others and the appellant is just following them. Evidence on Appeal A Notice of Appeal (NOA), signed and dated August 6, 2019, which in part stated the request for funds is not to have money to buy clothing. Rather it is for reimbursement for the extra she has to pay out of pocket because her medical coverage is insufficient to pay the costs of her need for a hospital visit for dental services. The panel finds that the information in the NOA is the appellant's argument.
I APPEAL NUMBER PART F -REASONS FOR PANEL DECISION The issue at appeal is whether the ministry's decision that the appellant failed to establish that her need for a crisis supplement for clothing was an unexpected expense or was unexpectedly needed and that failure to meet the need will result in imminent danger to her physical health, as required by Section 57 (1)(a) of the EAPWDR was reasonably supported by the evidence or was a reasonable application of the applicable enactment in the circumstances of the appellant. Section 57(1) of the EAPWDR sets out the eligibility requirements for providing crisis supplement, as follows: 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. Section 5 of EAPWDA provides as follows: 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. The Appellant's Position The appellant argues that she needs funds to help cover the costs of her dental treatment which includes a hospital visit and the use of anesthetic, and that she is not requesting funds for clothing. The Ministry's Position The ministry's position is that clothing is an ongoing expense that is not unexpected and that there is no evidence that failure to obtain a crisis supplement for clothing will result in imminent danger to her physical health. As such the legislative criteria, pursuant to section 59 of the EAR, have not been met and the appellant is not eligible for a crisis supplement for utilities. The Panel's Decision Unexpected Need Section 57 (1) (a) of the EAPWDR states that the minister may provide a crisis supplement to or for a family unit that is eligible for disability assistance or hardship assistance if the family unit or person in the family unit requires the supplement to meet an unexpected expense or obtain an item unexpectedly needed.
I n i t s r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n , t h e m i n i s t r y s t a t e d t h c l o t h i n g i s u n e x p e c t e d o r w h y h e r c u r r e n t c l o t h i n g i s a p p e l l a n t p r e p a i d f o r d e n t a l s e r v i c e s i n M a y 2 0 1 9 b n o t c o m e u n t i l J u l y 2 0 1 9 t h e r e f o r e t h e n e e d f o r c l o t h u n e x p e c t e d c i r c u m s t a n c e s t h a t o c c u r r e d t h a t p r e v e T h e e v i d e n c e i n t h i s a p p e a l c l e a r l y d e m o n s t r a t e s t h f o r c l o t h i n g . T h e e v i d e n c e c l e a r l y i n d i c a t e s t h a t t h e d e n t a l c a r e a n d t h e p a n e l h i g h l i g h t s t h e r e q u e s t f o r a n d t h e N O A . T h o u g h t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s c o m p l e t e d n o e v i d e n c e t h a t s h e n e e d s c l o t h i n g a n d n o e v i d e n c a p p e l l a n t t o m e e t h e r n e e d f o r d e n t a l c a r e v i a o t h e r T h e p a n e l f i n d s , t h a t s i n c e t h e r e i s a l a c k o f e v i d e n c m a d e o n t h i s f i l e w i t h r e g a r d s t o t h e a p p e l l a n t ' s n e e m i n i s t r y t o a l l o w i t g e t t o t h i s p o i n t o r m a k e a d e c i s i F o r t h e s e r e a s o n s c i t e d a b o v e , t h e p a n e l f i n d s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t a c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t f o r c l o t h i n g w a s n n o t a r e a s o n a b l e a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e a p p l i c a t i o n l e g i s I m m i n e n t D a n g e r S e c t i o n 5 9 ( 1 ) { b ) o f t h e E A R s t a t e s t h a t t h e m i n i s t e u n i t t h a t i s e l i g i b l e f o r i n c o m e a s s i s t a n c e o r h a r d s h i r e s u l t i n i m m i n e n t d a n g e r t o t h e p h y s i c a l h e a l t h o f t I n i t s r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n , t h e m i n i s t r y n o t e d t h i m m i n e n t d a n g e r t o h e r p h y s i c a l h e a l t h w i t h o u t a c r r e a s o n a b l e t h a t y o u r e x i s t i n g c l o t h i n g i s s u ff i c i e n t t o F o r t h e s e r e a s o n s c i t e d a b o v e , t h e p a n e l f i n d s t h a t t h e a p p e l l a n t a c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t f o r c l o t h i n g w a s n n o t a r e a s o n a b l e a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e a p p l i c a t i o n l e g i s C o n c l u s i o n T h e p a n e l t h e r e f o r e f i n d s t h a t t h e m i n i s t r y ' s d e c i s i o s u p p l e m e n t f o r c l o t h i n g w a s n o t a r e a s o n a b l e a p p l i e v i d e n c e . T h e p a n e l r e s c i n d s t h e m i n i s t r y ' s r e c o n s a p p e a l .I A P P E A L N U M B E R a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s n o t i d e n t i fi e d t h e n e e d f o r n o t m e e t i n g h e r n e e d s . I t a l s o s t a t e d t h a t t h e u t h e r r e q u e s t f o r a c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t f o r c l o t h i n g d i d i n g i s n o t u n e x p e c t e d n o r d i d s h e d e m o n s t r a t e o t h e r n t e d h e r f r o m p u r c h a s i n g c l o t h i n g s h e r e q u i r e s . a t t h e a p p e l l a n t i s n o t i n n e e d f o r a c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t a p p e l l a n t i s i n n e e d f o r a d d i t i o n a l c o v e r a g e f o r c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t f o r c l o t h i n g a p p l i c a t i o n , t h e R F R a r e q u e s t f o r c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t f o r c l o t h i n g , t h e r e i s e t h a t t h e m i n i s t ry g u i d e d o r a tt e m p t e d t o g u i d e t h i s m i n i s t e r i a l f u n d i n g o p t i o n s . e o n t h e c h a i n o f e v e n t s a n d t h a t t h e r e a r e e r r o r s d f o r d e n t a l s e rv i c e s , t h a t i t w a s u n r e a s o n a b l e f o r t h e o n o n a m a t t e r t h a t c l e a r l y i s n o t a t i s s u e . t h e m i n i s t ry r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n w h i c h d e n i e d o t s u p p o r t e d b y t h e e v i d e n c e i i h a d b e f o r e i t a n d w a s l a t i o n . r m a y p r o v i d e a c r i s i s s u p p l e m e n t t o o r f o r a f a m i l y p i f f a i l u r e t o m e e t t h e n e e d o r o b t a i n t h e i t e m w i l l h e a p p l i c a n t . a t t h e a p p e l l a n t h a s n o t d e m o n s t r a t e d t h a t s h e fa c e s i s i s s u p p l e m e n t fo r c l o t h i n g a n d s t a t e d " i t i s m e e t y o u i m m e d i a t e n e e d s " . t h e m i n i s t r y r e c o n s i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n w h i c h d e n i e d o t s u p p o r t e d b y t h e e v i d e n c e i t h a d b e f o r e i t a n d w a s l a t i o n . 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 a c r i s i s c a t i o n o f t h e l e g i s l a t i o n a n d w a s n o t s u p p o rt e d b y t h e i d e r a t i o n d e c i s i o n . T h e a p p e l l a n t i s s u c c e s s f u l a t
I APPEAL NUMBER PART G -ORDER THE PANEL DECISION IS: (Check one) Jz;JUNANIMOUS □BY MAJORITY THE PANEL □CONFIRMS THE MINISTRY DECISION Jz;JRESCINDS 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) 0 or Section 24(1)(b) 0 and Section 24(2)(a) D or Section 24(2)(b) 0 PART H -SIGNATURES PRINT NAME Neena Keram SIGNATURE OF CHAIR DATE (YEAR/MONTI-VDAY} 2019/09/18 PRINT NAME Jennifer Armstrong SIGNATURE OF MEMBER DATE(YEAR/MONTH/DAY) 2019/09/18 PRINT NAME David Handelman SIGNATURE OF MEMBER DATE (YEAR/MONTJ-VDA Y} 2019/09/18
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.