Core Business Areas
The ministry’s major services are provided under the BC Employment and Assistance (BCEA) program, which emphasizes self-reliance and personal responsibility, and reduces long-term dependence on income assistance for those who are able to work. BCEA programs and services are all delivered through six core business areas, each of which is directly tied to the ministry’s vision, mission and goals.
Core Business: Employment Programs
Employment Programs provides for the operation and administration of programs to assist eligible individuals find sustainable employment. It also provides for the operation and administration of employment-related programs to support individuals with multiple barriers and disabilities. This sub-vote provides for salaries and benefits for individuals with disabilities receiving on the job training under the Public Service Employment Program. Recoveries are received from ministries and from parties external to government under cost sharing agreements for programs.
The ministry designs and develops employment programs for clients that include work search assistance, employment planning assistance, specific skills training, job placement and job retention services. To ensure that assistance is available to all clients, the ministry also offers clients assistance including transportation, work clothing and certification fees in cases where programming gaps may exist (for example in rural and remote communities).
The ministry also offers programs to support persons with disabilities enhance their participation in the community and the work force through employment and volunteer opportunities. This program enhances participants’ sense of well-being, promotes their inclusion in the community and the workforce, and builds skills and experience that may lead to further employment or volunteer opportunities. Participation in these programs is voluntary.
Employment programming is delivered through community-based, external service providers. Service providers are selected using a procurement and performance-based contract management process designed to ensure the selection process is fair, transparent and accountable. Those proponents who are successful in the competitive contracting process have been assessed against evaluation criteria and identified as the service providers best able to perform the work. Compensation is based partly on their ability to achieve specified client outcomes.
Client scenario: Rachel* is a single mother who had been receiving income assistance since 1995. She had never held a paying job and described herself as having low self-esteem and no confidence that anyone would ever hire her. As part of her employment plan, Rachel participated in a ministry program. Rachel successfully completed the program and now works part-time as a sales clerk as well as an on-call housekeeper. She is confident her retail sales position will soon be full-time. In Rachel’s words, “My experience of (the Training For Jobs program) has been an inspiration... I never thought I would get off the system. This program has changed my life for the better. I am now working 2 jobs and am no longer in need of income assistance.”
* Name has been changed to protect client privacy
Core Business: Temporary Assistance
Temporary assistance is provided in accordance with the Employment and Assistance Act for the family units of eligible individuals who are capable of financial independence through employment or are unable to
seek work because of a prescribed short-term medical or other condition, or who have persistent multiple barriers to employment.
It also provides for support services and direct operating costs. Recoveries are received from ministries, assignments authorized
by the Employment and Assistance Act and the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act, and from repayable assistance and overpayments.
The Employment and Assistance Act sets out criteria the ministry uses to determine eligibility for temporary assistance. Temporary assistance includes income support and shelter allowances for those with accommodation expenses. Clients experiencing difficulties, such as mental illness, addictions or developmental disabilities, can request that the ministry provide their shelter allowances directly to their landlord to avoid loss, misuse or misappropriation of their funds. The group of clients who primarily benefit from temporary assistance are those in the Expected to Work category.
Expected to Work: This group of clients includes individuals who are capable of employment, have met eligibility criteria such as a three-week work search and have ongoing employment-related obligations. Expected to Work clients have to maintain individualized employment plans detailing specific job search activities commitments as a condition of continued assistance. Research indicates that this approach benefits families and individuals over the long-term by breaking the inter-generational cycle of welfare dependency and ending the ‘cycle-on, cycle-off’ pattern that many clients have experienced. Expected to Work clients comprise 17 per cent of the ministry’s caseload.
There are circumstances where clients may be temporarily exempt or excused from employment obligations. These clients form the following two groups:
- Expected to Work — Medical Condition: The ministry recognizes that some clients may be unable to work due to short-term medical conditions or participation in a rehabilitation program. These clients are temporarily exempt from employment obligations and represent 7 per cent of the ministry’s caseload.
- Expected to Work — Temporarily Excused: Clients may also be temporarily excused from normal eligibility requirements if they: are parents of children under three years of age; are caring for a dependent child or spouse with serious physical or mental conditions; have recently left an abusive relationship; or have reached 65 years of age. These clients comprise 7 per cent of the ministry’s caseload.
Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers (PPMB): Clients may be designated as PPMB if they are unable to achieve financial independence due to specific barriers to employment that they have been unable to overcome. Barriers may include a medical condition that precludes employment and is likely to continue or a long-term medical condition in addition to poor literacy skills, child care needs, lack of training or work experience. While designated as PPMB, clients receive temporary assistance and are temporarily exempt from employment obligations. PPMB clients make up 8 per cent of the ministry’s caseload.
Children in the Home of a Relative: Relatives who are looking after a child placed in their care by a parent unable to pay for their basic needs may be eligible for financial assistance from the ministry. In addition to the ministry’s support, caregivers may also be eligible for the Canada Child Tax Benefit and BC Family Bonus. While the decision to place a child with a relative is solely the parent’s, the ministry continues to ensure our staff are provided with training and policies to assist them in detecting and reporting, to the Ministry of Children and Family Development, issues of child safety or other concerns. CIHR clients represent 5 per cent of the ministry caseload.
The ministry has worked to ensure that temporary assistance is available and responsive to individuals and families truly in need. Individuals with an emergency medical need or an emergency need for food or shelter and who do not have alternate resources available, can have their application for assistance reviewed on an expedited basis.
Client scenario: Sarah* is a former sex trade worker who sought help through the ministry to move into the mainstream labour market. She completed a Bridging Employment Program and spent six months working part-time in two training positions. While doing that work she upgraded her high-school English and was accepted at a local community college to become a Community Service Worker and plans to work with people with mental handicaps. She reconciled with her family, volunteers and is a spokesperson for a local organization.
*Name has been changed to protect client privacy
Core Business: Disability Assistance
Disability assistance is provided in accordance with the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act for the family units of eligible individuals with disabilities who are not expected to gain financial independence through
employment or who are seeking work. It also provides for support services and direct operating costs. Recoveries are received
from ministries, assignments authorized by the Employment and Assistance Act and the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act, and from repayable assistance and overpayments.
Income and disability assistance legislation and ministry policies recognize that people with disabilities face unique challenges in daily living and may require additional support. Clients may apply for a “Persons with Disabilities” (PWD) designation by submitting an application form that has been filled out by their physician and other health professionals with details concerning diagnosis, health history, the degree of impairment and impact on the applicant’s daily living activities. Applicants may be designated as PWD if their medical history demonstrates they have a severe physical or mental impairment that significantly restricts their ability to carry out daily living activities. Clients receiving disability assistance are eligible for increased income support and shelter allowances, a low-cost annual bus pass, a monthly earnings exemption and enhanced medical coverage which includes Medical Services Plan and Pharmacare coverage with no deductible, as well as other health supplements.
In addition to disability assistance, the ministry also offers PWD clients programs designed to increase independence, provide greater income security, promote increased participation in the community and enhance well-being. These programs are part of the Employment Strategy for Persons with Disabilities, an overarching, integrated approach to employment. This strategy provides integrated assessment, employment planning, job training, and employment services and supports to enable persons with disabilities to gain or enhance employment to the greatest degree possible. Participation in these programs is voluntary, as clients receiving disability assistance have no employment-related obligations or requirements to participate in employment programs.
Persons with disabilities who successfully leave assistance for employment retain their PWD designation and are eligible to maintain their medical assistance. PWD clients represent 56 per cent of the ministry caseload.
Client scenario: Joel* is a PWD client who was diagnosed with schizophrenia many years ago. As a result of the disease, he had little experience in paid employment and was doubtful an employer would hire him. After 17 years of volunteering for non-profit organizations, Joel chose to participate in Employment Programming for Persons with Disabilities to gain work experience in a commercial environment. Through the program, he began to volunteer at a garden centre and was responsible for stocking the shop, watering plants, pricing and responding to customer enquiries.
Staff at the garden centre appreciated Joel’s plant knowledge and encouraged him to apply for a position as a customer associate. As a result of this successful experience, Joel’s confidence in his abilities solidified, allowing him to face his next working challenge with a more secure foundation and awareness of his strengths and skills.
* Name has been changed to protect client privacy
Core Business: Supplementary Assistance
Supplementary assistance provides for health and other supports for family units of eligible individuals in accordance with
the Employment and Assistance Act and Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act, and for programs that promote the purposes of the legislation. It also provides for support services and direct operating
costs. Recoveries are received from Bus Pass Program user fees, from assignments authorized by the Employment and Assistance Act and the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act, from repayable assistance and overpayments.
Supplementary assistance provides eligible clients with additional assistance for expenses related to health and medical needs, emergency food and shelter, transportation costs, some moving costs, employment-related expenses and other specified expenses. Supplementary assistance includes:
- Subsidized bus passes for low-income seniors and persons with disabilities;
- Burial or cremation expenses;
- Dental and optical services for clients’ prescribed needs and for eligible children through the Healthy Kids program;
- Employment-related expenses including work clothes, recognition of foreign credentials, language training, moving expenses to accept confirmed employment, transportation, books and supplies;
- Fees for residential care facilities;
- Fees to obtain specified identification documents;
- Maintenance for registered guide dog used by a recipient or their dependent;
- Medical equipment and supplies;
- Medical Services Program premiums;
- Medical transportation (such as flights from remote locations for medical treatments);
- Moving expenses if the client has confirmed employment in a new community or their physical safety is at risk;
- Natal supplements, monthly diet and nutritional supplements; and,
- User fees for drug and alcohol treatment programs.
Client scenario: Joe*, Pam* and their 2 children were living in a small town in northern BC. Joe lost his job at the mill and the store Pam worked in closed down. She was eventually able to find work in a local tavern, but then became seriously ill and had not worked enough hours to qualify for sick leave benefits. Through supplementary assistance, the ministry was able to assist with Pam’s prescription drug costs. MEIA also helped the family pay overdue utility bills to prevent heat and electricity from being disconnected. Because there was little opportunity to find employment in their small town, the ministry offered support with moving costs. Joe found a permanent full-time job in another community with an employer who assured a job would also be available for Pam. MEIA’s assistance with moving expenses allowed the family to achieve financial independence and a fresh start in a new community.
* Name has been changed to protect client privacy
Core Business: Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal
The Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal is a single-level, regionally based appeal system established under the Employment and Assistance Act.
To ensure that individual eligibility decisions are consistent, transparent and fair, BCEA clients may request a review of ministry decisions through an impartial and responsive reconsideration and appeal system. If a client is dissatisfied with a decision, they may request a reconsideration. If the client remains unsatisfied with the reconsideration decision, they may appeal to the independent Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal.
The mission of the Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal is to provide an accessible appeal process that delivers timely and fair decisions. The Appeal Tribunal is structured as an independent public body to ensure unbiased, fair and transparent decision-making. The Appeal Tribunal’s Chair and Vice-Chairs are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and the Appeal Tribunal members are recruited throughout the province and appointed by the Minister. Regional representation, including representation from smaller and rural communities ensures the decisions are reflective of the province as a whole. Appeal hearings occur throughout the province. Although most hearings are in-person, the appeals may also occur by teleconference, or if both parties agree, through written submission to the tribunal. This flexibility ensures all clients have access to the appeal process, regardless of where they reside.
Core Business: Executive and Support Services
Executive and Support Services provide for the office of the Minister of Employment and Income Assistance as well as executive
direction of the ministry and administrative services for the operating programs of the ministry. This includes: strategic
and business planning, financial administration and budget co-ordination, human resources, asset and risk management, information
technology, records management, freedom of information, and protection of privacy. It also provides for corporate and community-based
service delivery, including services provided by ministries and agencies on behalf of the ministry. Costs are recovered from
ministries and from parties external to government for services provided for in this sub-vote.
Key services include direct service delivery, strategic advice and direction, legislative and policy support, planning and performance management, research and economic analysis, internal communications, information management, strategic human resources and risk management.
