The wait continues for hundreds of thousands of people hoping to get the BC recovery benefit.
The province’s finance ministry says around 300,000 applications are being reviewed manually by staff.
“As of Friday’s overnight run, we have processed over 226,000 applications that were formally on hold for review,” said ministry communications manager, Sonia Lowe.
Promised by the NDP government during last October’s election, the one-time tax-free payment offers up to $1,000 for eligible families and $500 for individuals.
Lowe says the BC Recovery Benefit Program is the biggest program of its kind in the province’s history and was launched “to meet the urgent needs of 3.7 million eligible British Columbians.”
As of last Friday, the ministry has approved 1.3 million applications for this benefit, which represents nearly 1.9 million B.C.ers.
Over $925 million has either been received or is heading into the bank accounts, of 1.9 million British Columbians.
So far, 70 percent of all applications have been automatically approved and 80 percent of all applicants to the program have received their payment.
Lowe says the ministry has 200 employees undertaking reviews of applications to ensure people receive the full benefit amount they are eligible for.
Another 60 people are supporting reviews and general administration of the program – following up with phone calls and emails to respond to questions and help people with additional documentation.
“These people can be moved to other areas, for example, if call centre volumes increase,” Lowe said.
“We encourage anyone who has received a request for information to provide additional documentation as soon as they can. This will help ensure their application is ready for adjudication as quickly as possible.”
If you’ve been asked for more information, you need to include your confirmation number or Case ID.
You can either submit it through eTaxBC or through the mail at:
BC Recovery Benefit
Ministry of Finance
PO BOX 9439 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9V3
You have until June 30th to apply.
