SAID more costly than expected, gov’t says

Saskatchewan’s Assured Income Disability (SAID) program has grown considerably in recent years.

The provincial government was aware of this well before it announced cuts to the program in June’s budget.

Those cuts are happening at the same time the government is reviewing all of its social-assistance programs.

Thursday saw another round of public outcry over cuts to SAID, which will see some people receive less money each month.

Since being introduced half a decade ago, SAID — which offers income support to those with longlasting or enduring disabilities — has grown significantly in cost and use.

From 2010-11 to 2014-15, the government budgeted to spend a total of $471 million, but it has cost $35 million more than that.

Ministry officials admitted before the provincial budget that they failed to anticipate how large SAID’s caseload and cost would be.

Minister of Social Services Tina Beaudry-Mellor admitted Thursday she is “concerned about the sustainability of the program” and said she is “looking at how we can do a better job of supporting those people who are the most vulnerable in that community.”

As the ministry continues its review of social assistance programs, it is becoming an increasing concern of advocates that the cuts are the first sign of an overhaul that will see the threshold to get onto SAID, and other social assistance programs, go up.

About 15,000 people are on SAID right now. That number has gone up year over year, and is expected to plateau within two to three years. Eligibility is based on an applicant meeting financial eligibility and proving they have an enduring — or permanent — disability.

The percentage of people found ineligible under that assessment has increased significantly since 2012-13, when SAID was still new.

That year, only 18 per cent of the people who had an assessment done were found ineligible. During the 2015-16 year, 49 per cent were found ineligible.

“We have some work to do to consult further with the disability community about this and engage in further conversations about that,” Beaudry-Mellor said when asked about how the program can become sustainable.

Judy Hannah — part of the Disability Income Support Coalition, which helped usher in the creation of SAID — said she doesn’t know if the recent cuts are the beginning of more to come or not.

“The whole move has caused anxiety amongst people who live on disability with SAID,” she said. “The government hasn’t stopped or reduced their anxiety.”