Income and Employment Support Act (IESA), sections 16, Part 6 and Part 9
Income Support, Training and Health Benefits (ISTHB) Regulation, section 99
Recovery Regulation

INTENT

To describe a debt due to the Government of Alberta.

POLICY

A debt due, refers to an amount determined to be repayable to the Government of Alberta. An amount is determined to be repayable to the Government of Alberta when the client:

• Agrees to repay the amount (by signing a repayment agreement);
• Is convicted of fraud and has been ordered to pay restitution;
• Has not filed an appeal on an assessed overpayment and the appeal period has expired and an appeal extension has not been granted;
• Has appealed an assessed overpayment and the Citizen’s Appeal Panel has upheld the department’s decision or has varied the overpayment amount; or
• Has appealed an assessed overpayment and the appeal panel has determined the appeal to be abandoned by the client.

A debt can also refer to third party amounts that are determined to be repayable to the department such as sponsorship defaults and providers who receive payment from a client’s benefits to pay for a service provided to the client.

Note
Debts incurred under the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped Act can be collected under IESA, section 38(2) and Part 9.

A client’s file must not be sent for destruction until the debt is paid in full.

The Overpayment Process and Recovery System policies describe the procedures to establish a debt.