Alberta seniors warn others after CERB disrupts pension payments: ‘I can’t go on like this’
Global News
'People phoned in directly to ask if they were eligible and were told that they were to receive the benefits — and then later were penalized for it.'
Two Alberta seniors are hoping their recent experiences with claiming the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) can help others know they’re not alone with their frustrations.
CERB was rolled out at the onset of the pandemic during a historic drop in the labour market, when three million jobs were lost and two million people had hours cut.
Jacalyn Johnston of Ponoka, Alta. started collecting both Old Age Security (OAS) along with Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) pensions back in August once she was eligible for it — her 65th birthday — along with previously collecting survivors pension after the death of her husband.
However, like many others, Johnston had applied for CERB at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I was told by my daughter-in-law that I should — since I’m homeschooling — be able to collect CERB,” Johnston explained.
“So I called the number. I asked, and they said yes, you can apply. I applied for it and I got it.”
Johnston added the CERB contact agent she spoke with confirmed if she was homeschooling and what grade her grandchildren were in.
After the first month of collection, Johnston said her son advised her not to collect more payments going forward as she “wasn’t in the right category.” So then, Johnston called back CERB, to be told a second time she was indeed able to apply.