After you apply – approved or denied

Congratulations! Your application for Income Assistance has been approved! Now that you have been approved, you:

• Will get up to $786 per month as a single person without dependents
• May get additional benefits as deemed necessary

For a full list of the amount you will receive if you have additional people in your household, you can see the Rate Schedule.

Other supplemental benefits you may receive

Once you are approved to receive Income Assistance, you may also be eligible to receive other benefits based on your situation. This could include benefits such as:

• Health Cards
• Emergency Fuel Benefit
• Emergency Special Benefit
• Medical Transportation

To see a full list of benefits you may be eligible for and how to apply for them, you can see the Social Development Policy Manual: Benefits.

Disability Support Program

As a person with a disability, you may require additional supports. The Disability Support Program can offer flexible, person centered approaches to planning and designing disability supports. The Disability Support Program is a separate application that can be completed online, including the pre-screening tool for the Disability Support Program to determine if you would be eligible to receive support through this program.

To Keep Your Information Up-to-Date and Avoid Overpayments

The amount you receive in Income Assistance is determined based on your income and the cost of your basic needs. If your situation changes, you will need to inform the Department of Social Development of the change within 15 days. Some potential changes include:

• You receive income or other financial resources that were not initially reported
• You living arrangements changed
• You added or removed members from your household

If you do not report changes that occur to your situation that could impact the amount you receive in Income Assistance, you could receive more money than you are eligible to receive. This is called an overpayment. You will be required to pay back the overpayment. This will be done by deducting a specific amount from your Income Assistance each month until you have paid back the entire amount you owe.

Compensatory Benefits

In some instances, you may receive compensatory benefits to cover the cost of your basic needs. This includes payments from sources such as:

• A settlement or payment of an insurance claim
• Unemployment insurance
• Worker’s compensation
• Pension benefit
• Any other compensatory benefit that are intended to cover the cost of your basic needs

You should not receive these types of compensatory benefits and Income Assistance at the same time because they are both intended to cover your basic needs. If you receive both types of benefits at the same time, you will be required to pay back the amount you receive from Income Assistance.

If your application is denied, you may be able to request a review or appeal the decision. There are two steps that may be necessary to have the decision appealed: the request for review and the request for appeal.

Request for Review

You have a right to request a review for a variety of reasons, some of which include:

• Your application was denied
• The amount of financial assistance you have been approved for will not meet your needs, within the limit of the Rate Schedule.
• Your financial assistance has been discontinued.
• Your financial assistance has been reduced.
• There has been an unreasonable delay in making a decision that affects your financial assistance

The Request for Review Process

To request a review, you will need to submit a Request for Review form to your local office of Social Development within 30 working days. You can ask your screener, needs assessor, or case manager for the Request for Review form.

Your form will be considered by an area reviewer. The area reviewer will make a decision within 15 days of receiving your request for review. The area reviewer may decide:

• In your favour. This means the original decision will be overturned.
• In agreement with the original decision. This means the original decision will not be overturned.

You will receive a letter will the decision, the reasons for the decision, and if you have the right to appeal the decision. If you have the right to appeal the decision, a Notice of Appeal form will be included in the letter.

Request for Appeal

If you do not agree with the area reviewer’s decision, you may be able to appeal their decision. There are some specific decisions that cannot be appealed, including:

• Your eligibility for Income Assistance if you have not completed the application process in full
• Emergency benefits of special need
• Non-financial issues such as planning decisions
• Decisions of the Medical Advisory Board

Submitting the Request for Appeal

To request an appeal, you will need to complete and submit the Notice of Appeal form to the address included in your letter from the area reviewer within 20 working days. A hearing will be held by the Family Income Security Appeal Board within 20 working days of your submitted request.

Preparing for the Appeal Hearing

On the day of the appeal hearing, you, the area reviewer, the chairperson or vice-chairperson of the Appeal Board, and two other Appeal Board members will be present. The chairperson will introduce you to the members of the Appeal Board and explain the process of the Appeal Hearing.

The Board members will ask you questions about your monthly expenses, the area reviewer will share the information on your file, and then you will have the opportunity to share any other information you feel is relevant. Once the Appeal Board members have all of the information they need, both you and the area reviewer will leave.

After the Appeal Hearing

You and the area reviewer will receive a letter with the Appeal Board’s decision within 15 working days. This letter will include the decision they made and the reasons for their decision. The Appeal Board’s decision is final and conclusive.

If you would like additional information about the appeal process, you can see the Income Assistance Review/Appeal Process: A “How To” Guide or you can contact your regional office of the Department of Social Development by calling 1-833-733-7835.

Choosing the best option if you are denied

Here are some common reasons that people are denied with advice on the next step to take: