Thread by @Hell_Berta

Hey @RajanJSaw, how convenient was it that you were not “available” for an interview? And that you had to leave your communications director to comment on the gigantic fuck you to AISH clients? #AISH #UCPcorruption

Applicants must first prove medical condition to determine eligibility. The UCP government this week made another change to an income support program for people with severe disabilities who are unable to work.

Albertans who apply for AISH will first have to prove their physical and or mental condition prevents them from working. Before the change people first had to supply info related to their income and prove they don't have $100,000 in assets.

Community and Social Services minister Rajan Sawhney was not available for an interview. However, her director of communications said the change was made to improve how the government serves Albertans who apply for the program.

"The most recent process update simply changed the order in which the ministry reviews applicants' medical and financial information," read the statement provided to CBC News.

Critics say applicants must now go through an often lengthy and costly process to prove medical eligibility without knowing whether they will qualify for the income support benefit, which has been capped at $1,685 per month.

"There's a lot of cost, and it's a lot of work to get that [medical] done," said Marie Renaud, the Opposition critic for Community and Social Services. She believes the original format to determine eligibility, with the financial piece first, would be less onerous on applicants.

"Medical does take a lot of time and it is really involved. It involves a lot of trips and assessments," she said.

Renaud says the government hasn't done a good enough job to explain why the change is being made, other than to say the goal is to streamline the process.

She says the UCP government has made several changes to the program that makes people who rely on the support and applicants nervous. "This has been sort of a systematic attack on these benefits."

The government moved to de-index benefits from inflation, which removed cost of living increases and also changed the payment schedule, which caused concern for people who faced penalties from their landlords for late rent payments.

The NDP says it's wary of any changes the government makes to AISH since it started tinkering with the program last year.

"This is a group of people that live well below any poverty line that you want to use," said Renaud.

"If they're going to mess around with the intake process for AISH applicants or income support applicants … I think they need to be very clear about what that means."

@RajanJSaw @jkenney @JanisIrwin @MarieFrRenaud @GBrarNDP @albertaNDP @AlbertaLiberals @Alberta_UCP