Three months after the federal government’s new $514-million contract with Canada Life began, countless federal public servants are still dealing with unprocessed claims and long wait times.
Amy Miville is one of them.
Miville has multiple sclerosis and her 10-year-old son Wyatt Scott was born with brainstem dysgenesis, an extremely rare disease that means he’s unable to open his mouth.
He requires full-time care, a tube to eat and breathe, and about $1,200 worth of medication and equipment each month.
Miville was able to successfully submit claims through the previous insurance company Sun Life, but that hasn’t been the case with Canada Life. She has received only an online error message since submitting her first claim with the company in July for $1,285.
‘I’m just waiting at this point’
Miville said she hasn’t been able to reach anyone at Canada Life by phone, chat or email since. Attempts to resubmit the claim have failed.
Her family has since had to cover the expenses using a credit card, then a line of credit.
“I’m just waiting at this point. I’m going to keep trying to call but you know, the last time I called they weren’t accepting any phone calls,” she said.
WATCH | Milville’s wait for a claim:
Amy Miville spends approximately $1,200 each month on her son’s care. A claim submitted to Canada Life in July has only been met with an error message.
The public servant is fearful she might need to alter her son’s care plan in order to cut costs, but said any change in equipment could put him at risk of becoming sicker.
“The whole process isn’t helpful. It’s not going to protect us as a family,” she said.
Government, company in daily meetings
The president of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) called the wait times at Canada Life call centres “unacceptable.”
Anita Anand faced questions about the wait times in the House of Commons on Thursday following a story from Radio-Canada.
“I have spoken with the leadership at Canada Life. I have told them the same thing and we will work very hard to ensure that public servants can access their benefits,” she told members of Parliament in French.
Anand has personally met with Canada Life executives several times, on top of daily meetings between other government officials and company representatives, according to TBS.
It comes at a time when Canada Life’s performance is going unmonitored. The company was given a grace period during the transition from former insurer Sun Life, and won’t come under official government oversight until the new year.
‘Insult to injury,’ union says
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) said it has heard from many members about the issue, but added it’s unclear exactly how many are waiting on claims.
Union representatives said the situation is “salt in the wound” for public servants who were already struggling under the troubled Phoenix pay system.
“Now to sort of have to go through problems accessing your benefits, it adds insult to injury,” said Alex Silas, regional executive vice-president for PSAC in the National Capital Region.
Silas said he’s encouraged to hear TBS is meeting with Canada Life executives, but said members need to know when the problem is going to be fixed.
In a written statement to Radio-Canada, a Canada Life spokesperson said it is processing more then 25,000 requests a week, but it has taken measures to deal with higher call volumes.
There have been daily improvements, according to the company.