scrubbedexpat091

Having to deal with the government on a monthly basis really is frustrating and especially so when a letter arrives 2 days before payment date for disability is due to say the cheque has been placed on hold until they receive a record of employment from service Canada.

Its stressful as several payments that auto debit from the account on Thursday are going to bounce now, and its too late to stop them as they need 10 days notice to do so. (the companies involved).

The government really does like to make life hard for people. (this is my GF's disability payment as she is disabled, but my income and situation effects her income from disability.)

There isn't even a ministry office locally, the local office for this region is in North Vancouver, and not possible to get there until Wed to sort it out.

The bank will make a small fortune on this...grrr

Sorry had to vent.

Former Lancastrian

Its OK to vent.
I wonder if the nearly 20,000 public service workers laid off and local offices for a variety of Govt services being closed or relocated might play a small part.
I deal with the Govt everyday and I hear you.

bats

They like to sing for their supper. Every few years they write and ask if I am still deaf. I feel for you

BristolUK

Here's a post I made on this site previously about child tax benefit.

I had a similar problem....a Canadian wife, always resident and declaring my income on her tax returns all the time asking CRA if I (living in Canada while awaiting PR) should complete a tax return and repeatedly being told not to.

All this time CRA was confirming no tax liability due to our income being lower than the personal allowances and that means an absolute guarantee that Child Tax Benefits were due at the maximum rate.

But eventually CRA suspended CTB because they didn't have the tax return from me that they had repeatedly told me they didn't want and even though they actually had the income details and they had confirmed that the income had no effect on the CTB entitlement.

During telephone calls, the CTB part of the CRA said they were in error to have suspended payments but they had to leave it that way having done it. But they then cancelled the suspension. So was the suspension an error or was lifting it an error? And was it an error when they suspended it again?

Just when everything was back to normal and they had the tax returns that they didn't originally want, the entitlement to GST refunds were called into question and they were suspended. Future payments were not made and were used to negate the apparent overpayment...but how could a future payment do that if there was no award?

And the office saying they didn't have my information was the very same office (same building, same postcode, same access to SIN and the same cross referenced records) that did have my information having recently confirmed just that.

Now you could be charitable and say that maybe they weren't authorised to look up those records...but then there must be some links otherwise what would have prompted the GST department to query refund eligibilty if it wasn't something from the CTB or tax part of CRA to begin with? And when CRA confirmed all was in order after all - a year or so later - why was it only then that GST doubts were actioned? Can they really not "talk" to each other more efficiently?

As a former civil servant in DSS I know how silly things can happen but 'silly' is not the same as the gross incompetence I have experienced in Canada in at least three different government departments.

scrubbedexpat091

I don't blame the workers at all, 100% of the blame is on the government and their idea's of consolidating offices, removing individual case workers, and so on. They even invested into a POS software system every other province turned down, and its been causing issues for 2 years now and slows down the workers ability to do their jobs.

But the government had time to give the ministry a new name, social development and social innovation, not sure what the innovation bit is about yet....


I got the EI part partially fixed, Service Canada said to apply again, then submit an application to amend the application to back date it to the original date and then they can close the file, and send confirmation to the BC Ministry.

Biggest pain is the fact we now have to spend time, and money, miss work to go to the office in Vancouver because they closed the one here. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but these offices have really really long waits, sometimes 2-3 hours, add in a 1 hour drive each way, and it becomes a nearly all day event, oh and if you wait and wait and don't see someone by lunch, your booted out of the office and told to come back in an hour.

BristolUK

Just curious....will they deal with email?

The government website for NB lists email contacts for their staff but when you try to use it they phone and say they don't deal with emails.

scrubbedexpat091

No they don't deal with email, its all on the phone. Its going to be a day of fax tag with documents being faxed to the local BC service office, and then going there to sign and submit it, then they fax them back, then we have to wait a few hours and then call and see if they have been attached to the file, if they have then all is good, if not, then we wait until it is.

Its just an all around pain as the bank and companies we need to pay Thursday don't care.

I wish we lived back in the day with old fashioned bill paying, this direct debit bill paying is just too risky and a money maker for banks, one thing goes wrong with direct deposit of income, and poof, everything overdraws because they all need 10 days to cancel an auto payment.

magnumpi

What about trying to talk with the bank? Maybe show them the letter and ask them to pay the bills and be nice on the overdraft payments

colchar

Can you not call your bank, explain the situation to them, and have them stop the payments?

scrubbedexpat091

I placed stop payments, but the bank charges $10 for each one, so still adds up for something that is not our fault and have no control over.

We are just waiting for the ministry to fax the documents I need to sign to the local Service BC center. (we have no ministry office in town) but the person who is in charge of our file (we don't know who as they don't give names or direct numbers to these individuals) is not currently in the office in Vancouver, so we are waiting now until the document is faxed so I can sign it, and fax it back.

The issue stems from EI not processing a claim in a timely manner, then me going to a new job, EI not doing their job. It was a surprise to us, we had no advance notification, only getting the letter 2 days before payment date.

We literally live pay check to pay check, we make just enough to pay what we owe, but not enough to sock away savings for when an issue like this arises. We live within our means, but when 50% of your income for the month is delayed, it causes massive issues.

scrubbedexpat091

We are at the office today well sitting in the parking lot waiting
For a call. The person on the phone yesterday said to come in so we
drove down to Vancouver only to be told we should not have and that
it's too much work to do it but if this person has time they will try.

The office blamed us for coming in even though the ministry call center told us
to so it seems nobody knows whats going on.

The check is here they just won't release it.

If we don't get it today won't be here til next week since
it will need to be mailed.

Such a screwed up system to how disabled are treated.

Not sure what makes the workers so miserable and unwilling
to help.

BristolUK

I think it's a North American thing. There seems to be a lack of compassion in anything that involves any sort of payment made to someone funded by "my tax dollars" as people like to say.

A couple of years ago I read in the paper here that social assistance/disability rates were going up for the first time in several years. In the UK, responses would be along the lines of too little too late but better than nothing.

In the days that followed, the newspaper letters page and the CBC discussion pages were full of nasty comments from people whining about their taxes funding "these people" and complaints about the 3% rise as if it was some sort of windfall.

3% of a pittance of an income for those unable to work is not the same as 3% of a better income.

For people so supportive, generous and neighbourly in just about every other way I find their lack of concern for the less fortunate astonishing.

Just an example, people will bend over backwards to help someone having to go out of province (or even out of Canada) for medical treatment but won't so much as sign a petition or make some other protest to pressure the government to take the sort of action that would remove the need for it.

It's the biggest thing I don't understand in Canada and I think this attitude allows the system to continue.

scrubbedexpat091

We finally got it sorted after a phone call and escalation to a superior. It simply appears the local worker just did not want to do it, the whole issue that is so so complicated was a flipping 1 sheet form that needed to be signed.

The irritating thing is the cheque was printed and waiting, only thing stopping it from being released was this form.

Its going to be a bit of a pain still since each month on check issue date we need to sign the form, and then fax it back to the office, and then the check will be mailed, so the check will be a week late or so, but atleast we can prepare now, this month was out of the blue with a letter arriving 2 days before issue date.

It would be nice if 1 case worker handled everything for people, right now nobody really knows who is doing what, there is no specific person to ask anything just a call center where you get a different answer every time you call.

I work but my income is not sufficient to support 2 people, and my GF was on disability well before she met me, and just isn't able to work long term, she does work at times, but her disability prevents her from working full-time and long term, she's been on disability for near a decade now.

I also think disability needs to be handled by a separate dept from social assistance, the 2 are not the same, and the needs of these 2 groups are not the same, but they treat it all the same. One group is employable (social assistance) and one group is not considered employable.

Trust me my partner would love to have the ability to work full-time and support herself with no help, and I'd love to be able to earn more so she would not have to rely on disability, but currently we are just not able to, but hopefully someday I can get a decent paying job and we can be free from the government assistance.

I think its been around 7 or 8 years since disability rates were raised here, rate varies a bit depending on family size and dependents, but a single disabled gets a max of 906 per month with a max of 375 for housing.

BristolUK

Sure. I've been paying attention to what you say

But so many people in Canada seem to have this attitude that makes assumptions about others thinking they do nothing to help them selves.

You've posted about how the two of you have done much to better your situation, taking a ton of stuff into account including accessibility to health services and then something like this comes along. For most people it would be a minor inconvenience but for you it's a hassle and it could set you back with a bunch of financial penalties and maybe employment issues through taking time out to resolve it.

Instead of people deciding this is all wrong and trying to get the system improved it's all "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" (with people just not realising these things are broke) along with a total lack of sympathy and comments about taxes.

Glad you're sorted.