How can someone dispute a decision made by Ontario Works?

General Rule: Decisions made by Ontario Works can be disputed. If Ontario Works makes a decision that your client disagrees with and wants to dispute, they will need to go through Ontario Works’s dispute process. The first step is an internal review. Once your client has received a decision from the internal review, they might be able to appeal that decision to the Social Benefits Tribunal, if they still disagree. 

To begin the process, your client will need to review the Notice of Decision that Ontario Works should have sent to them. A copy of this Notice should also be available to them on their MyBenefits account. This Notice of Decision has important information that your client will need, including:

• The date of the decision
• The reasons for the decision
• The contact information for the Ontario Works office that made the decision

How You Can Help:

• If your client doesn’t have a copy of their Notice of Decision
  • Step 1: If your client has access to their MyBenefits account, help them log in and find an electronic copy of their Notice of Decision.
  • Step 2: If they can’t log in or if they can’t find the Notice of Decision, help them contact their Ontario Works caseworker to request an additional copy. Ontario Works is required to keep these on file. 
• If your client does have a copy of their Notice of Decision
  • Step 1: Help them review Ontario Works’s reasons for the decision.
  • Step 2: Highlight the contact information for the office that made the decision. This is where they will need to submit their internal review requests to if they want to dispute the decision.

For more information on how your client can start the internal review process and how you can help, see: What is an internal review?

For more information on how your client can appeal an internally reviewed decision and how you can help, see: What is an appeal?