Veterans Affairs committee  No, I don't have a statistic on that, although I would say that we do a very good job of getting all the information we need. The disability pension officers who work in the area offices provide that assistance.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's right, and they have to have the reasons for the decision.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, I can tell you that. For first applications, I would say that there are about 20,000 per year, on average, and there were around 18,000 in 2011-12.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  Sure. We've looked at our higher-use letters and we're going through those. We have people who have experience in developing plain language who take out some of the more bureaucratic language to make them easier to understand. We now have 15 letters that we've created or changed.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  My understanding is that once something is referred formally to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board, the minister no longer has jurisdiction to rule on that.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm not personally aware of that, no.

Veterans Affairs committee  Many of those people are nurses who come from the provincial system. We also have people with experience in health care, including occupational therapists. To become public servants, individuals usually have to pass examinations and go through an interview.

Veterans Affairs committee  The benefits adjudicators are employed on an indeterminate basis; they are not in the same category as VRAB members.

Veterans Affairs committee  As a public servant, I have no personal opinion about that. However, the approval rate is fairly high in the case of first applications for disability benefits. It's about 73%.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct. It's at arm's length from the department.

Veterans Affairs committee  A veteran can contact the department about a complaint and the veteran will be informed of his or her rights. The veteran is informed when the decision is made. As I said in my comments, the veteran will receive a letter in writing. It will talk about the reasons for the decision.