Annual Report, 1997/98
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Ministry of Human Resources Annual Report, 1997/98 |
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Policy and Research
The Policy and Research Division supports ministry executive and field services by providing professional planning, policy development, research and analysis, forecasting and evaluation services. It also develops and co-ordinates legislation and regulations for all the ministry’s income support programs and co-ordinates the ministry’s appeal processes.
Performance Measurement and Management Information
The Performance Measurement and Management Information Branch collects, maintains and ensures consistency of research information and statistics necessary for the effective monitoring and analysis of ministry programs and their success. The branch consists of three units: the Performance Measurement Unit, the Forecasting and Evaluation Unit and the Information Management Unit.
The Performance Measurement Unit (with one staff member at the beginning of the year) began distributing performance measures to field offices and regions in 1997-98. The measures were modified over the course of the year in order to better meet the needs of users and by the end of the year, measures on the effectiveness of the verification officers, on new starts, stops and cycling, and participation in training programs were being distributed.
The Information Management Unit directly provided a consistent source of caseload and expenditure information from a broad range of data sources to all areas of the ministry, other ministries and the general public. During 1997-98, the unit developed several new monitoring reports and several new tools including an intranet web site that allows the electronic distribution of their reports and documents.
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The Planning Branch provides professional planning, policy and analytical services to the ministry. During 1997-98 year, this was accomplished through:
- development and coordination of the ministry’s legislation and regulations.
- co-ordination of the development process of the ministry’s strategic plan, including the Strategic Plan Framework document in November 1997; and
- development and recommendations for approval of income assistance support policy.
The branch also managed the ministry’s environmental scan process by performing social impact analyses as required by the Environmental Assessment Act and as needed to assist the ministry in its general planning function.
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The Income Support Branch provides research and policy development for all the ministry’s income support programs. It also co-ordinates and manages the ministry’s appeal processes.
Research and Policy Development:
During 1997-98, the Income Support Branch worked closely with other branches and divisions in the ministry to align policy initiatives and changes with the ministry’s strategic goals. Some key policy initiatives during this period included:
- Changes to the Family Maintenance Program: to make the assignment of maintenance a condition of eligibility and to ensure that orders are obtained and enforced through the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program. This change ensures that parents, and not the taxpayer, bear the primary responsibility for the financial support of their children.
- Changes to identification as an eligibility criterion: to allow families with children access to regular assistance so long as the applicant had obtained the required identification documents. Previously, only hardship assistance was available until all members of the household had complete identification.
- Changes to treatment of security deposits: to allow clients the same rights and responsibilities as other tenants by issuing them security deposits directly which are repayable to the client when he or she moves. Previously, landlords were required to repay security deposits to the ministry.
- Periods of ineligibility: It was not previously spelled out how long an individual was to remain ineligible after being declared ineligible—for example, for disposing of assets improperly, quitting employment or failing to seek employment. Changes to policy specified the time period of ineligibility in each case.
- Revision (and reduction) of the ministry’s policy manual: to decentralize and reduce bureaucratic decision-making.
Appeals
A decision to refuse, reduce or discontinue BC Benefits or assistance is open to review through the ministry’s formal appeal process.
The ministry has a three-tiered appeal system. The first level involves an internal reconsideration of the initial eligibility decision made by the ministry. A designated manager in each region reconsiders the initial decision.
The second level involves the creation of a lay tribunal. The applicant or recipient chooses one nominee, the second is selected by the ministry and the two nominees select a chairperson from a published list.
The third level involves an appeal to the BC Benefits Appeal Board. This board reviews tribunal decisions to determine whether there was an error of law or a jurisdictional error.
The following are highlights of the branch’s appeal activity during this period.
- In 1997-98, the ministry reviewed 3,731 eligibility decisions. Of these, 3007 decisions were upheld and 724 were overturned in favor of the applicant or recipient.
- Of the 3,007 eligibility decisions upheld, 628 decisions were appealed to lay tribunal hearings constituted in local communities across the province. Of these, 265 tribunals upheld the original ministry decision while 363 decisions were overturned in favor of the client.
- The BC Benefits Appeal Board, an autonomous body reporting to the minister, maintains its own statistics based on a calendar year rather than a fiscal year. It reported that 236 appeals were registered in 1997 of which 103 were decided in the client's favour and 86 upheld the ministry decision. Six other appeals were declined because they were registered after the legislated deadline, five tribunal decisions were made void, three appeals were determined to be frivolous and 21 appeals were withdrawn.
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