The provincial government is being asked to fix the Northern Health Travel Grant.
NDP critic Gilles Bisson says it’s taking too long to get reimbursed for medically necessary travel in this region.
Bisson notes the wait times were slow under the Liberal government, but suggests the delay is even worse under the PC government.
He notes a number of families don’t have the money to pay for travel because they haven’t received previous payments.
Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell has drafted a private members bill calling on the government to set up an advisory committee to look at ways of improving the travel grant system.
Minister of Long Term Care, Merrillee Fullerton says a review of the system is currently being carried out, with the goal of having payments processed within six weeks.
Fullerton adds they are also looking at direct deposits.
Processing times for Northern Health Travel Grants have increased and are putting families in financial hardship. I’m calling on the Ford gov’t to call her bill in committee so we can improve the NNTG so patients aren’t waiting months for reimbursement. #onpoli pic.twitter.com/NtxNXWN0tP
— Gilles Bisson (@BissonGilles) March 5, 2020