Sask. government to pay back emergency benefits clawed back from student’s disability income
A Regina woman who received the federal coronavirus benefit for students is expecting to be refunded thousands of dollars clawed back from her provincial disability benefits after winning an appeal against Saskatchewan’s social services ministry.
“I’m just glad it’s over,” Shaylee Rosnes told Global News in a phone interview. “The relief when we finally got the answer we were looking for was just, like, thank goodness.”
The 23-year-old University of Regina social works student has cerebral palsy and relies on the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) program to help fund her complex care needs. She typically works in the summers, earning the additional $6,000 permitted under the program’s wage exemption. Because she couldn’t do so amid the coronavirus pandemic, she filed for the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB).
Saskatchewan’s policy is to deduct emergency benefits dollar for dollar from recipients of provincial income assistance. [Read more]