Frequently Asked Questions

Transcription

1 SDMT/SAMS Crossover Period Q. What is SDMT? A. SDMT is Frequently Asked Questions Q. What is SAMS? A. SAMS stands for Social Assistance Management System and is the new computer program that will help caseworkers keep your information up to date. Q1. What is the computer system crossover period and how long will it last? A1. The crossover period will occur between November 6 and November 10, This period is the time it will take for social assistance offices across Ontario to move to the new computer system that will help us deliver social assistance programs more effectively. Q2. Will recipients receive their payments on time during the crossover period? A2. Recipients will continue to receive payments on time. However slight delays in service, such as returning your phone calls, may occur. Q3. Why are social assistance offices changing the computer system they use? A3. It has been over 10 years since social assistance offices in Ontario updated their computer systems. The new computer system will better support staff in providing social assistance, and ultimately, better serve the people who access our programs. Q4. What are the benefits for local offices? A4. This is a modern computer system that will allow caseworkers to manage recipients case information and records more efficiently. It will allow them to better support recipient by addressing their concerns and answering their questions. Social Assistance (SA) Online Q5. What is SA Online? A5. SA Online stands for Social Assistance Online. This is a secure, online self-service section of our website for social assistance recipients. This self-serve section will be made available to recipients in early Recipients who choose to sign up for SA Online will be able to: access current information (e.g., recent payment information and local office contacts) report income and changes online (e.g., address and housing expenses, adding/removing family members and reporting income and expenses); manage upcoming events online (e.g., appointment with a caseworker); receive letters from their caseworker online;

2 submit an application for other social assistance programs offered by the Ministry of Community and Social Services Q6. How will recipients be informed about SA Online and how they may sign up for it? A6. The ministry will provide more details about SA Online closer to the time when it becomes available in Online Application for Social Assistance (OASA) Q7. What is the Online Application for Social Assistance (OASA)? A7. OASA helps residents of Ontario to figure out if they are eligible for Ontario's social assistance programs, including: o Ontario Works, o Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), o Temporary Care Assistance and o Assistance for Children with Severe Disabilities. Q8. How is OASA being affected by the new computer system update? A8. OASA will be unavailable from October 27, 2014 until November 11, 2014 as the computer system is upgraded. Anyone who wishes to apply for one of Ontario s social assistance programs during this time may call or visit their local office to begin the application process. The ministry provides a search tool on its website for those looking for their nearest Ontario Works or ODSP office. New Ontario Works Statement of Income form Q9. What is the Statement of Income form? A9. The Statement of Income form allows social assistance recipients to report their income on a monthly basis. After receiving the completed form, caseworkers determine the recipient s eligibility for that month. Q10. Why has the Ontario Works Statement of Income form changed? A10. The Statement of Income form has changed so that the information requested on the form directly matches what caseworkers are required to enter into the new computer system. Q11. Do I need to fill out the form? A11. Yes, unless you are told otherwise you have two options when reporting your earnings and employment related child care expenses. You can either: o Fill in and sign the bottom of the form and keep your paystubs and receipts; or o Sign the bottom of the form and attach your paystubs and receipts. Q12. What happens if the form is not filled out properly or on time?

3 A12. If the form is not filled out properly, the caseworker will contact the recipient to verify the information they received is accurate. If the form is not received on time or if the caseworker cannot confirm that information, the recipient s case may be suspended until the information is provided. New Ontario Works Changes Report form Q13. What is the Changes Report form? A13. The Changes Report form lets caseworkers know of any changes in recipients life, work or school. Some examples include; o changes to accommodations, o housing costs, o family changes, o leaving the province of Ontario for more than one week, o and assets/income changes. These types of changes have all been incorporated into this new form. Q14. Why has the Changes Report form been changed? A14. The current form does not provide recipients with enough room to report all of the possible changes that could occur within a month. The form was updated to include the information needed to determine eligibility. This form is also another way for recipients to tell their caseworker about personal changes. Q15. Do I need to fill out the form? A15. The form needs to be filled out when there are changes in a recipient s life, work or school. Examples can be found in Q13. Recipients can also report their changes by informing their caseworker in person or over the phone. Changes to Overpayment Recovery Calculations Q16. What does O/P Recovery mean? A16. O/P Recovery stands for overpayment recovery. There are times when recipients are given more money than they are eligible for. When this happens, our office needs to collect that money back. Smaller amounts are collected from recipients each month until the all the money has been returned. With the current computer system, Overpayment Recovery was equal to 5 percent of Basic Needs and Shelter. In the new computer system Overpayment Recovery will be equal to 5 percent of regular social assistance payments (i.e., the total of money received), not including additional benefits. Q17. Why does O/P Recovery appear on my Statement of Assistance? A17. This appears on the Statement of Assistance to show a recipient the amount that was collected from their monthly financial assistance to repay the overpayment.

4 Q18. Do I need to pay this money back? When do I do it and how do I do it? A18. Recipients who have overpayments need to pay the full amount back. Our office will take a small amount off of each payment until the amount is payed back in full. This is normally 5 percent of the overpayment will be taken off each payment. When social assistance is no longer needed, arrangements can be made to pay the rest of the overpayment amount either in one lump sum or through monthly payments. Q19. Why am I paying back more toward overpayments than I was before? A19. Recipients who both have an overpayment and are receiving additional allowances or payments, such as the Special Diet Allowance for example, will find that the amount deducted from their assistance to recover their overpayment will likely increase. Q20. Does a higher overpayment recovery amount mean it will take less time to pay the money owed back? A20. Yes. Paying back the overpayments at a higher rate means that it will take a recipient less time to pay the full amount back. Q21. When will O/P Recovery stop appearing on my Statement of Assistance? A21. O/P Recovery will stop appearing on Statements of Assistance when the overpayment amount is fully repaid to Ontario Works/ODSP. Appearance of Temporarily Uncollectible Overpayment Balance on recipients Statement of Assistance Q22. What does Temporarily Uncollectible Overpayment Balance mean? A22. A temporarily uncollectible is an overpayment that a recipient is not paying back at this time. This may be due to a recipient experiencing extra hardships and cannot pay the overpayment at that time. Q23. Why is it appearing on my Statement of Assistance? A24. Temporarily uncollectible overpayments are not something new; they just didn t appear on Statements of Assistance before. The reason that they appear now is so that recipients can see that they have an overpayment that is not being collected at this time, providing more infomration to recipients. Q24. Do I need to pay this money back? When? How? A24. Recipients do not need to pay back this money at this time. When the recipient is better able to begin paying the overpayment, their caseworker will talk to them about the changes to the status of their temporarily uncollectible overpayment.

5 Q25. When will Temporarily Uncollectible Overpayment Balance stop appearing on my Statement of Assistance? A25. Temporarily Uncollectible Overpayment Balance will stop appearing on Statements of Assistance either When the overpayment recovery begins or When the caseworker has reviewed the overpayment and determined it does not need to be payed back. Recovery may start when: In cases where an overpayment was made temporarily uncollectible due to hardship, the recipient s circumstances have changed and recovery is no longer a hardship. The caseworker will inform the recipient of any changes.