Mike Korba, 36, is legally blind, but that hasn’t stopped the Airdrie resident from finding himself a job to help support his young family. However, Korba said the fact he’s working has prevented him from getting benefits through the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) program.
“I applied for AISH in January 2015 but didn’t really pursue anything because I was able to gain employment through a family member,” he said. “The employer had expressed concerns about my disability during the course of my employment with them. I was laid off Feb. 26, 2015 and that’s when I pursued the AISH benefits.”
Korba has retinitis pigmentosa, a heredity form of macular degeneration that caused him to lose his sight over time. He was diagnosed in August 2011 and is currently missing over 10 degrees of visual field, making him legally blind. The eye disease runs in his family – his grandmother and two second cousins also have it.
He said he resent all the required documents to AISH after he was laid off in February 2015 but his claim was denied.
“Even with my visual field chart as well as documentation from my ophthalmologist out of Calgary, they still denied benefits. They said it was because I wasn’t severely handicapped,” he said.
“I do collect a disability tax credit, so we found it odd that I’m entitled to (that) but not entitled to the disability services.”
Korba said finding a job has been a challenge because employers consider him a risk for Workers’ Compensation reasons. He was able to find a job at WestJet as a call centre agent thanks to Champions Career Centre in Calgary, which helps people with disabilities find work.
Korba and his wife, Anna Gromadska, recently welcomed a baby boy to their family. His new job started just nine days after the new family member was born in October 2015. Gromadska is on maternity leave from her job as a real estate paralegal.
He was also taking courses online through Athabasca University but had to put those on hold while trying to juggle a new job and a new baby.
His appeal was heard on Sept. 29, 2015, and he was once again denied support through AISH.
“I was not expecting that I must argue to prove my disability when it was clearly already diagnosed by my ophthalmologist and outlined in the report. These programs are supposed to help people, not treat them like they are in court in front of a judge,” he said. “It felt like I just didn’t make the cut probably because they ran out of funding for this program, not because the argument was legitimate.”
Korba said the other members of his family who have the same eye disease are receiving AISH benefits, adding to his frustration. He said he feels he’s being denied support because he’s not willing to just give up and collect government benefits, preferring to find a job and try to further his education.
“I’m trying to become a contributing member of society rather than just giving up and collecting a government paycheque. They see that as somebody who’s not handicapped. Basically, I was told I never quit work because of my disability – an employer’s not going to say I was laid off because of my disability because that would be subject to lawsuit.
“For someone like myself who’s not educated in litigation or something like that it’s very unnerving to try to prove your claim, when a family physician as well as a specialist have tried to argue it for you,” Korba said.
He said the representatives from the AISH program essentially said “you’re not blind. (The doctors) don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Aaron Manton, press secretary for the Minister of Human Services, said he could not comment on an individual case.
Korba said he hasn’t given up.
“We’re going to try to apply again. I’m unsure as to when. That last appeal took a really long time and it really kind of frazzled me. The way it went, I felt like I was being ganged up on. We’re doing it on our own – we can’t afford a lawyer.”
