BC & Yukon Services - Volunteer
Legal Advocacy Program
VLAP Volunteer Experiences
VLAP is comprised of volunteer lawyers and lay advocates who provide legal assistance to people with MS. One area of assistance provided by lay advocates is helping clients complete complex application forms for long-term disability benefits programs.
Ann Bozoki, Prince George, BC
Ann notes that people tend to downplay their symptoms, which leads adjudicators to misunderstand the applicant's level of disability and deny the application.
"Those forms are all that the decision-makers are ever going to see," she explained. "What advocates have to do is transfer who the client is and what their living situation is like into something definable on paper, so that the adjudicators understand what the challenges are for the client and what a difference the financial aid is going to make."
"I think in a lot of cases, the success of the application depends on the wording," explained Ann, "and when you're in the middle of dealing with MS, it's so personal, and it's such an emotional time, that you can't get that on paper properly."
Angela Moore, Victoria, BC
The application forms are difficult for clients on a number of levels. As Angela explains, "You have to describe your symptoms in a nutshell, and with MS, it's a very complicated disease that can affect all aspects of day-to-day life. Trying to get what you experience down on paper can be extremely hard." There is also the emotional difficulty of having to explain and prove why one qualifies for the disability benefits. "Clients have to focus on everything they can't do, which is very difficult," said Angela. "You're theoretically making them, really, with a fine-toothed comb, go through everything that they cannot do."
For more information on becoming a VLAP volunteer: email Ulrike.Kleeman or call 1-800-268-7582, ext 7230.
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