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Expected to Work/Barriers to Full Employment Policy & Procedures

Published Date: May 12, 2020
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14 Assignment of Benefits

Procedures

When an EI Eligible Applicant or Recipient Decides Not to Proceed With an IS Application or Ongoing IS Benefits


If, after discussion with the worker about the AOB process, and/or the status of their EI claim, the applicant may decide to not proceed with the IS application or the recipient may decide to not receive further IS benefits:

  1. The applicant or recipient’s decision not to proceed is recorded in Mobius Notes and the INS 3113 Assignment of Benefit form is not completed or submitted. 
  2.  If a worker has taken the applicant through Eligibility Determination, the worker enters a Reject status.


When an EI Eligible Applicant or Recipient Decides to Proceed With an IS Application or Continue with Ongoing Benefits

Before completing an INS 3113 Assignment of Benefit, the worker should ensure that the IS applicant or recipient meets the criteria of when an AOB should be completed as indicated in policy.

If the IS applicant or recipient applies for EI but also requires IS benefits while waiting for their EI claim to process, the worker:

  1. Explains to the client that continuing to receive IS while waiting for their EI to commence will impact the amount of money they receive from their EI claim until the Province is re-paid the duplicated amount between the two programs. 
  2. Determines the amount of IS the applicant or recipient is eligible to receive and completes the INS 3113 Assignment of Benefit form.
  3. Requests the applicant or recipient to read and sign the completed INS 3113 Assignment of Benefit form before benefits are issued.

    Note
    Consent from the applicant or recipient must be obtained before IS benefits are issued.  

  4. Releases the IS benefits.  Clients are advised that once they start receiving EI income, they are to report this income through the monthly reporting if they require further IS benefits.
  5. Provides the client with a copy of the INS 3113 Assignment of Benefit form and puts file copy on section 1 of the client’s file.
  6. The original signed copy is forwarded to IPOC at the following address:

     

    Insurance Payment Operational Centre (IPOC)
    Service Canada, W-T
    400, 555 Hasting Street West
    Vancouver, BC  V6B 1M1
    ATTENTION: Assignment of Benefits

    Note
    An INS 3113 Assignment of Benefit form received at IPOC after eight weeks from the start week of the AOB period is considered “late” and will not be processed by the EI system.  The Province does not get re-paid for these late claims.

  7. Leaves the Cheque Release flag at N for the following month's benefits.
  8. Adds comments to Mobius Notes indicating that an AOB has been completed and the time period covered.

Allows the system closure to occur if the person does not require further IS assistance.
or
If a subsequent INS 3113 Assignment of Benefit form is necessary, the client must return to the Alberta Service Centre office to complete the form.

NOTE
COVID -19

This process is for EI claimants only, not for Canada Emergency Relief Benefit (CERB) recipients.

Process prior to May 12, 2020

If, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not practical to meet in person for the applicant to complete the INS 3113 Assignment of Benefit form, an overpayment may need to be assessed after EI payments are made to the household. This will ensure that households with financial need can continue to have their applications processed within a reasonable timespan.

Applicants/clients must be informed in advance of the requirement to repay duplicate payments, as would normally be the case through the Assignment of Benefits. The worker should document in Mobius notes why the AoB was not used and that the client was informed of the requirement to repay. Set a Mobius Task to follow up with the client about their EI payment.

If the client has an emergency need, consider the One-Time Issue policy.

Process After May 12, 2020

As a temporary measure for EI recipients, Service Canada will accept the following on the Assignment of Benefit (INS 3113) form:

  1. verbal authorization of the claimant to the Income Support worker on the Assignment of Benefit (INS 3113) form
  2. the form must be counter signed and dated by the worker with the attestation that that the privacy and consent statements were read to the client.

After submitting the INS 3113 form, workers must send a copy of the form to the client requesting that they sign and return it to the office. A Mobius Task must be set to ensure the signed form is received and retained on the client file. The requirement is to ensure a signed copy is retained on the client’s file, not to submit the wet signature/original copy to Service Canada. All actions related to the verbal signature on the INS 3113 must be documented in Mobius Notes.

When Head of Household and Partner are Awaiting EI Benefits
When both the head of household and spouse/partner are waiting for EI benefits, one of the following two recovery options are used to complete the INS 3113 Assignment of Benefit form. The worker:

  1. Completes an AOB request for each person, dividing the MLA rate and Total Amount Paid between the two adults or
  2. Completes an AOB request on 1 person with a 100% recovery.


If option 2 results in the household unit remaining on IS for an additional month as the spouses/partner’s EI income is insufficient to meet their needs, then option 1 would be used.