I can probably add to that one.
I think, as you heard in previous testimony, there's a very small percentage of cases that come to the board. Of the 35,000 to 40,000 decisions that are rendered by the department that are appealed to the board, only 10% to 15% come on to VRAB. Those are the more difficult, complex cases where it may be more difficult to find or establish the evidence to make the link to military service.
As a result of that, what's happening in those cases is that they usually have the assistance of the BPA or a service officer of the Royal Canadian Legion. They assist the veteran in getting extra evidence that will better support their claim when it comes to the board. Often that will involve getting medical opinions, maybe expert medical opinions, corroborating statements from somebody who witnessed an accident during their service.
Those are important elements. Time is taken in the interest of the veterans coming forward with their best case to be able to get a favourable outcome, understanding that they had already received an unfavourable decision at the departmental level, and possibly even through a departmental review.
That time, I would suggest, may be in favour of the veteran, in that the veteran has been supported in trying to find additional evidence or proof to get a favourable outcome once the decision is taken by VRAB.