Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chairman, in addressing my response to the honourable member, I would point out that appeals are almost a fresh look at a case. The appeal panel is not necessarily bound by the previous decision, and neither are the revision hearings. So it is not a matter of their having to find an error in the previous decision; it's that they receive more evidence and information, and with that comes the ability of the reviewing panel to make a change in the previous award.

Veterans Affairs committee  Again, Mr. Chair, I don't think that is an answer for me to give, because we receive the file and the decision from the department. In our quasi-judicial capacity of being independent, we take the statement of case from that point and it comes into our schedule and we work on it from there.

Veterans Affairs committee  Again, Mr. Chairman, I can't speak for the department. I can only speak for our board, and we speak through our decisions. Therefore, once the department's initial decision has been overturned, our decisions are sent back to the department, and they're dealt with accordingly. How they deal with them can only be in the manner in which they deal...in the future.

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, it was a volume issue. There was a bubble. The reason I asked my director general to answer was that it was before I arrived at the board. I realize that I answer for the board now and previously. There was a movement put forward in 2006 to bring the board membership up to full capacity of 29 members, because there had been a backlog.

Veterans Affairs committee  That information could be obtained, I believe, but I don't have it with me. Again, that would be something for the department.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct, yes. They can go for judicial review and they also have the opportunity to request a reconsideration before the board prior to going to Federal Court. That reconsideration involves their case coming back before the board to determine whether there has been an error of fact or law.

Veterans Affairs committee  Each case, Mr. Chair, has to be determined on its merits. Therefore, each case is looked at very carefully in order to provide the maximum available benefit to the veteran, and that's how we proceed. We will continue in the future to provide the veteran with the maximum we can.

Veterans Affairs committee  Our work is evolving quite rapidly with more complicated medical conditions as a result of the PTSD cases and those of operational stress issues. We're always working towards educating our members to keep up to date. But with respect to the charter and how we've changed matters, I guess we're working all the time to make sure our members are fully informed on all issues—medical, administrative, law, dealing with hearings, military—to make sure that we can address these issues that come before us.

Veterans Affairs committee  We monitor from the previous year where the requirements were. We set our schedule a year ahead of time—not that it can't be changed. We have identified that those centres are close to where the requirement is. But we've also invested greatly in teleconference facilities, and that option is available to them in some areas—not the 30 centres, but other areas that we have also—where we, with the representative of your pension advocates, make arrangements for the most feasible way to have the review hearing as close as possible to the veteran or the client, as the case may be.

Veterans Affairs committee  First of all, when the charter was implemented and we started rendering disability awards, it was business as usual for the board and the hearings in the sense that our board at review determines disability entitlement and disability assessments. With the charter coming online, our work continued the same.

Veterans Affairs committee  Mr. Chair, if I may, I'd like to answer Mr. Stoffer's second question first. The Bureau of Pensions Advocates is a ministerial matter. That group of lawyers would come under the minister in veterans affairs, and we're separate and independent. So I think your question probably is not something that I can answer.

Veterans Affairs committee  On the first one with respect to the percentages, I also have to underline that when we talk about approval rates, the clients, the veterans, RCMP and Canadian Forces serving members, when they apply under the Pension Act or under the new veterans charter to the department and they receive a decision, they may have been approved, when it comes to us, for entitlement, but are not satisfied with the assessment.

Veterans Affairs committee  Well, that's a matter for the department. All I can speak for is the board.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'd love to say we're the good guys....

Veterans Affairs committee  Again, Mr. Chair, when I talked about benefit of the doubt earlier, I talked about credible evidence, oral testimony, and that any other witnesses can be presented in favour. So when we hear cases on review and even on appeal, any additional evidence, whether it be witnesses or whatever, can be used.