Policies need to accommodate the personal circumstances of the public.

Steve was experiencing issues with his Medical Services Plan (MSP) coverage. Steve, who received financial assistance from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR), did not have a fixed address or phone. MSDPR applied to the Ministry of Health for MSP coverage for Steve but because he only had his Ontario birth certificate he was only granted temporary coverage. The MSP enrolment process required Steve to provide secondary identification to prove his identify to fulfill the identification requirement. Unfortunately, Steve’s life circumstances made it impossible for him to obtain a traditional secondary piece of identification.

Ryan, Steve’s advocate, found out that Steve’s MSP coverage had been terminated because he was unable to fulfill the identification requirement. He called MSP and was able to get Steve’s coverage extended for an additional 60 days to give him more time to get secondary identification. Ryan explained to MSP that Steve’s health issues prevented him from being able to access secondary identification.

Feeling like Steve was being treated unfairly and concerned about his medical coverage, Ryan reached out to us.

MSP confirmed that an application was submitted by MSDPR for MSP coverage and that Steve had been granted emergency coverage for 60 days to give him time to obtain acceptable secondary ID to meet the identity requirement. We reviewed MSP’s Policy Framework: Modified Processes for Enroling and Renewing Enrolment in MSP (Modified Processes Policy) and noted that applicants could qualify for a modification in situations where the person was vulnerable due to homelessness, street involvement, mental health issues and/or substance abuse challenges. Steve faced many of these challenges.

We asked MSP whether it was fair and reasonable to require Steve to provide secondary identification given his circumstances. MSP agreed that the information provided demonstrated that there were a number of barriers preventing Steve from getting secondary identification and that he qualified for the modified process. As a result, MSP decided to issue Steve a non-photo BC Services Card under the Modified Processes Policy and to provide continuous MSP coverage retroactively. With this as secondary identification, Steve was able to complete the identity requirement and a photo BC Services Card was issued.

In view of the steps taken by MSP in response to our investigation, we considered the matter settled and closed our file.