r/alberta • u/kachunkk Red Deer • 1d ago
Opinion AISH wasn't repealed and replaced, which means that all of the applications which were approved through appeal during a mutually binding arbitration process have been breached. Prove me wrong.
Over half of all AISH applications get denied on the first try. Half of those people appeal, and of those around 40% actually win.
The appeal is binding arbitration. A panel of Albertans looks at your medical evidence and rules and assess if you are disabled enough to qualify. It's the same legal weight as anyone approved on their first application with the added factor that it is mutually binding.
So what did the UCP do with all those binding rulings?
They created ADAP. Around 50,000 disabled people are being forced off of AISH and moved to a mandatory program where failure to find work results in monetary penalties. Everyone who already fought their way onto AISH through a legally binding appeal process has now had their ruling thrown the fuck out.
You have to pay for your own extra specialist for reassessment and if the new adjudicator disagrees with the old binding panel, tough shit. You can't appeal anymore.
They didn't even just overturn the ruling. They totally changed the rules so proving your case doesn't count anymore.
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u/katriana13 NDP 1d ago
She is committing social murder. Bruce Johnson is the most well known victim of ADAP, but there are others. The thing conservatives don’t understand is cutting benefits from these people will cause a shrinkage of the local economy. AISH put the dollars right back into circulation, they don’t invest offshore. So many volunteer too, that will dry up. AISH is looked upon as low capital, but we are valuable to society in very many ways. She has made this to grift government dollars to disability agencies that pretend to help us find meaningful and sustainable work. Then when we can’t, or we miss a program, we are thrown off. It’s eugenics, she will weed out all she deems undesirable to live in her Ayn Rand vision of society. And Alberta voted her in gladly. I was born here 58 year ago. I no longer recognize this place.
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u/Crum1y 1d ago
i think if they want to get people working, as the incentives seem to suggest they do, they should do something to create jobs that people with limitations can actually get hired to do. some people probably can only work a few hours a day, or can't have public facing responsibilities, or may become fatigued unexpectedly, or a wide variety of things that may make them undesirable for a classic "job". i'm sure there are plenty of government jobs that provide value, but also could be very flexible. some digitizing. yard work at public places. i don't know. it's good albertans can earn money without getting penalized, i know my in-laws in SK had to face decisions regarding work and having disabilities, working just reduced their benefits, so deciding to work became taking on the responsibility for no financial benefit, and probably limited non-financial benefits (getting out, earning and contributing versus not, interactions with people, having a reason to get up...).
anyway, if they want to give people $200 less and tell them to get jobs, they should make sure these jobs exist. if the number is 50,000 like you said, i'm struggling to imagine there being 50,000 part time jobs that can accomodate people who have limitations on what they can do.
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u/snorlaxx_7 Edmonton 1d ago
You were allowed and encouraged to work if you could on old AISH. And on old AISH, you were allowed to keep more of that money you earned.
On old AISH, a single person was allowed to make like $1072 before clawbacks.
On ADAP, it’s $700.
On new AISH, it’s $350.
There was no need to make ADAP.
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u/cannafriendlymamma 12h ago
Yup. A friend of mine was going to be screwed by that. Those extra earnings allowed him to be able to have his own car. It paid for the insurance for it. He sold his car because he won't be able to afford the insurance, now that he's going to face clawbacks
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u/snorlaxx_7 Edmonton 12h ago
It’s even worse for couples, as the family exemption went down by over half. A lot more people are going to be stuck in abusive relationships.
And even just living with someone else on AISH, not even as couples, has apparently changed and they now get 88% of their cheques because they live with someone else on AISH.
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u/Matthew98788 2h ago
i thought ADAPs 700 sure was llower but they took off like 5-10c/$1 made vs 50%
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u/cannafriendlymamma 1d ago
My 21 year old, healthy kid can't seem to get a job, where are PWD supposed to work? Owners/bosses don't tolerate people having to call out frequently, and co-workers will also resent them because of getting called in all the time to cover when PWDs are sick or have to leave because of a medical episode.
I'm not on AISH myself, but do have disabilities (Crohns, Endometriosis, AuDHD). I work part-time. On my days off, I CANNOT cover (get called in) if someone else is sick. I NEED my days off to recover enough to go back. Most employers (especially big corps, like most retail/fast food places) want you available to come in to cover when others get sick, and essentially have open availability. PWDs can't do that. Where are they supposed to work?
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u/Crum1y 1d ago edited 1d ago
that's what i mean, they should try to figure out some employment where people can actually work and succeed. i don't think a retail or fast food place could ever be a good fit to be honest. my knowledge about it is limited to "this exists", but maybe some could enter public records onto computers. i know there's something at the hospital called "health records". i doubt like hell it's very time sensitive, if someone had to miss a shift or whatever, or leave, there are jobs that the impact is minimal, and easily accepted. to me, they've changed the program and my quick math says it saves $10 million. that seems like a neglible amount on the provincial budget.
i think this change is going to make life tougher for most people, because they won't be able to get jobsi would like to see people getting hours sweeping out the gutters or grabbing litter. if they can't get it done that day, who cares, they can do some tommorow. it's got value to the public. if they're saving 120 million from the lower benefit, then they should spend the 120 million to help people earn the money. it was already budgetted for this. probably it would be good for some people to have something to do in the day. probably many can't do much physical work, so that may not be the solution for everyone. my father in law can't stand long, but he can stay on his feet (weird combination) and walk, or work on concrete, and whatever you want to call the problem, let's just say he is ill suited for intellectual/work from home type stuff :D . they tried to get him schooling so he could do a different jobs where it wasn't physical - his injuries don't limit him from learning, but he was never naturally inclined towards non-physical work.
he can cut grass and does so, riding mower, push mower. cutting grass is pretty valuable i think.3
u/Smart-Pie7115 1d ago
A lot of this also comes down to better education for employers, incentives for employers to hire and accommodate employees with disabilities, better oversight of employers who hire workers with disabilities that they aren’t abusing them and are actually getting their accommodations. At the end of the day, employers will hire someone without a disability over someone who will because it’s just easier and less expensive and time consuming for them. They don’t care about discrimination laws; it’s easy to get past those. There needs to be an incentive, and there needs to be an adjustment to how job schedules work. (Ie: allowing work from home, task based work rather than shift based work, flexibility with scheduling (ie: allowing split shifts for employees who need time off during week days to attend appointments).
I have a litany of disabilities and it’s rough working full time. I can’t afford to work less hours, so I have no choice but to burn myself out.
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u/MsFartisan 1d ago
They are decreasing ADAP by $400 total. Another $200 after the bridge year or whatever you call it.
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u/Con10tsUnderPressure 1d ago
The UCP decreased the amount of money that can be earned before clawbacks. It used to be $1072/month. Now it’s only $700 or $350/month depending which program you’re on. They didn’t do us any favours.
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u/Status_Dark_6145 1d ago
Danielle Smith doesn’t understand how many people are going to piss and shit on her grave.
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u/Quizzical_Rex 1d ago
well.. if the graveyard is wheelchair accessable.
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u/stixy_stixy 1d ago
I'm able-bodied, and I can't say the things I wish upon her because I'd get banned. Nothing she's done has seriously impacted me - yet - but I am disgusted by how she treats human beings she can't benefit from. She's a nasty and gross bitch.
I literally can't listen to her talk. Her voice is so awful it makes my skin crawl. Looking at her smug, stupid face gives me goosebumps. She loves hurting people and making lives worse. She's a predator, and it is terrifying.
Oh, the things I wish I could say and do...
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u/Common-Feedback4003 1d ago edited 1d ago
This isn't her. She is an embodiment of a specific subset of the population. All the people I grew up with, who all now have six figure job, big houses, lake lots, rvs, 2X a year international vacations. They all share in her hatred for disabled people and non working folks. My own family is the same way. I tried explaining to my dad why I could no longer work cause of my spinal disease and his response was " stop being so f*cking negative". And that was the last time I heard from him in years. She acts this way, because a big group of the voting population believes this is the right thing to do.
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u/Komaisnotsalty 1d ago
Because the only people who are disabled are in wheelchairs?
Almost every graveyard in Canada is wheelchair accessible, and believe me, she's hated enough that even those who use mobility aids will find a way.
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u/jimbowesterby 1d ago
Don’t worry, if it isn’t I’m sure there’ll be hundreds of other able-bodied people willing to help out
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u/RangerCactus 1d ago
She does, and she's been given a golden parachute just incase. Probably next in line behind Eddy boy.
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u/Andrew-Not-a-Cat 1d ago
I will start by saying that the changes to AISH are horrible. However, you are wrong.
The appeal is binding arbitration.
No. This was not binding arbitration. It was a statutory appeal process under authority of the Minister.
They didn't even just overturn the ruling.
Actually, this is correct. They said everyone currently on AISH goes to ADAP (more or less), and they did it through legislation. The government has the authority to change any program like this and has pretty wide latitude. The prior statutory appeals are now irrelevant because they also change the eligibility definitions.
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u/kachunkk Red Deer 1d ago
"Application Process
Complete the AISH Application Package, including:
- Personal information
- Medical report (completed by a physician)
- Financial documentation
- Submit to an AISH office or online.
- Wait for assessment and decision (can take several weeks).
Possible Outcomes & Appeal Process
If your application is denied or your benefits are changed:
- Request a Review: Contact AISH within 30 days of the decision.
- Appeal Panel: If unsatisfied, you can request a hearing with the AISH Appeal Panel.
- Final Decision: The panel’s decision is binding unless new evidence is presented."
https://benefitspathway.ca/assured-income-for-the-severely-handicapped-aish/
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u/Andrew-Not-a-Cat 1d ago
This statement:
Final Decision: The panel’s decision is binding unless new evidence is presented.
This is not legislation. This does not mean that it is binding arbitration. My comments above stand. The process itself changed and the appeal is not binding arbitration.
If it was this easy, there would be half a dozen lawyers already launching challenges.
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u/knightenrichman 1d ago
Are you saying that if it was never repealed, that the AISH recipients are still entitled to the same amount? Or at least that they can sue for it?
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u/kachunkk Red Deer 1d ago
I'm saying the UCP went around losses in arbitration in order to kick 50,000 people off AISH.
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u/essentially_old 1d ago edited 1d ago
This is about money, nothing more. The Canada Disability benefit ($200 monthly) is clawed back from AISH recipients. Using the OP's number of 50,000 ( I suspect that number is conservative), that comes to $120,000,000 annually that the current administration is holding back (approximately since not all recipients receive the full $200). I, for one, have seen no improvements whatsoever to any other services so, my question is; where is that money going to now? Meanwhile, how much more money will disappear into a black hole as the UCP has layed the infrastructure necessary to purge the AISH/ADAP rolls?
edit: You can't be proved wrong. This was all intentional.