Becoming a Senior
 

I am now officially a Senior. Do I know what my OAS will be yet?
No. Sometimes Government of Canada - the organisation - is disappointing.

Five years ago, when I started to get OAS - the Survivor's Allowance - the information I was given said it would be converted at age 65 to OAS/GIS automatically. No need to apply.

So I was a little surprised to be invited to apply last year, which I duly did.

Service Canada has this nice little feature where you can check the status of applications. Sadly it doesn't show a status. Not even that it's been received. According to the informationthere that's because nothing shows until they've processed something.
Eh?
This reminds me of applications for renewal PR cards where you can check the status but on both previous renewals that I've done, nothing shows up until it's actually been processed. And even then, by the time my account had been updated to show the fact, I had already received the renewal card, so that alerted me to the new status. :blink:

Anyway, there's nothing showing on the status page of my Service Canada account. There's a phone number and something about a service standard of answering calls in 10 minutes... but there's a current average wait time of 78 minutes. :ohmy:
No thanks. I'll use the e-service "call me back" feature.

The thing is, as a Senior, I now qualify for the Provincial drug plan if some part of what I get is GIS and I believe that will be the case. That means no monthly premium (I pay $33 at the moment under the current system) and a halving in co-pays for each prescription.

But I can't register for the Seniors' scheme until I know for sure so right now I'm likely paying more than I should be. Fortunately I can afford it.

Just to rub it in, I have not received the usual HST payment this month and my CRA account says nothing is due even though my notice of assessment correspondence for 2021 confirms the usual quarterly payments.

For now I'm taking this as a sign that something is actually going on with processing and that this 'something' means the usual process for the HST payment has been interrupted.

But I'm afraid a piss-up in a brewery is coming to mind.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Is becoming "officially a senior" just age related or is there more to it? If it's an age thing, at what age does it happen?

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

65 for Canada. Not delayed like in the UK.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

It's not "delayed" in the UK. Just adjusted to reflect longer average life spans and general improvements in health. If there had been a pension 300 years ago it probably would have kicked in at age 40. Are you suggesting the pension age should be forever immutable?

EDIT: Oh - congrats on your 65th birthday, may you have very many more :)

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Yeah I had to do my father-in-law's OAS. Applied back in September last year, wasn't until March this year I got any sort of confirmation. Very slow process.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Government is not there to serve you.. They are there to serve themselves.

I deal with government every day in my job and that is my general impression of the system as a whole. There are some good people there but it tends to crush the mavericks and independent thinkers. The ultimate 'that's the way we've always done it' entity.

Relying on government payments only doesn't result in much each month does it?

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Is that like how bus and train fares are adjusted rather than increased? ;)
Didn't I read a few weeks ago that life expectancy went back the other way?
Cheers...not sure I want another 65th birthday though :lol:

I expect a slow process. I think I was invited a year ago and did it then. I would just expect to hear back a little in advance of the birthday even if it doesn't actually get paid until later.

When was your FIL's 65th?

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

:nod: I now that, especially in NB.
I still remember when the tax rate on electricity went up (or got added to, don't recall exactly) and the NB government was refunding the cost - 8% of their bill- to all bill payers. There are any number of ways this could be done - like have the power company deduct 8% from the bill - or charge the normal rate and make a refund/credit at the end of the year or have some means of notifying the government so it could refund the payment and so on.

Nope. Everyone had to save up their monthly bills - or print them off - and then at the end of the year mail a rather thick envelope off to the province with the application form. Upon receipt of half a million applications, the employees would then add up 12 bills half a million times, calculate 8% of each total and arrange for half a million cheques to go out by post with the subsequent investigations for the inevitable non receipt of cheque claims. :nod:

Fortunately I don't but it depends on individual circumstances. My MIL does fantastically well out of hers and she did so even before she came to live with us.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Back in March 2021, my wife and MIL applied for CPP for at the time (which got approved quite quickly) but OAS got missed so I got the ball rolling on that one. They did do a back payment all the way back until April 2021 though now it's approved, though GIS is now asking for proof of income for the past two years.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Reminds me of the way they do deposits on fizzy drinks in NB. We were in Alma once, bought some iced tea or Snapple or something and the price was a lot more at the cash register than what it said in the self serve fridge. I asked about this and they said tax + deposit was extra but wasn't included in the display price. We had the drinks and I thought we would return the empties where we bought them for the deposit back. Nope. We had to go to some other place in town and they only gave back 1/2 the deposit as there was some sort of handling fee.

My F-I-L is from NB and he defends it to the max but he said unless you are an Irving or a McCain, it is better to leave to find fame and fortune.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

:nod: There is an alternative method now though.

I'm sure that used to be the case once upon a time - although even then many returned.
Population's growing now though. People come here.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

I had my call back. All I gained from it is that it's in hand. There's no status information - other than they obviously have it and why can't that be recorded as a status on my account anyway?
The amount will come at the end of next month and if I want to know the amount I need to call the call centre - who have I just been speaking too then? - but the amount isn't what I need to know and the letter showing when GIS is included goes out July or August. WTF? Four months after turning 65 and three months after the actual payment is issued, only then you get the necessary confirmation about the payment that you may have received at least three times already. :blink:

They couldn't even tell me that the ongoing action would have interrupted the HST credit.

Poor show.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

I retired this year. Not a senior yet though, some time to go before that fingers crossed. Good luck to you.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Yes I've had similiar experiences with them. You never know how much GIS you're going to get or even if you're getting it at all for a particular year. You'll know that the basic OAS will be however many years you've been in Canada / 40ths of the full amount.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

I think that the population is growing because they've all come back from Fort Mac!

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

I missed this.
Seems a bit weird asking for proof of income for a period that at least overlaps with OAS for which proof of income was already required. :nod:

In my case my OAS Survivors money is effectively GIS for those between 60-65 and widowed so they have all the proof needed (my tax returns) to award it and the OAS.

Since posting, I got the usual survivor payment for April. May's payment date passed last week and I've still heard nothing.

For some people this would be the only income they have and they could be left high and dry on what should have been a smooth transition.

I have another call back arranged. :frown:

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Just got my call back. "Still in processing" but she will send an "Urgent" notice over (because of "our" failure to have done it - that's refreshingly honest and accepting ownership) so that they will have 24 hours in which to respond to either say why not done or do it.

"So at least they can give you a better answer than I have" she said. There should be more like her.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

That was early Tuesday morning. It's now Thursday afternoon and no 24 hour urgent response yet.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

So a week after I was advised of an urgent, within 24 hours, call back I had no urgent call back.
So I did another (standard) call back request. The third one.

On the (standard) call back today they cannot tell me what the hold up is. They will escalate. "Someone did that last week" I say and she asks "nobody called you back yet?"

I was then surprised when she asked if I'd called them. I said I was put off by the waiting time hence call back requests. Apparently if I make the call I speak to someone with more access to information than she has.

So when the website details average wait times (50mins, 70 mins when I look - and those are already out of date not "today") but says you can request a call back instead, it's not particularly helpful if that call back person can't help.

I'm going to have to bite the bullet and try first thing Friday morning. :frown:

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Automated menu. No surprise there.
Please enter your 9 digit SIN. Done.
Please enter your date of birth. Oh bloody hell (that's the clean version). Please enter year, month date...okay, four figures for year?...for example if you were born in.....so, yes, four figures for the year. So I press the 8 numbers and the recording says they didn't get it :frown: so hold for an agent...which was obviously what I wanted anyway.

I get through, I explained I was invited to apply over a year ago which I duly did and heard nothing since. "You've had no contact at all?" Just the call backs requested three times where nobody can tell me anything.
"Do you have a number on the package that was sent?" No it was over a year ago.
"Stay there, I'm just going to familiarise myself with the file."



She tells me it's been escalated and now will be the third one - she seemed quite impressed though I'm not sure why given that it's made not the slightest difference. Anyway, give them three business days to update me and follow up next week if they don't.

What the...:ohmy:

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Another call today. Wednesday. Another 20 minutes of Spanish guitar and finally got through to hear nothing's happened.
'Escalation' number 4 today.

"I know it's frustrating, especially as they are way past the time in which it should be done, but they would normally phone you within 48 hours, if you hear nothing, phone again next Monday."

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

This was in the paper for passport renewals but it works just as well for this.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...9421b5b9d7.png

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Escalation number 5 submitted today.

We've moved on from "they will call you within 48 hours" to "they should call within 48 hours but if they don't then call again" to today's which was "they don't always call back but I've added you will appreciate a call back." :blink:

Each time I call I feel I get a little more acknowledgement, get a little further....but the cynic in me thinks they have a list of potential pacifying 'lines' with one being ticked off each time.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

warp factor 5 then

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

I just cannot afford the phone calls being put on hold for hours from France to the Pension offices in Canada anymore and so I've given up thinking I will ever see a penny of my pension from Canada. I worked in a City Museum for 7 years there.
Good luck to you though, being there ought to help.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

I see there's a "call collect" number for outside North America and had to look up that meaning. Do they not agree to pay for the call then? That would be an incentive for them to do a better job. :nod:

You can do an on line action that gets them to call you two days after you submit. That one does get a call back, albeit they have no access to your file, but it might get you somewhere.

https://eservices.canada.ca/en/service/

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Finally done. Five might be the magic number for escalations. :thumbup:

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Some kudos to Mick and the boys for their performance of Sympathy for the Devil at Hyde Park last week (on YouTube). Full marks for growing old disgracefully :thumbup: They look ridiculous, but at least they're still rockin'.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

I'm on the same bill :lol:

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

I'm getting there !

What's funny is that after that video, I saw a video from 20 years ago, when a German interviewer was asking Mick if it's appropriate for a 59 year old to be dancing and jumping around !! How dated that now seems.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

updates please, are you now a paid Canadian senior citizen, or are you having to continue for whatever eason finding the need to speak with someone at Human Resources Canada?

is it 3 or 4 or more collective pensions that you're getting eh!

UK works pension, UK state pension, OAS, GIS, CPP +provincial add-on's/top up's...likely you are you richer than you think?

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

It was here

Still not had April/July HST credits though.

But Seniors drug coverage is now in place.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Just thought I'd come back on this.
So I got my Seniors drug coverage sorted and when confirmation came through they had backdated cancellation of the previous scheme from April. I was surprised at that because I just thought they would do it from the next available date.

Today I got a cheque (yes, a cheque) as refund for the monthly premiums. :thumbup:

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

Here in the province of NannyStan, the government is typically not generous towards seniors. I was surprised however, to find that for the over 65s, hunting licenses for small game, deer and bear are free, whereas, for example, there is only a $2 reduction per night for seniors camping at provincial parks. I have invested in a Sako 30-06 rifle and Mossberg pump action shotgun in order to take advantage of this and hopefully put some meat on the table and a bit more spice in my life.

Re: Becoming a Senior
 

What animal are you planning on taking out with the shotgun?