Meeting Expectations: Timely and Transparent Decisions for Canada's Ill and Injured Veterans
Why:
- Delays are the # 1 complaint received by the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman
- Delays can hinder access to healthcare and other benefits
What we did:
- Examined 1,000 completed disability benefit applications
- Consulted VAC staff
- Reviewed guidelines, business processes, policies, and legislation
What we found:
- 29 weeks average wait time (excluding prioritized claims)
- insufficient information is provided throughout the process
- delays are longer for certain groups, such as Francophones and women
- reporting on turnaround times is unreliable due to inconsistencies in when the clock starts ticking
- delays can worsen other inequities, such as those who die with an application still in progress or those waiting for access to treatment
- those who may be at risk are not always prioritized proactively
What we recommended:
7 recommendations related to:
- providing timely decisions for all Veterans
- standardizing Service Standard Start Dates
- triaging applications based on need
- eliminating the negative consequences of delays
- providing more transparency and better information to applicants throughout the process
Impact made to date:
- Service Standard Start Dates are being made more consistent for Veterans and still-serving members
- A checklist has been added to the disability benefit application form to remind applicants of what is required
- Announcement that additional bilingual staff will be hired to help reduce the backlog for Francophone applicants