Briar McLaughlan was two years old when she was found without vital signs in a family swimming pool in July 2022.
At the start, they were told that the coverage was not going to change, even that it was going to improve.
I feel like we were totally blindsided by this, the mother said.
The family receives an annual allowance of $1,680 through the Ontario Assistive Devices Program to help meet some of their daughter's needs. For the remainder of their child care expenses, parents rely on their health care benefits. To care for Briar, the family spends $2,000 a month. This includes $662 for a special formula, $355 for bags of that formula and $20 for the gourmet tubes to be changed each week.
CBC has contacted Canada Life for this report. A representative from the insurer then contacted the McLaughlans to tell them that bags of formula would now be covered.
The insurance company also told CBC it has created a mandated team to review claims that may have been denied and decide whether they should be approved on compassionate grounds. She added that the aim was to prioritize urgent applications or those filed by people facing financial difficulties.
In an email sent to CBC, the Treasury Board, which oversees the operations of the federal government, said it shares the concerns and frustrations of members of the federal public service who cannot always reach an agent or who experience long wait times.
We understand the stress this ongoing service issue places on individuals and their families, a spokesperson wrote .
The Treasury Board has said that replacement therapeutic nutrients are covered by a prescription; it was not clear whether related items, such as stomach tubes and formula bags, were also covered.
He also reminded that Members may appeal any denied refund request.
Of the items covered, the McLaughlans say they had to wait months to be reimbursed. The family had to go into debt. The mother believes that the whole clan is losing, whether it is the parents, Briar, or their two other children.
Our children have not asked to experience this. We didn't ask to go through this, and the kids lose out because we have to wait longer to get the refund.
Briar McLaughlan spent more than a month in a pediatric hospital in Halifax, before spending three more months at CHEO in Ottawa. (File photo)
Before the accident, Briar was vibrant and happy, with a mischievous side. Today, she requires a wheelchair, is unable to speak, and requires a feeding tube and 24-hour care.
She depends on us for everything, summarizes her father.
Parents hope that their daughter will one day regain certain lost abilities. They live on hope, given the progress made over the past year. She learned to laugh and sing again.
Each week, Briar continues to improve and shows us how amazingly she is strong. We are so grateful that she continued to fight and wants to be here with us. Because we love it so much, McLaughlan concluded.
With information fromKimberley MolinaofCBCNews