An open letter to the Ministry on the BC Disability Benefit assessment process

Dear Minister Jodie Wickens, Assistant Deputy Minister Emily Horton, and Premier David Eby,

We are writing on behalf of families affected by the upcoming Disability Benefit assessment process. At the public meeting held on the morning of Tuesday, May 12, Assistant Deputy Minister Emily Horton advised that families will be contacted in the coming weeks and asked to submit assessments via a portal. While we have not yet seen the letter outlining the rationale for this request, we have serious concerns we need addressed before families are asked to act.

Our central concern is that the assessment criteria for admittance to the Disability Benefit have not been made public, nor have the criteria for determining who qualifies for the higher tier.

Before families submit sensitive documentation, we are asking for clear answers to the following:

1. Will the documents families submit be used to design or refine the assessment criteria themselves?
2. Why are additional assessments being requested when MCFD already holds copies of our children's diagnostic assessments?
3. Will families receive a detailed written description of how their submissions will be used, stored, and shared?
4. Is submission mandatory, and what are the consequences for families who choose not to submit?
5. Will these assessments be used in any way to narrow eligibility or exclude children currently receiving supports?

Again, though we have not seen the full letter request, we are concerned families are being asked to make a significant decision on a short timeline without proper information. We ask that the Ministry publish the assessment criteria and a clear description of how submitted documents will be used before the portal opens, or at minimum before families are required to submit.

We would appreciate a written response at your earliest convenience, and welcome the opportunity to meet to discuss these concerns directly.