Government says teen not elegible for funding assistance for necessary orthodontic care

Editor’s note: the names of those involved in this story have been changed to protect their privacy.

An Aldergrove mother says she is insulted by the provincial government’s handling of a tough situation for her 14-year-old daughter.

The teen, Stephanie, has a 90 to 100 per cent overbite and needs orthodontic treatment with a cost of over $8,000. On top of this, she has other underlying issues that cause her pain and could worsen if they aren’t treated.

The girl’s mother, Sarah, is on income assistance and is unable to pay for Stephanie’s treatment. But when Sarah approached the Ministry of Social Develoment and Poverty Reduction for help paying through a dental supplement, she was denied.

Instead, the ministry recommended alternate options for subsidized treatment or support — including approaching local charities or launching a GoFundMe campaign.

“It was like a slap in the face. It’s pretty ridiculous,” Sarah said.

“I shouldn’t have to make a GoFundMe when the government should be there with this program that they have for people and be approved. For that, I shouldn’t have to ask other people, especially tax-paying people, to put more of their money into helping my child when their money is already going to this program.”

Sarah says she suspects the ministry didn’t even read her family’s submission.

“What my daughter’s orthodontist wrote really was nothing to them, because they only rely on theirs, they don’t even rely on a second opinion,” she said.

“So my question for income assistance would be, how many people are getting denied? How many people are getting approved for this?”

Sarah’s MLA, Harman Bhangu, says the government’s denial of the funding is appalling.

“This government is forcing families to beg online for medically necessary care,” Bhangu said.

“When a child faces tooth loss and facial development issues, and the best advice the NDP can offer is to create a GoFundMe page, that’s not just cruel; it’s policy failure at its worst.”

Bhangu approached the ministry for an explanation of the denial.

“We have been administratively fair in our decision-making process based on all of the information provided,” a government spokesperson said in response.

“This decision was upheld by our Reconsideration branch and at Tribunal, which is independent from any Ministry.”

The spokesperson gave options for the family to move forward in response to the decision, saying they can file a petition with the BC Supreme Court asking for a review, submit a complaint to the Tribunal, or contact the Office of the Ombudsperson.

Social Development Minister Sheila Malcolmson was not available for an interview, but her office sent an emailed statement to 1130 NewsRadio on the minister’s behalf.

“We understand how important dental and orthodontic care is to families. To review applications for funding help, our government relies on qualified medical professionals such as orthodontists to assess eligibility,” she said.

“I can understand it can be upsetting when the medical decision doesn’t support funding approval. We’ve improved health and dental care coverage for people on low incomes, but know that we must continue to modernize benefits and ensure our systems meet people’s needs.”

The Ministry said its regulations stipulate that clients can only become eligible for its dental supplement program if they display “severe skeletal dysplasia with jaw misalignment by 2 or more standard deviations”.

Sarah says that issue was part of her submission. She says her orthodontist is not qualified to specifically diagnose or measure skeletal dysplasia — and although the ministry-appointed orthodontist, with Pacific Blue Cross, classified Stephanie’s dysplasia as limited, she says her daughter’s condition is becoming worse and more complicated as time progresses.