WELLINGTON COUNTY – Spending on municipally-funded discretionary benefits last year was down slightly from 2020 levels despite an increase in clients served.
Discretionary benefits – health coverage offered to county and Guelph residents when there is no other assistance program meeting their need – totalled $202,569 last year, according to a 2022 county report.
Spending a year prior, in 2020, amounted to $212,697.
Despite the slight decrease in year-over-year dollars spent, more people were helped in 2021 – 386 individuals compared to 375 in 2020.
The majority of people receiving benefits from the county last year – 90 per cent, or 347 people – were living in retirement homes.
Spending is focused on “immediate medical and emergency needs of low income individuals” according to the report, prepared by county social planning and policy analyst Dunja Lukic.
“These benefits enable low-income individuals in our community to take care of emergencies and immediate medical needs that if unmet, would frequently lead to declining health and more urgent financial crisis,” county Ontario Works director Stuart Beumer stated, in part, in an email.
Recipients of benefits first must complete a needs test to assess financial eligibility, and in some cases a request must be medically verified. Benefits are then approved on a case-by-case basis.
Although the province does provide discretionary benefits, funds for these services are provided by property taxpayers through the county’s budget.
Benefits can cover a wide range of health-related expenses, from hearing aids to funerals.
Out of 10 categories, prescription medication was the single most expensive category in 2021, with $37,622 spent largely on co-pay and deductibles for 92 seniors living in county-subsidized retirement homes.
The largest year-over-year increase, at $6,984, was seen in the “other special benefits” category, which includes items such as blood testing, shower chairs, grab bars, wheelchairs, and walkers for 94 clients – 10 more than a year prior.
Spending “represented home visit fees for clients in subsidized retirement homes, as many seniors were not able to travel to labs for routine bloodwork during the pandemic,” states the report, explaining the total $27,563 expense.
Overall, benefit usage and patterns mirrored previous years, even considering COVID-19 pandemic measures challenging individuals and health care providers.
Market Bucks program expanded
The county’s social services department also allots funding to four community programs and funds.
Notably, the Market Bucks program — providing Ontario Works and newcomers with $5 vouchers for use at county farmers’ markets — expanded into Aberfoyle and Mapleton for the first time last year, bringing the total participating markets to seven municipalities, including Centre Wellington, Minto, Wellington North, Guelph/Eramosa and Erin.
“The program aims to increase access to fresh, healthy food for social services clients and community embers, increase exposure and revenue for local farmers, and to build community connections,” states the report.
In 2021, the county’s Ontario Works divisions provided 197 households with vouchers, with 46% being redeemed, most prominently in Minto.
Vouchers are also purchased by community organizations and redeemed by their clients.
In total, $8,375 worth of goods were purchased from markets across the county with the vouchers last year.
