By Kendall Worth!
In a previous post about the life of Daryl, Darlene, and Shirley I talked about their imminent “Annual Review”, which they have now attended. If you are receiving Income Assistance, in Nova Scotia, you must attend a review in order for your assistance to continue.
*Section 5.1.11 Employment support and Income policy manual
Conducting the Annual Review
Recipients are required to participate in a comprehensive annual review to assess ongoing eligibility for ESIA and ensure appropriate supports are being provided. At the meeting, documentation and forms including, but not limited to, those outlined in Policy 5.1.3 –Required Documentation – will be reviewed-and/or completed. Assistance is discontinued when a recipient and/or student family member refuses to-participate in the annual review and/or provide the required documentation. In addition to the Annual Review, recipients are required to report any changes in their circumstances as they occur.
Darlene is no longer on Income Assistance but has a good paying, full time job. Nevertheless, she was still required to attend with Daryl and Shirley because they are all living together and her name had to be on a statement swearing that Daryl is not in a romantic relationship with her or Shirley. This was a requirement in order to continue to receive Income Assistance at the same rate.
It was Daryl who called to report to me the results of the Review. As has happened to others, the caseworker became almost immediately very unprofessional, and critical, which has been reported by others, and is the reason it is helpful to go with an advocate. Luckily for Darlene, Shirley, and Daryl as explained in the February 15th post , they had both the Lawyer from Dal Legal Clinic, and the Dal Student union Rep accompanying them. Daryl told me that they wish they had recorded the meeting, because they would have a record of the caseworker’s behaviour. Imagine what he might have been like without the advocates?
Daryl told me that when they walked into the Sackville office of DCS and everyone got seated, the Caseworker raised his voice right away, and told them in an I mean business attitude “Listen, Community Services, Employment Support and Income Assistance program does not fund threesomes to be living together in an inappropriate threesome relationship.”
He continued: “Daryl and Shirley if you want to continue receiving income Assistance beyond today’s Annual Review you better be able to prove that there is nothing inappropriate happening among the 3 of you. No specific questions had been asked or clarification raised. The next words that came out of the IA Caseworker’s mouth, with his voice still raised, was Daryl, I need to advise you, that in your case, I am seriously looking at reducing you to the $608.00 boarding allowance. For Daryl, this would mean, losing $342.00 a month from his cheque.
Daryl reported that 3 times during the review, the lawyer had to intervene in order to keep things calm, cool, and collected. The Dal union rep also spoke up to make the point that Shirley does not having time for a relationship because of her busy studying schedule at Dalhousie.
The very unprofessional Income Assistance caseworker eventually made the negative decision that beginning in March, Daryl’s assistance entitlement will be reduced to $608.00, if he cannot provide further proof that he is not in a “common-law partner” relationship with either of these 2 women with whom he shares accommodation. Shirley was told that she will continue to receive the $950.00 as long as she continues to participate in the career seek program.
In order to continue all of their monthly entitlement to income assistance they must produce the following documents, and quickly:
#1 - A copy of Shirley’s class/study schedule at Dalhousie and a letter from the university stating that she attends regularly scheduled classes.
#2 – the three have a joint bank account where they deposit $600.00 each a month for their Rent and $100.00 each for Nova Scotia Power. The money comes directly out of the account. The worker wants bank statements for the last year, to prove the money really is going on their rent and power bill, and that there is a next to 0 balance after those withdrawals are made. They do put an extra $10.00 in that account to cover Bank Service Fees.
#3 - The Caseworker also wants a letter from the landlord stating that within the house they are renting all three of them have their own bedroom, and also stating that food and other essentials are not being provided by the Landlord.
They already signed a statement in front the caseworker saying that Daryl is not in a relationship with Shirley or Darlene. They already showed bank statements, during the review, that demonstrates that the money from that account is going directly to the rent and N.S. power. All three of them feel strongly that this is an example of the Income Assistance Caseworker making concerned moral, rather than economic, judgments, and looking to find an issue. As for the letter from the landlord, a copy of the lease is already on their Income assistance files, isn't that proof enough, they ask?
The lawyer plans to draft a letter to the Casework Supervisor about what happened and will address the unfairness of the caseworker asking for so much extra information and documentation.
I will continue to follow this story!
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