Persistence Pays Off

I would like to speak some words of wisdom to people who may know of persons with disabilities, or they themselves may be suffering from an ailment. We wrestle with the question as to why even the apostle Paul was not healed of his infirmity, which I will share with you at the end of this blog.

In my introduction, I told you about how we as a family underwent fire's and floods, and disabilities. I have learned to advocate a whole lot in the last quarter of a century or so. I have applied to grants that seemed unobtainable, and sought out specialists, and funds where the tap was dry. Now I will share with my readers some avenues available to them. Since my husband has Chron's disease, he was promised to be covered medically outside of my medical insurance, as long as he resided in British Columbia. We often were eligible for the fare pharmacare program. I had additional insurance through my work, which then covered his extensive dental bills, the children's dental bills, and eye care. We received no government assistance outside of the medical benefit, but despite his disability for over 20 years we were told that because he receives a CPP pension, he does not qualify for the additional home owners grant. This CPP (Canada Pension Plan) pension was of a ridiculous low amount, and I kept asking as to why he would not qualify for the "C"category of deductions for our home taxes. The website, multiple phone operators,City Hall, indicated that a person on CPP, is not entitled to this reduction. Well after persisting for 10 years, they finally admitted to us that as long as he gets a letter with a stamp from the Ministry indicating that he is in receipt of something from the government, (in our case it was the medical coverage), then indeed we would qualify for the category "C" designation. It is not a big difference, but a significant one for us, who live paycheck to paycheck. Even if a person receives a yearly bus pass from the ministry will be eligible for the homeowners grant. Sadly, they only retro pay 1 year back, but I am now taking our case to the Ombudsperson to make the other nine years retroactive. For 10 years we over payed the city because of their misinformation. Just as a test, we recently wrote to the city asking if a person on CPP is entitled to the homeowners grant and they said no. Still drumming the same information. So my friends, if I may suggest, tell every disabled homeowner to get a letter yearly from the Ministry, and pay the lower category of taxes. see our letter from city below.
  

The Home Owner Grant administration office will be responding to your request in writing and will copy City of Surrey and Ombudsperson on the response. Please see attached pdf for your past home owner grant applications.

Canada Pension Plan (CPP) disability benefit is not one of the qualification criteria for additional home owner grant, see provinces website (http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/topic.page?id=C5F84B90AA3F410088C74E263AA5CCBB&title=Persons%20With%20Disabilities) for details.

Currently Ron’s qualifies for the additional home owner grant under the “designated as a person with disabilities and you receive provincial disability assistance, hardship assistance, or a supplement under the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act” section. Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act is province (BC) legislation.

About 4 years ago we applied to have our home renovated under a government loan for up to $15,000, and we also applied for the disability portion of the home improvement, another $15,000 in total. This loan, is forgiven, if a person stays in their home for 5 years after the renovations are completed, and the loan is forgiven. We had numerous repairs done, new windows, new sidewalk now wheelchair accessible, new drainage tiles, a new laundry room, among other things. Bulldozers, gravel piles, cement, tiles and pipes decorated our lawn and home.  We have one more year for the entire $30,000 of renovation costs to be forgiven. So if the Lord tarries, it will assure us of a dry functioning home that my husband can access by wheelchair if necessary in the future. Yes, there is work involved, it is called paperwork, and estimates, but overall, a much treasured accomplishment, that elevated our joy in our home.

It says in the bible that Paul suffered from a thorn in his flesh that God did not remove. Though he prayed  three times for it to be removed, God told him that His grace is sufficient for him. That thorn according to an old believer, I was told, was the fact that Paul did not have a wife. A visual description it is, but nevertheless, one that they don't often teach in bible school, and does make sense.
 Paul struggled with being single. Simple as that.