Thank you, Mr. Chairman and honourable committee members.
Thank you for inviting me today. I am joined by members of my management team: Dale Sharkey, the board's Director General, and Kathleen Vent, Acting Director of Legal Services.
We are here today to talk about the board and to bring you up to date on the improvements we have made since our most recent appearance, last March.
The three main areas of improvement since our last appearance in March are faster decision-making, clearer decisions, and the way we are listening to veterans.
First I would like tell you about the board. The board's primary role is to support veterans, members of the Canadian Forces, members of the RCMP, and their families in obtaining benefits for service-related disabilities. We do this by providing an independent avenue of appeal for disability benefit decisions made by Veterans Affairs Canada.
Our independence is crucial. It means that we are not bound by the department's decisions or policies. At board hearings, veterans have the opportunity to tell their story, bring forward new information, and be represented at no cost by lawyers from the Bureau of Pensions Advocates or by service officers from the Royal Canadian Legion.
The hearings are not adversarial. No one is arguing against the veteran. Board members take a fresh new look at the information and will award new or increased benefits to veterans if there is credible evidence that satisfies the legislation.
To come to the board, veterans need only be dissatisfied with their departmental decision. The reality is that many veterans are satisfied and never come to the board. Only 10% to 15% of the decisions made by the department each year are appealed to the board. Last year we issued a total of 4,900 decisions for veterans and other applicants. We are pleased that we can change a large number of decisions to favour veterans. For a small tribunal, this is a high-volume workload, especially since we deal with the most complex and challenging cases.
Veterans who come to the board have access to two levels of independent redress: a review hearing and, if they remain dissatisfied, an appeal hearing.
The review hearing is often a pivotal moment for veterans. It is their chance to finally appear before decision-makers and be heard. Our board members take considerable care to conduct the hearings informally, with compassion, and in the interest of giving the veteran the last word. Last year the board granted new or increased benefits to veterans in half of its review decisions.
If applicants are not satisfied with their review decision, they can appeal it. The appeal hearing is an entirely new proceeding, conducted by a different panel of board members. The legislation does not permit oral testimony at the appeal level. Rather, it is another opportunity for veterans, through their representative, to submit new information and arguments in support of their case. Last year the board granted new or increased benefits to veterans in one-third of its appeal decisions.
These success rates tell us that veterans and their families benefit from the opportunity to appeal their decisions to an independent tribunal, yet despite this generous system, not every case can succeed.
While we know that some veterans will disagree with our decisions, we are committed to dealing fairly and efficiently with their applications. This means getting their cases heard at the earliest opportunity, conducting full and fair hearings, issuing clear decisions, and treating them with respect and dignity.
I would now like to talk about three aspects of our program where we have made improvements in order to ensure that veterans and their families are well-served.
First, we communicate decisions to veterans more quickly. Thanks to new technologies and other improvements, the board processes requests for review about 20% more quickly than five years ago. We have reduced processing time by 50% in the case of appeals. We are also looking for other ways to set hearing dates more quickly, and that includes providing veterans with the option to have their hearing by videoconference. As I told you in March, the board is currently carrying out a project for restructuring the business processes in order to find ways to reduce red tape and make the process faster and easier for veterans.
A second area of improvement I want to talk about is our focus on issuing fair and well-reasoned decisions for veterans. This begins with the board's merit-based selection process, which ensures new members are qualified to hear and decide cases. The criteria include a preference for members with a military, medical, policing, or legal background, in recognition of the work we do and the people we serve. Our two newest members, appointed last year, are CF and RCMP veterans.
Our excellent training program for new members combines practical teaching and support from experienced staff. All members also receive ongoing and specialized training from medical, legal, military, and lay experts on a variety of topics. In fact, as part of our annual training, later this week we will be hearing from Rear-Admiral Andrew Smith, chief of military personnel, and other serving members about military culture and operations at CFB Greenwood.
We have also taken swift action to address recommendations from the Veterans Ombudsman and suggestions from our stakeholders. For example, we have established a team to improve the quality of decisions by ensuring they are well organized, clearly expressed, and written in plain language. We will implement these improvements by the end of the year.
Our third area of focus is in working to serve and honour veterans by listening to them and acting on their feedback. Veterans have told us they want greater access to our decisions. In May, we began publishing the board's most relevant and instructive decisions on our website. These noteworthy decisions help veterans and the public better understand our work and make applicants aware of decisions made in cases similar to their own. We are also committed to building and maintaining our communications and partnerships with our stakeholders.
In short, we are listening. We know there is more work to do. We are determined to make it happen, and as soon as possible.
Before I wrap things up, I would like to invite all the members of the committee to attend a review hearing at one of our locations, in one part or another of Canada. Two of your honourable colleagues, Mr. Stoffer and Mr. Casey, have already accepted that invitation. They have told us that it was a useful and rewarding experience.
Mr. Chair, I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak today about the board's commitment and about serving our veterans, Canadian Forces and RCMP members, as well as their families.
Thank you.
I'm prepared for your questions.