Absent from BC

Effective: June 1, 2024

A recipient who is eligible for assistance may leave BC for less than 30 consecutive days without consequence if all other eligibility requirements are met.

Recipients who are absent from BC for more than 30 consecutive days are ineligible for assistance unless they obtain prior authorization from the ministry.

Prior authorization may be provided for recipients to:

• participate in a formal education program,
• obtain medical therapy prescribed by a medical practitioner or
• avoid undue hardship.

Note: Reasons to avoid undue hardship may involve health or safety and may have a financial impact if the recipient does not receive assistance.

Recipients who leave BC for more than 30 consecutive days without prior authorization will be ineligible for assistance. This consequence applies only to the recipient who left BC. The rest of the family unit will continue to be eligible if they are ordinarily resident in BC and meet all other eligibility requirements. 

Repeated instances of leaving BC, returning briefly, and then leaving again would most likely not be considered as ordinarily resident of BC. Each situation is assessed on a case-by-case basis. [See Related Links - Citizenship and Residency Requirements] 

Effective: June 1, 2024

Recipients who request prior authorization to continue receiving assistance while absent from BC for more than 30 consecutive days must provide all the following information to a ministry or Service BC office: 
 

• reason and timeframe to be absent from BC, including destination
• if applicable, confirmation of the proposed program or therapy or other documentation appropriate to support their request
• what assistance is required during their absence (e.g. shelter allowance to maintain rent and utilities; support to pay for food, etc. while out of province)
• if they have dependents, are they remaining in BC or traveling with the recipient

A Policy and Program Implementation Manager will consider the request and decide whether to provide the authorization for the recipient to continue receiving assistance while absent from BC more than 30 consecutive days. 

Effective: June 1, 2024

Ineligibility cannot be determined if a recipient says an absence is anticipated to be 30 consecutive days. Recipients must be informed of the possible exemptions allowing them to be absent more than 30 consecutive days, particularly if they notify the ministry before the 30 days have passed.

Ineligibility also cannot be determined if the ministry discovers a recipient is absent and suspects - but cannot confirm - the duration they have been gone and the reason for the absence. An ineligibility decision must be made after the recipient has been absent for 30 consecutive days

When counting the days a recipient is absent from BC, only full days spent outside of the province are counted. Travel days to leave from and return to BC are partial days that do not count. Any ineligibility for being absent from BC without the ministry's prior authorization would begin on the 31st day they are absent.

 If a recipient becomes ineligible on the first day of a calendar month, they are ineligible for that month. 

If a recipient becomes ineligible any time after the first day of a calendar month (e.g. the 31st day lands October 12), they are eligible for full assistance for that month (e.g. October 1-31). This is because they were eligible on the first of the calendar month, so are eligible for the entire month.

If a recipient becomes eligible after the first day of a calendar month (e.g. returns from their absence and reapplies, either by streamlined application or an eligibility review), they are eligible for pro-rated support and any unpaid shelter costs.

Examples

Recipient leaves BC and returns within 30 consecutive days during the same calendar month.

• Leaves July 6 & returns July 23 = 16 full days absent
• There is no impact to eligibility because they were gone less than 30 days.

Recipient leaves BC in one calendar month and returns part way through the next calendar month. They are gone less than 30 consecutive days.

• Leaves May 27 & returns June 10 = 13 full days absent
• There is no impact on eligibility because they were gone less than 30 days.

Effective: June 1, 2024

Policy and Program Implementation Manager is responsible for:

• approving continued assistance for recipients who leave the province for more than 30 consecutive days

A summarized Authority Level matrix is available in Additional Resources.