Liberals order fixes for costly welfare system computer bugs
Province to hire adviser to review upgrades and make urgent repairs
The Liberal government is taking several steps to fix serious bugs in a welfare computer system that has played havoc with thousands of Ontarians who rely on monthly welfare and disability cheques.
The province on Tuesday announced it would be launching an independent review of the problem-plagued, $242-million Social Assistance Management System. In addition, the government is also delaying the rollout of a special benefit to help social assistance recipients’ transition to employment.
The announcement follows a series of snafus with SAMS, first-hand accounts by front-line staffers of major glitches, a public apology by Premier Kathleen Wynne, and millions in unanticipated costs for overtime and extra hires.
“I know the implementation thus far has been challenging and I want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to eliminate barriers or problems that may be causing you frustration,” Community and Social Services Minister Helena Jaczek said in a memo to staff released to the media.
“Your voices have been heard. The implementation of SAMS must be improved,” she said, adding in an interview with the Star later that she “felt badly” for all involved — the staff and those relying on social assistance.
The third-party adviser will look at implementation and strategies to improve the troubled system, and provide Jaczek with an interim report by March 31, which will include short-term fixes for the most urgent problems and recommendations for further redesign and possible upgrades. A final report is due April 30. The costs to hire a “qualified vendor’’ for that review are expected to be between $225,000 and $300,000, Meaghan Coker, acting press secretary for Jaczek, said Tuesday.
Technical problems with the new computer system caused havoc late last year when numerous welfare recipients received no money or as little as $5, while another 17,000 individuals and families were initially assigned $20 million in overpayments, which the government had to scramble to recover.
Problems are ongoing as numerous Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program staff must hand-validate individual payments from SAMS to double check for ongoing trouble with payments.
In the Niagara region, where problems with SAMS have been particularly acute, the system is generating erroneous letters to recipients — in some cases informing them they’ve been cut off for certain benefits when in fact they haven’t been, said Sarah Pennisi, a director for social assistance and employment opportunities in the area.
To help limit further problems, the province also plans to delay implementing a new employment-related benefit announced last year.
The province had intended to replace by April 1 existing Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program employment benefits with a simple discretionary benefit under each of the two programs.
The benefit would pay for items such as clothing, transportation, child-care costs and other expenses for social assistance recipients transitioning into employment.
Currently the benefit isn’t discretionary and typically continues after employment.
But due to the bugs and workarounds with SAMS, the change has been put off until October.
“The ministry is postponing this new benefit because we are still finalizing some of its details and we also recognize that front-line staff (are) continuing to make significant efforts to support our transition to SAMS and (we) want to take a balanced approach as we continue to improve the delivery of our programs,” Coker said.
Critics are wondering why it took the government so long to conclude there were problems, when frontline staff and their unions have been warning officials for months of serious problems with getting cheques out to Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) recipients.
“The minister (until now) has been saying all along that it was just glitches, just minor stuff but now they are bringing in a third party adviser,” Tory MPP Bill Walker (Bruce—Grey— Owen Sound) said.
Said NDP MPP Cindy Forster: “It’s taken the Liberals three months to admit that the problems with SAMS are more than just ‘glitches’ and they clearly can’t fix the problems they created for the most vulnerable families.”
Kyle Vose co-chair of the ODSP Action Coalition, said his group wants the government to reconsider instituting the new benefit.
Besides the independent review of SAMS, the government is asking front-line workers at 30 locations across the province what can be done to make the system better.
In its effort to streamline the system, the government has also turned to a special technical working group, consisting of municipal and provincial front-line staff, managers and technical staff.
Jaczek told the Star she decided to take all the measures announced Tuesday after “hearing the frustrations of case workers at the front line” as they tried desperately to make changes in the system.