~ Says 'process leaves much to be desired' ~
PHILIPSBURG--Health and Social Development Minister Cornelius de Weever painted a grim picture Monday of what he called "the lack of structure" at the Social Welfare Department to assist persons removed from government's medical and social aid list.
De Weever told Members of Parliament (MPs) at a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament requested by the National Alliance (NA) that although by law persons who had been removed from the list had six weeks to appeal the decision to stop their aid, an appeals committee never had been in place until one was appointed recently.
The system in place also does not automatically inform the department that someone's social or medical aid is nearing expiration so that clients can be informed accordingly. De Weever said "in this day and age" the department "needs to be more advanced," as technology provides for this possibility.
"The current process and procedures leave much to be desired," he said.
De Weever said that, like the MPs, he too had been receiving numerous complaints from persons in the community about service at the department. After the laws that govern social services were reviewed, he said, it was realised that anyone taken off the recipients list had a right to appeal within six weeks of receiving a decision.
De Weever said he had proceeded to appoint an appeals committee, "which has never been established or used in the history of St. Maarten social services."
The committee consists of Joy Arnell, Dr. Daphne Illis, Ruth Brewster-Boyrard and Marilyn Peters. Eunicio Martina is the legal adviser.
De Weever said this committee was tasked with the responsibilities of reviewing the laws establishing the procedures of the appeals committee, providing recommendations to improve the system in accordance with the law, or recommending if laws needed to be changed.
He said too that the committee was to review each case and advise the minister accordingly. He told MPs that persons receiving aid from government should not be subjected to whatever party was in government or whom they knew at the time.
"Every citizen has the right to apply for assistance and if they fulfil the criteria, then they should be helped ? they are entitled to it."
Automatic rollovers
The lack of "automatic rollovers" of social and medical aid for persons whose conditions are not likely to change, such as individuals who are chronically ill, was criticised by some MPs, in particular Louie Laveist (NA), who said this should be possible.
Similar sentiments were expressed by Democratic Party (DP) MP Roy Marlin, who said that while the minister should not break or bend the law, he should look into the possibilities of providing social and medical aid for a lengthier period to persons whose situation would not change, thus saving them from having to resubmit on an annual basis the list of information required of first-time applicants.
The minister said the current Excel programme being used by the department did not automatically inform the department that a recipient's welfare was nearing expiration so that the recipient could be informed accordingly.
He said that while technologically this should be possible, "government must do its due diligence. All required signatures from department heads, financial controllers, secretaries-general and ministers provide the checks and balances that good governance and transparency insist be in place. In addition, this may also mean that multiple house visits may be necessary to ensure that the department advises correctly.
"This means that the possibility of mandating cannot be assigned until we have cleared up the system. This means that automatic rollovers and recipients receiving aid without a decision and other inconsistent practices of the past cannot continue. ... I have been appointed to this position and I have a job to do. And my job is to help the people. This means that we cannot continue this way and the laws must be adhered to with compassion."
On the issue of renewing medical and financial aid, De Weever said recipients should begin their renewal process three months prior to the expiration date. He said this was communicated to recipients verbally and in writing when they received confirmation of their requests.
Changes
De Weever said he had conducted an inventory of the department during the first month of taking office, because he wanted to know how it operated. He said this was the first department he had visited and he had received a PowerPoint presentation about the services offered, the criteria to qualify, the laws and other procedures.
"Just like the Members of Parliament, I too have heard the cries of the people. ... I would be approached and asked why they, a family member or friend were taken off of financial assistance and what can be done. I assured them that I would look into it."
On enquiring, the minister said he had been informed that the department had been involved in an extensive cleanup of the registry since prior to October 10, 2010.
After numerous visits to this department, the minister said it had also been determined that numerous changes were necessary. The work environment, for example, needed to be improved. This is being done by Public Works and Facilities Affairs, which is renovating the building.
On the issue of staffing, De Weever said the department was in the process of hiring an additional administrative worker and social worker. The intention, with the additional staff, is to continue to improve service. The additional workers along with existing workers will take part in a skills-upgrading course, "because we have to provide the best service to our clients with the right attitude."
The minister said he had asked each employee to treat everyone with respect, "because today it is the client in front of them, but tomorrow it could be one of them, you just never know. Bear in mind that it is with this same sentiment that I ask everyone to understand that I have an obligation to help those who need it most, now and in the future. I have to be financially responsible with the taxpayers' money."
He said government would be moving its service closer to the communities via the neighbourhood development programme and the Community Help Desks.
Automated
Plans are in the pipeline to automate the Social Welfare Department in the future. "We intend to go paperless by having clients' documents scanned into the system and processed in a more efficient manner," said the minister. "This will also protect the integrity of government and civil servants, but more important, the confidentiality of our clients that we serve.
"It is humbling enough when our clients go through the request process and their personal and general medical information has to be submitted in order to qualify. We must be considerate of this reality. By automating the service, we can reduce the timeline to respond to clients and the system will provide data for us to decide on policies in the future or to propose changes to the law, in which case I will be back in Parliament asking for your support and look forward to seeing you then."
The meeting of the Central Committee on government's policy on social and medical welfare continues today, Tuesday, at 2:00pm, when the minister will answer questions from MPs in round two. A second agenda point on labour is still to be handled. This meeting will be chaired by independent MP Patrick Illidge.
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