Advocacy Access Help Sheet 6 BC Disability Benefits	Download in PDF format.
Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers (PPMB) to Employment
This Help Sheet funded by the Legal Services Society of BC, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada: Homelessness Partnering Strategy and the Health Sciences Association of British Columbia.
In This Sheet What you will get with PPMB To qualify for PPMB How to apply for PPMB How long PPMB lasts If you are denied PPMB Letter to doctors		The Help Sheet series is prepared by BCCPD's Advocacy Access program.

The BC Coalition of People with Disabilities has prepared this Help Sheet to help you understand what the Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers to employment (PPMB) benefit is and how you apply for it. The PPMB benefit is for people who are unable to work because they have severe and multiple barriers to employment. This means that your medical condition must be severe enough that it prevents you from seeking, accepting, or continuing employment now or in the foreseeable future.

We have included a letter that you can give to your doctor that will help him or her fill out the Medical Report that is part of the application process. We have also included a sample Medical Report.

What you will get with PPMB

•    You will receive up to $658 a month if you are a single person without dependants
•    You will not be expected to look for work
•    You will be able to keep up to $500 a month in earned income
•    You will be eligible for certain health supplements

 

---

To qualify for PPMB

• You must have been on income assistance for 12 out of the 15 months immediately
• before you apply.
• Your doctor must provide details about how your medical condition prevents you from seeking, accepting or continuing employment.
• Your doctor must say that you have a medical condition that has lasted for one year and is likely to continue or reoccur frequently for at least two more years.

Please note that addictions of any kind do not count as a medical condition under the PPMB eligibility criteria.

>BACK TO TOP

---

How to apply for PPMB

1. Contact Your Office

Call or go to your Ministry of Housing and Social Development (MHSD) office. Tell them you want to apply for PPMB. An appointment with a worker will be arranged for you. This appointment can be in person or on the telephone.

2. Employability Interview

The Employment and Assistance Worker (EAW) will ask you questions about your background that are part of a Client Employability Profile. These questions which are about your work history, level of education and English language skills, help the Ministry determine your barriers to employment. Points are scored on an Employment Screen based on your answers. If you score 15 points or more, then your medical restrictions to work do not have to be as great as if you score less than 15. The vast majority of people who apply for PPMB do not score 15 points largely because of the way the screen is designed. The EAW will also ask you what steps you have taken to overcome your barriers to employment.

3. Medical Report

The EAW will also give you or mail you a Medical Report to take to your doctor. When you go to see your doctor, give him or her a copy of the letter included with this Help Sheet.

When the doctor completes the form, he or she must explain why your medical condition stops you from working. It is also important that your doctor state that your condition has lasted for at least 1 year and will continue for 2 years and provides information about treatments you have tried. It is helpful if your doctor also includes tests and reports that show how severe your condition is.

If your doctor does not know you very well, it is very important that you explain your limitations so that he or she understands how they impact your ability to work. Tell the doctor about your employment history and describe the problems that you have had getting or keeping work. Explain how retraining would not help you to overcome your limitations.

Once your doctor has completed the Medical Report, take it back to your MHSD office. You can ask the staff to make a copy of the completed Report for your records. >BACK TO TOP

---

How long PPMB lasts

If you are granted PPMB, the Ministry will usually ask you to re-apply in 2 years. If it is not clear how long your condition will last, you may be asked to reapply after only 1 year.

You will not be automatically granted PPMB when you reapply. The MHSD can discontinue your PPMB benefits if they think you have become capable of work or training. Your doctor must complete a new Medical Report describing how your medical condition still restricts you in performing work activities.

---

If you are denied PPMB

If you are denied PPMB benefits you can appeal the decision. The first stage of appeal is called the Reconsideration.

As soon as you find out that you have been denied, contact your office and ask for a Request for Reconsideration Form and the case file information. You must return this to the Ministry within 20 business days from the date you receive your denial letter.

The BC Coalition of People with Disabilities has prepared material on how to appeal. Please visit our Disability Benefits page or call our office for information.

It is sometimes quicker and easier to reapply for PPMB than to appeal. If you want to do a new application, contact  MHSD and speak to a worker. Also, you may be eligible and want to apply for the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) benefit.

>BACK TO TOP

---

Letter to doctors

Dear Doctor:
In order for your patient to qualify for the Persons with Persistent and Multiple Barriers to Employment (PPMB) benefit, their doctor must complete the PPMB Medical Report. The PPMB benefit provides approximately $50 a month more than basic income assistance. PPMB recipients are also eligible for certain health supplements, and may earn up to $500 a month without it decreasing their benefits. So, there are real advantages for your patient if they can qualify for PPMB. It should be noted that your patient will usually be asked to re-apply for PPMB every 2 years.

To qualify for PPMB, the applicant’s doctor must show that the applicant’s medical condition:

• stops them from looking for, accepting or continuing employment
• has lasted for at least 1 year, or has occurred frequently in the past year, and is likely to continue or reoccur for at least 2 more years.

Addictions of any kind do not count as an eligible medical condition under the PPMB rules.

We respectfully ask that you complete the Medical Report. To assist you and your patient, we have written a brief guide to some questions in the Report that we believe require particular attention.

1. Medical Condition
Please list all medical conditions under a. and b. in the Medical Report. Part c. asks for a list of all treatments that have been tried and whether they have been effective. Under Part d., a medical condition must have lasted for at least 1 year for the applicant to qualify for PPMB.

2. Prognosis
The duration requirement for PPMB is that a medical condition must be expected to continue for “more than 2 years.”

3. Restrictions
It is important that you provide details about how each of your patient’s medical conditions restricts them from an employment perspective. It is helpful if you state that your patient is unable to do any kind of work as a direct result of these health restrictions. Please evaluate the applicant’s ability to work from a “real world” perspective. A 60-year-old man, for example, who has a limited education and is no longer able to work as a labourer is extremely unlikely to be able to pursue a job as an office worker.

4. Additional Information
Please include any reports or consultations that shed light on the severity of your patient’s impairment.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this Medical Report.

Sincerely


>BACK TO TOP