Questions about back pay,single parents, and ODSP in general

[Melissa R]

Hi there!
I'm new, my name is Melissa , I'm 27 single mother.
The past 2.5 years I've been extremely ill. Was on OW, finally got my application for ODSP on April 11, and ODSP received my full application mid May. It's been almost four months, and I think ill get accepted (I got 3 different dr letters saying I can't work) but I know crazy things can happen,
I called ODSP and junction unit, they've told me I should hear something by the end of sept, beginning of oct. has anyone application ever taken this long?

My questions are the following

My rent is $600, I have a toddler. Can anyone give me an idea of how much a month I may receive?

If I get accepted , and it's been about 5 months, any idea how much back pay I may get?(I get about $975 a month from OW)

I understand no one can give me a for sure answer, I'm just looking for some estimates? Things have nt been easy since I got sick and getting a chunk of back pay would help.

Thank you for listening

[jbkeh]

When it comes to government bureaucracies, "work expands to EXCEED the time allotted"....

At present (there is a 1% increase in the near future), the Basic Needs would be $750. Your Shelter Allowance would be a maximum of $753, so your rent of $600 would be covered (and you could still claim up to $153 against utilities, household insurance if they are separate).

Assuming you were on OW at the time the DAU received your complete application, you would receive retroactive ODSP from the 1st of May. The first month of overlap is ignored, so you would receive about $1350 for May and $375 ($1350 less the OW $975) for the remaining months of overlap. CAUTION: That first month (May) of $1350 IS NOT A "GIFT" - ODSP pays at the end of the month (for that month) while OW pays at the beginning of the month (for that month), so when (if) you are transferred to ODSP, your first actual monthly payment from ODSP has your last OW payment deducted, leaving (in your case) you with only $375. You MUST keep back enough from that "extra" retro payment to cover this one-time shortfall.

http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/directives/directives/ODSPDirectives/income_support/6_1_ODSP_ISDirectives.aspx

http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/directives/directives/ODSPDirectives/income_support/6_2_ODSP_ISDirectives.aspx

[Melissa]

Hey there.
Thank you very much for bringing this to my attention.

So your estimation for what I would get on a monthly basis (once I'm completely off OW) would be $1350? Is this including a child?

I'm a bit confused about the back pay. I got a letter saying my application was received mid may, so would they give me back pay for all of may?so say it takes 5 months to get ODSP, does this mean I would get approx $2850 in back pay?

I'm really new to all of this. I've heard that people have gotten screwed out of their back pay, so if I do get I I just want to make sure everything is on track.

[jbkeh]

Oops, sorry. - thought DAU got completed application in April. Since they actually got it in May, the retro would be calculated from the1st of June (yes, I used the numbers for 1 adult and 1 child under 13). Again, I must caution that there is a difference between the amount of the retro pay and the net result. The retro pay has an "extra" $975 since the OW payment for June would not be deducted, but the first ODSP monthly payment (when and if you are transferred to ODSP) would have the last OW payment deducted, so it cancels out. In terms of net value, just consider that you get back pay of about $375 from June onward until the last month you are paid by OW (at the start of the month). For example, if you were transferred to ODSP in Oct, the retro would be $375 for June, July, August, and September, plus $975 since the June OW was not not deducted. But...at the end of October, your first ODSP payment (for October) will have the last OW payment (for October and paid at the beginning of October) deducted, leaving you with only $375. You must 'save' the "extra" $975 you would get in the retro to cover the fact that the first ODSP monthly payment is reduced by the last OW monthly payment. In this example, the net (in your pocket) back pay is 4 x $375 =  $1500, while the actual retro pay is $975 more and the Oct ODSP payment about $975 less than it would be in the following months.

ODSP can and does make errors, but they're not going to try to cheat you.

[jbkeh]

My earlier reply seems to have been blocked, so I'll try once more...

 

Oops, I though the DAU got your completed application in April. Since it was May, your retro would be calculated from the 1st of June.

 

Again, I will try to clarify the difference between what you get as retro, and how it is paid.

 

Essencially, the retro is simply the difference between the OW rate and the ODSP rate. In terms of your actual "left-in-your-pocket", that would be about $375 for June and the months following until the month ODSP starts payment.

 

Because OW pays for the month at the start of the month while ODSP pays for the month at the end of the month, you get paid by both OW (at the beginning) and ODSP (at the end) in the month that you transfer from OW to ODSP. (That month is the LAST month of OW and also the FIRST month of ODSP.) Ontario is not going to pay you twice, so the FIRST ODSP payment has the LAST OW payment deducted, leaving you with only the difference (about $375 in your case) until the second ODSP payment arrives at the end of the following month. To compensate, when the retro is calculated, the FIRST month of overlap (in your case, June) is ignored, increasing the retro by the OW amount for that month. You must retain this "extra" in the retro to cover the shortfall in the FIRST ODSP payment.

 

I used the September numbers for 1 adult with 1 child under 13 (from O. Reg 222/98 as amended).

 

 
On Thursday, September 5, 2013 1:48:03 PM UTC-4, Melissa wrote:

...does this mean I would get approx $2850 in back pay?

 

[doggy...@gmail.com]

I'm not sure exactly when the backpay starts, but they will deduct what you received from OW during that period and give you the rest.   DM          -------Original Message-------

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