'Fighting for his rights': Sask. man with schizophrenia allegedly denied SAID benefits after being injured in fire

Jennifer Flesjer says her brother, Jeffrey, is being denied his Saskatchewan Assured Income Disability (SAID) benefits after being grievously injured in a house fire in Regina.

Jeffrey Flesjer has lived with paranoid schizophrenia for over 30 years and has been a long-time recipient of the SAID program.

“We're only a year apart so we're very close,” Jennifer said about her brother. “He was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 19 and we went through hell and back then and we're going through hell and back now.”

The issues began after Jeffrey received third degree burns in a fire at his Regina apartment on March 25.

“It was really, really bad. When I walked into the room and they let me in. I saw the condition he was in and I pretty much went into shock,” Jennifer said.

Due to the severity of his injuries, Jeffrey was flown to the Edmonton University Hospital Burn Unit the next day.

“Within two days, they called the family in and we were told he was going to die, he wasn't going to make it. So, we had to rush to Edmonton to get there before he died,” Jennifer explained.

“By the grace of God he pulled through.”

As of April 5, Jeffrey is in critical but stable condition in Edmonton. However, his extended hospital stay has led to complications with his SAID benefits.

According to the Government of Saskatchewan’s website, the SAID program acts as an “income support for people with significant and enduring disabilities.”

The program is split into three components; the living income, the disability income and the exceptional need income.

Jennifer claims that she was contacted by Jeffrey’s social worker and was told that his benefits had been cut-off.

“He will lose his apartment. He will be homeless. All his clothing, furniture, everything will be gone. He will have literally nothing,” she said.

“He does not even have clothes on his back at the hospital.”

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In a statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Social Services said it is aware of the challenges facing the Flesjer family and it’s currently working to provide the necessary benefits.

“We provide income assistance benefits to support the basic needs of clients with low incomes. Payments are typically made at the end of the month to cover expenses in the next month,” the statement read.

“Income Assistance programs also have a variety of emergency benefits that are available depending on the situation and need of the person. If a client needs a hospital stay of more than 30 days, the ministry will continue to review benefits to ensure they can return home after recovery. Primary health care teams including a hospital social worker would work with the person to ensure care needs are met and may engage with our ministry.”

However, Jennifer claims she has not heard from the ministry at all since inquiring.

“I requested a meeting with [Jeffrey’s] worker, supervisor, and their manager. That was last week. There's been nothing but dead silence,” she said.

“Nobody's called me, nobody's contacted me, nothing.”

'HELP FOR EVERYONE'

Sean Barschel, Associate Executive Director at the Schizophrenia Society of Saskatchewan, said that persistence is needed in cases where supports are difficult to access.

“If somebody has difficulty accessing some of those bureaucratic services, try and go straight to the source,” he told CTV News.

“Speak with that individual social worker, speak with their mental health worker, write a letter to the minister speak up, speak out, share that you are not alone in this struggle and that hopefully there are others out there who again do believe in our mission to improve that quality of life and that there is hope and there is help for everyone.”

Approximately one per cent of Canadians live with schizophrenia, which works out to about 380,000 people across the country.

Barschel highlighted family supports as a key component for helping those with mental illnesses.

“We always find that a family member’s involvement is incredibly important,” he said.

“It's almost always imperative to have somebody else on their side who is advocating for them, who's helping to make some of those connections and to speak with them.”

Jennifer has served as Jeffrey’s advocate for years. It’s a role she’s not abandoning anytime soon.

“I'm not backing down with the government. They need to change their policies they need to educate their social workers more,” she said.

“I'm not backing down to my dying breath. I will stick up for my brother because nobody else will.”

Jennifer’s advice to others who may be in the same situation is simple: Do not yield.

“Don't give up fight. People with mental illness have rights, you don’t just don't sweep them aside like they're nothing. Everybody somebody's father, mother, daughter, son, uncle,” she said.

“They’re someone to somebody.”