A London couple says that they have been beaten with a steep monthly and unexpected expense, after the Federal Government arrested the old -age security payments of the older family member without explanation, payments that were allocated to costs of elderly households.
Francisco Moraga has not seen a monthly payment deposited in the bank account of his 88 -year -old father, Héctor, since February 26. The amount, $ 1,881, a combination of old age security (OAS) and the guaranteed income supplement (GIS) helped compensate for the monthly bill of $ 2,315 for the long -term long -term service installation in London.
He and his wife Meaghin Moraga say they have had to withdraw the savings to compensate for the difference, and are not closer to learning why payments stopped.
Uncertainty has brought stress to the couple, who has two adult children and their own invoices to pay. Unable to obtain a payment on time, the couple recently incurred a backward position with the elderly home, which must be paid with cash or postal turn, they said.
“We are taking all the stress because, my dad … I don’t want to mention any of this, to worry at his age and (with) his health problems,” said Francisco. Born in Nicaragua, Francisco arrived in Canada with his father when he was young.
Hector has lived in long -term attention since November 2023, uses a wheelchair and has poor health. For eight to 10 months before, he lived with the couple, but they could not give him the attention he needed.
“I always wanted to pay him for what he has done for us, so I made sure to take care of his things, until I find this problem,” Francisco said.
“We are at the time of despair. We no longer know what to do.”
OAS provides a monthly pension to Canadian citizens or legal residents of 65 years or more who have lived in Canada for at least 10 years since the age of 18. Many older people trust him and follow them to obtain income.
Francisco says that he and his father visited Service Canada on April 2 and presented documents to be able to speak on behalf of their father as a notarial power. The couple were told that they would receive turns in a couple of weeks.
“During the first two months, they said they had not received the file … about a month ago, he received confirmation that they had received the file, but they still had to process the paperwork. This is where we have been sitting now,” Meaghin said.
“They keep telling him: ‘Call again in two days.'”
Francisco’s phone shows a dozen calls made to Service Canada since April 2, more recently on Tuesday. Most last more than 30 minutes, often waiting.
With the notarial power document in Limbo, the government cannot provide the cause of cessation. “If it is our fault, we are pleased to provide the necessary information,” Meaghin said.
At first, a Service Canada official speculated that a change of direction could be the problem, however, Meaghin says that a change of direction was made in 2023 when Héctor lived with them and remains the same.
Contacted by CBC News, Employment and Social Development Canada would not directly comment on the case of Moraga without its written consent, which has been presented to the Federal Department.
‘Nightmare bureaucracy’
Shael Eisen, a Toronto -based lawyer who has specialized in the elderly law for 25 years, says that such delays are not unusual, and something he has seen many times.
The Government is very cautious around the release of private information and adhering to privacy laws, and verifying notarial power can take time as a result.
“It is not extraordinary, something like this could take four or five months. It is a tragedy. It’s just a giant bureaucracy, and they just don’t know how to move quickly,” said Eisen.
“They want to pay the money. It’s like Las Vegas, they want people to win, otherwise they will stop contributing. They are not evil, it’s just a nightmare bureaucracy.”
Sometimes, the problem is administrative, such as the direct deposit, where “someone somewhere in the wrong number,” he said. Other times it can be related to income tax.
Those with net income exceed certain amounts must pay Part or all of their OA, however, Meaghin says that Hector is low -income, and the couple submitted their taxes to an accountant and received their evaluation warning.
Bureaucratic delays can be reduced to the lack of resources and personnel.
“If you are an 80 -year -old person, and you paid your taxes all your life, and you did nothing wrong, and suddenly there is a failure, the consequences can be devastating,” said Eisen.
“Unless it makes someone speak for you, or go (at the service of Canada) and do not leave until it is resolved, it has a big problem.”
