Income and Employment Supports Act, section 16(2)
Income Support, Training and Health Benefits Regulation, section 99

INTENT

To ensure clients receive all the benefits for which they are eligible under the program.

To recover benefits which are subject to repayment.

To maximize the collection of debt within existing legislation, without creating undue hardship for current and previous clients:

• Collection procedures must be professional, efficient and fair.
• Debts are collected as quickly as possible with the least administrative costs.  The cost of recovering a debt should not exceed the amount of the debt.

POLICY

A repayment agreement is a signed agreement in which the learner or a third party debtor (on an active or closed file) agrees to repay a debt owed to the Government. As the amount becomes a debt owing upon signing the agreement, learners must be informed of their right to appeal prior to signing a repayment agreement.

If the amount of the repayable debt was not known at the time the learner signed the agreement, the learner still has the right to appeal the rate of repayment or the amount of the debt when the amount is determined.

In all instances, if the learner refuses to sign the applicable repayment agreement the Learner Benefit Coordinator does not issue the benefit(s).

Debts:  Repayment Agreement (EMP 0976B)

When a supplementary benefit is issued through a repayment agreement, the Repayment Agreement (EMP 0976B) must be signed before the Learner Benefit Coordinator issues the benefit.

Repayable Benefits
Some supplementary benefits are issued on a repayment basis as authorized by the Income Supports, Training and Health Benefits Regulation, Section 99. These include:

• Deposits (subsequent requests) 
• Home repairs
• Reconnections of each utility
• Replacement glasses beyond the optical agreement
• Utility arrears (subsequent requests)
• Rental arrears (subsequent requests)

Recovery Rates
When the learner receives their lump sum payment, the duplicated amount must be repaid either by the learner providing the duplicated amount to the Government of Alberta or LISO deducting the amount owing from the next month’s income support benefits.

PROCEDURE

Debts: Repayment Agreement (EMP 0976B)

If a learner wishes to have a recovery rate other than the default recovery rate, the learner must submit a Change in Circumstances form.

APPROVAL

Learner Benefit Coordinator, LISO