Administrative errors can mean people are owed benefit payments.

Kathy, who received income assistance took her granddaughter, Molly, to the dentist and was surprised to find out that Molly no longer had dental or medical coverage. Kathy had been looking after her grandchildren for five years and didn’t understand why Molly’s coverage had changed. Kathy tried to get answers from two different ministries – the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction – each of which referred her to the other. Feeling like she was getting the runaround, she reached out to our office to help get answers.

As Kathy was an income assistance recipient, we contacted the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. Through the course of our investigation we determined that Kathy’s grandchildren had been mistakenly removed from her file and therefore did not have medical and dental benefits under the provincial Medical Services Plan.

Realizing their error, the ministry indicated to us they would promptly address the issue and review the file. As a result, Kathy received nearly $4,500 in retroactive benefit payments that she was entitled to.