How the government takes money from people in wheelchairs

When the government wants to take money from people in wheelchairs they come as a thief in the night. It’s done with a silent stroke of the pen, over and over until it has accomplished its goal. The perpetrators deny any involvement in the crime.

A thief in the night comes stealthily, under the cover of darkness so people don’t see the evil he does. The thief attacks one weak victim after another. The population is not aroused. They are sleeping unaware of the damage he has done.

With a pen the province enacted a budget cutback of $1 million dollars to the DSP. They did it quietly, even increasing the overall budget. Only someone watching each departmental line item would notice. No one was watching: we were sleeping.

Four months later a small change in the policies and procedures create to tools for this sneaky thievery. The screening tool, which has been identified as defective since 2003 by Baker, becomes the mandatory tool for establishing support ceilings.

Prior to July 2007 it was used as a guideline. This change allowed the DSP workers to go from house to house, stealthily, taking money from people in wheelchairs. And in walkers, and the vision impaired, and the hearing impaired.

To explain how this works: the whole program is based on the concept of unmet needs. The DSP worker develops a case plan based on your individual unmet needs. This could include assistive devices, respite, community access supports, etc. A budget of these items is developed. Then you are given the notorious screening tool which ostensibly determines how disabled you are. Of course, everyone knows the screening tool is wrong, defective.

Let’s say your support plan is $400 per month for assistive devices and supports. The screening tool incorrectly assesses you at 75% capable. The program only provides for $300 of support at that level of disability. In the past, the DSP case workers would simply allow the $400 since the tool was known to be incorrect. The screening tool was a guideline.

In July 2006 with the stroke of a pen and not a gun, the government set the policies so that the screening tool set the mandatory limit. Without getting better or worse, you have been robbed by the thief in the night, the Government of PEI. They have been taking back money from people in wheelchairs ever since.

Only recently did we raise the cry ‘There’s a thief in our midst.’