Alberta.ca » Income and Employment Supports Policy Manual

Skip To Navigation

Skip To Content



Expected to Work/Barriers to Full Employment Policy & Procedures

Published Date: June 08, 2022
Bookmark this page

03 Client Categories/Types

Barriers to Full Employment (BFE)

Client Sub-Type 42 Medical or Multiple Barriers

Clients who are likely to be permanently unable to take full-time/continuous employment in the competitive labour market, due to multiple barriers or a persistent mental or physical health problem, are placed in this client sub-type.

Exception
Clients whose medical condition, or course of treatment is expected to prevent employment or training for more than six months, but whose medical condition is not considered permanent, may be assigned to this client sub-type. An assessment is completed by a CEC to determine if the client has multiple barriers likely to prevent employment or training after the medical condition improves. If there are no barriers to employment other than the temporary medical condition, the worker enters a Reminder to follow up with the client at an appropriate time.

The client is assigned to an appropriate ETW sub-type when the medical condition no longer prevents employment or training in the competitive work force or training.

Characteristics
Clients placed in sub-type 42 are:

  • Suffering from persistent mental or physical health problems with expected duration of more than six months, or
  • Assessed as having multiple barriers to employment.


Assessing for Multiple Barrier Factors

While any one of the multiple barrier factors, listed below, may not in itself create a barrier to employment, a combination of these factors can form the basis for identifying whether the client is best suited within the BFE sub-types.

The factors and criteria a Career and Employment Consultant (CEC) considers when completing an assessment to determine if multiple barriers exist are:

  • Medical Impairment – A persistent mental or physical health problem may create a significant barrier to employment on its own. A less serious condition may contribute to creating a barrier when combined with other factors.
  • Lack of Formal Education – Grade 8 level or lower may create a barrier in combination with other factors. Obstacles to reaching literacy potential, e.g. learning disabilities, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), etc., should be considered.
  • Social Skills – A low-functioning client, particularly one who has attended programs such as basic life skills with no significant improvement or a client whose behaviour is such that it is not acceptable in a work environment.
  • Work History – The client has not sustained steady employment for any number of reasons, especially if remedial attempts have proven unsuccessful. A poor work history may be a greater barrier than a lack of work history.
  • Age – A client 60 years and over. Under certain circumstances, younger clients may also have an age barrier.
  • History of Unsuccessful Intervention – Several interventions have been tried, but the client has not progressed towards independence. No programs that are currently available appear to offer strategies that have not been tried already.
  • Other Social Factors – Any other relevant social factors such as family situation and/or extensive criminal record.


Substantiation

  • An assessment when the multiple barrier was assessed or within a reasonable period of being categorized as sub-type 42 considering factors such as: length of initial medical, client circumstances, assessments, etc.
  • In addition, in the case of a person with a persistent mental or physical health problem with an expected duration of more than six months, a(n):


When applying for AISH, BFE clients may be asked to have their physician or specialist complete Part B Medical Report (DS2444B) of the AISH application. For BFE clients, Income Support will pay costs associated with completing an AISH medical report in accordance with established fee agreements. To confirm that the Income Support program will cover physicians or specialists’ cost for completing the medical, the IS worker can give the (EMP11587) Confirmation of Payment AISH Medical Report letter to clients applying for AISH.

Note
Expected to Work (ETW) clients should speak to their worker prior to applying for AISH.