WHAT HAPPENED?
When Sarah’s Student Aid funds were blocked due to a missed deadline, she found herself in a financial bind. Sarah believed that she had successfully completed the forms required to receive Student Aid from the Ministry of Advanced Education. But the funds never arrived. Sarah contacted Student Aid and was informed that she hadn’t provided a required document in time.
She tried numerous times to resolve the situation, but her funding remained blocked, which put her in a difficult financial position. Unsure of how to proceed, Sarah found her way to the Ombudsman.
WHAT DID THE OMBUDSMAN’S OFFICE DO?
Sarah maintained that there was miscommunication about the required forms and confusion about the deadline. The investigator assigned to the case spoke with Darryl, an employee at the Ministry, who said that Sarah had missed the deadline to submit the form, a deadline communicated to her in writing. However, Darryl also acknowledged that the letter intended to notify her of the deadline was sent out one day before the due date. He said Student Aid would have accepted the documentation even 30 days after the due date, the last day of Sarah’s term, but instead received it almost a month later. Darryl let the investigator know that he would follow up with Sarah, so she understood what happened.
WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME?
Considerate of her frustration, the investigator told Sarah to expect further communication from the Ministry, and that if she still felt that the decision was unfair, she was welcome to submit a new complaint.
Weeks later, Sarah followed up to let us know that she heard from the Ministry, who released the Student Aid funds.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
It can be stressful when approved funding doesn’t come in as expected, putting a financial strain on the person’s household. Miscommunication in an administrative process can lead to incorrect assumptions and issues for the those working to meet the requirements. Sometimes, there is no solution when a person mixes up a deadline and a government agency has a rule to follow. But sometimes, contact with our office can facilitate a connection that leads to a second look and fairer outcome.
