Evidence of meeting #3 for Veterans Affairs in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was board.
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board
They're asking for us to acknowledge a connection between their illness or disability and their military service.
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board
No, not necessarily; not if the come to the Board, because the Department...
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Gaudet Bloc Montcalm, QC
Are they veterans or aren't they? If I'm not a veteran, I have no right to appeal to the Board.
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board
You must have worked for the Canadian Armed Forces.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Gaudet Bloc Montcalm, QC
So, at the age of 80, 40 years later, someone all of a sudden discovers that he has a specific illness. If he was in the army at the age of 17 or 20, he can come to you. There is something that doesn't quite jibe in all of this. I have a big problem with it.
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board
In many cases, the individual filed a claim a number of years previously but his claim was refused. So he comes back and asks to have his case reviewed.
Indeed, some people have come to see us with a colleague to have their case reviewed so that they can receive a disability pension for a knee injury that they received during World War II. There are even veterans with shell injuries who have come to the Board. They come to us and say...
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board
They never received a pension because they never claimed one.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Gaudet Bloc Montcalm, QC
I know it's another generation, but that doesn't change anything. In that case, why do we have veterans. The fact is that we have had veterans for some 90 years. I don't understand why, when someone leaves the Armed Forces, he is not made aware of these things.
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board
In my opinion, veterans are quite familiar with the compensation system.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Gaudet Bloc Montcalm, QC
At the age of 80, 40 years later, someone decides to file a pension claim?
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Gaudet Bloc Montcalm, QC
I have difficulty understanding that. I agree that everyone is entitled to receive services, but 40 years later, I see that as a problem. I don't know whether it's because we're trying to find work for people or what. But that's only my personal opinion.
You say that you have a staff of 80 to adjudicate 8 000 cases a year?
4:45 p.m.
Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board
No, 6 500. We only hear appeals.
All veterans seeking a disability pension must first go through the Department. In these cases, the individual completes the claim form and asks to receive a pension for a disability connected to his military service. Then the Department makes a decision. They review the file, they look at all the files at National Defence, they go through everything with a fine toothed comb and check to see whether the individual has in fact been injured and whether there is a report to prove it.
After that, the departmental official renders a decision. For example, he may decide he has seen nothing in the file or that the veteran has been unable to prove that he is having problems with his knee, his back, or whatever. There are a number of possibilities. Every individual has evidence, claims and a story to tell. But it is the official at the Department that renders the decision. He sends a letter to the veteran saying that he is sorry, but the individual has not proven the connection between his knee problem and his military service. If the veteran is not satisfied with that decision, it is referred to Mr. Marchand at the Veterans Review and Appeal Board.
There are 30 adjudicators at the Board. At the present time, however, there are only 19. So, the veteran comes to us and we hear his case. We ask him to prove his allegations. We provide him with legal counsel, at our expense. That legal counsel has represented many people with similar cases. He will do whatever he can to secure a disability pension for that person. Then, we render a decision.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Rob Anders
Pardon. We already went over the time limit.
I think Mr. Mayes indicated that he was next for the Conservative Party.
May 30th, 2006 / 4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Colin Mayes Conservative Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Through you to Mr. Marchand, I'm not concerned about the competence of the board or how the board is selected. I am more interested in the fact that you have 6,000 appeals. That's a tremendous workload. Is the workload a result of the criteria for compensation or benefits? Are the criteria too vague, and they can't make a good decision in the first interaction with the veteran who is looking for compensation from the department?
4:50 p.m.
Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board
That's a good one.
The sheer number in itself creates the workload. I think there are 36,000 claims presently registered with the department. I don't know what creates this need or this quantity of applications; I honestly couldn't tell you. But over the years, we've had years when there were 20,000 or 30,000 claims put forward.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Colin Mayes Conservative Okanagan—Shuswap, BC
Would part of it be because of the aging population of the veterans? I know we have a number of veterans. I think the average age of a veteran is 37 years. Is that correct?