Veterans Affairs committee  Most claims deal with orthopedic problems involving the knees, the back, ankles or shoulders. Then there are claims that relate to psychological or psychiatric problems associated with their injuries, or post-traumatic stress syndrome. That is the second major category. Finally, there are claims filed for illnesses linked to overuse of the muscles, soft tissue, or for illnesses that people have contracted.

Veterans Affairs committee  I know. I am sorry. I shouldn't have.

Veterans Affairs committee  No. In order to meet the hearings right now, our best tactic has been to hold single-member panels, but it requires the consent of the advocates and the clients. We've been able to maintain somewhere in the area of six to eight hearings per week.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's because it is an incredibly heavy workload. I wouldn't ask my administrative judges or my members to keep that rhythm up too long. I have members who have heard over 800 cases this year. The work these people have put in is absolutely astonishing. It is incredibly impressive.

Veterans Affairs committee  The cycle lasts about four months from application to screening, to a written exam, to interview, and to name on list. The training lasts at least nine weeks, and then you can expect the individual to be in a hearing room hearing a case.

Veterans Affairs committee  No, they are not. I think the ideal composition is a mixture of individuals from varying backgrounds: from the health, legal, military, and business fields, and from public life. To be more precise, presently we have 17 permanent and 2 temporary members.

Veterans Affairs committee  The board has exclusive jurisdiction to hear appeals or review decisions based on disability pensions. In my humble opinion, the ombudsman could not look into how the board looks at a given file or interfere with the board, any more than the minister can. We are an independent, quasi-judicial board.

Veterans Affairs committee  Finally, under modernization there are a multiplicity of programs now—there are at least five—and only one is appealable to the board. So the ombudsman will be useful, I suspect, to a certain degree.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, sir, there is a process, and it's been in place since December 2004. In order to recruit the largest possible number of candidates, there are obvious things you can do. You can publicize, advertise in newspapers or in the official Canada Gazette. Some people actually do read it, apparently.

Veterans Affairs committee  Section 35 of the Pension Act provides for the publication of guidelines for the assessment of disabilities. Among those disabilities is the hearing loss disability, and there are criteria in relation to the hearing loss as reported by an audiogram that set formally the amount of compensation received by the individual.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  I can't answer for the minister on the reasons or the logic he would use to ascertain whether compensation should be given to people who have been exposed to Agent Orange. All I can talk to is what the board under the law will utilize, as far as onus of evidence is required, under the Pension Act.

Veterans Affairs committee  We've looked at somewhere in the area of a dozen cases, but they are claims for disability pension. I know of certain cases that were granted, but others that were turned down. I cannot speak to specific cases. Unfortunately, that is beyond my purview.

Veterans Affairs committee  Personally, I've never seen that.