Dear editor,
Mr. Fletcher let us know that we had a seniors advocate in our MLA (Seniors’ advocate strikes a chord, March 10, 2015).
We were glad to hear this because despite the rest of the article listing all the benefits we seniors are eligible for, we have had difficulty accessing them.
We applied for OAS through the local Service Canada Office and all the materials were certified and sent off.
But, to our surprise we both received more questions and forms to fill out from the bureaucratic clerks at the Government Canada office in Victoria. My husband received a different list than mine.
Lucky for us that we have saved every document proving our citizenship and were able to fill out the forms. I am saying this while we are wondering if that will be the end of it or not.
I will be 70 in May and am still trying to work. We are hoping that the latest round of information sent off to the government will be enough.
What if at our age we didn’t have all of our marbles or information?
We fear the day when we have to apply for any other benefits and are not fit enough to fill out the forms or gather the information. We do know a person who gave up trying to get OAS due to the difficulty.
We will advise her to go to the MLA and we will also see if what we have done so far doesn’t work.
Judith Sears
Fanny Bay
