The Tribunal has the authority to order interim assistance to be paid to a person who is experiencing financial hardship while waiting for the outcome of the hearing.

To apply for interim assistance, you must complete section 4 of the Appeal Form.  It would be helpful to provide documentation with your form to support your request.

To qualify for interim assistance, you must be experiencing financial hardship and should provide financial information to support your request. The Tribunal will issue an Interim Assistance Order to the local office if it is determined that you qualify

If you lose your appeal, any interim assistance you received may have to be repaid.

If you qualify for interim assistance, your local office will be notified and they will issue a cheque.  The Social Benefits Tribunal does not issue the cheque.

If you qualify for interim assistance, you will receive it for the amount of time indicated in the Interim Assistance Order.  If the Interim Assistance Order expires before you receive a decision of the Social Benefits Tribunal, you can ask the Tribunal to extend the Order by contacting your Client Service Representative. 

Interim assistance will not affect whether your appeal is successful or not, but please remember that if you lose your appeal you may have to repay all of the interim assistance that you received.

You should let the Tribunal know. You may wish to get help from a legal clinic.  For legal assistance, you may wish to visit the web site www.legalaid.on.ca.