The context
- The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) manages the Programme d’adaptation de véhicule pour les personnes handicapées. Eligible citizens may obtain financial assistance to have their vehicle adapted based on their limitations.
- A man in this situation learned that there was such a program and he sent the SAAQ the required documents.
- After months without any feedback, he notified his physical therapist, who contacted the agency. Since the agency seemed not to have gotten the application, she sent it all the documents.
- A few days later, the man got a message from the SAAQ informing him that his application had been received but that he still had to send in a document. He did so without delay.
- The man waited for several weeks but again without any results. His physical therapist contacted the agency again. It informed her that it had not received the missing document. She therefore sent it in quickly.
- The man waited for another few weeks and then decided to phone the SAAQ himself. He was told that no vehicle adaptation file had been opened under his name.
The complaint
The man was sure that he had sent the application correctly more than once. He complained to the Québec Ombudsman.
What the investigation showed
A mistake in identifying the citizen had caused much confusion. Without wanting to, the SAAQ had created two files for the same application. Some of the documents received had been put in the first file, while others had been placed in the second. As a result, both files remained incomplete.
The outcome
Because of the Québec Ombudsman’s intervention, the SAAQ quickly proceeded to check internally. The problem was identified and corrected promptly. The citizen’s application was handled as a priority.
The Québec Ombudsman ensures that your rights are upheld in your dealings with Québec public services. Are you dissatisfied with the services of a Government of Québec department or agency? Or with those of a health and social services network institution (2nd level of recourse)? File a complaint with the Québec Ombudsman by calling 1-800-463-5070 or use our online complaint form.
