Veterans Review and Appeal Board 2025-2028 Accessibility Action Plan

The Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB, the Board) is the arm's-length tribunal that provides an independent avenue of appeal for disability benefits decisions made by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC, the Department). When the Accessible Canada Act came into force in 2019, the Government of Canada demonstrated its commitment to having a barrier-free Canada by the beginning of 2040. Achieving this goal will involve identifying, removing and preventing barriers within federal jurisdiction in seven areas:

1. Employment
2. The built environment (public buildings and spaces)
3. Information and communication technologies
4. Communication, other than information and communication technologies
5. The procurement of goods, services and facilities
6. The designs and delivery of programs and services, and
7. Transportation (airlines, as well as rail, road and marine transportation providers that cross provincial or international borders)

The Act requires Federal organizations, including VRAB, to develop and publish Accessibility Action Plans and related progress reports to identify, prevent and remove barriers in the areas listed above.

Accessibility Action Plan, the Board has a long-standing service relationship with VAC for internal services under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This MOU outlines the agreement between the two organizations regarding their shared resources. The MOU supports the Board’s operations through the provision of internal services by VAC to the Board. Accordingly, the Board benefits directly from VAC’s efforts to improve accessibility in many areas. Some of the services the Board receives from VAC under the established MOU include:

• Human Resources Management
• Information Technology
• Procurement
• Finance

The VRAB recognizes the importance of meaningful consultation with persons with disabilities. To ensure employees with disabilities had a voice in shaping this plan, we engaged the Veterans Affairs Accessibility Network; an internal employee network that supports accessibility and inclusion by sharing lived experience, providing advice, and helping identify and remove barriers in its workplace and services.

Through this Accessibility Action Plan (the Board’s second), we aim to continue building upon what we started in our first Plan, as we work towards creating an environment where persons with disabilities can fully participate and contribute. We will do this by identifying, preventing and removing accessibility barriers so that Veterans and their family members can fully participate in Hearings, and Board employees or Members with disabilities can be better supported in their work, resulting in enhanced service to Canadians.

In this Plan, we will analyze each of the seven priority areas noted above, outline the barriers identified and the specific actions to address them, as well as the timelines, roles and responsibilities for each of the actions. Lastly, we will outline a means of ongoing monitoring and accountability toward the intended outcomes in a detailed list of performance indicators provided in Appendix A.

This 2025–2028 Accessibility Action Plan builds on the foundation established in our first Plan, the 2022–2025 Accessibility Action Plan. Over that previous cycle, we made significant strides toward creating a barrier-free organization. Key achievements included:

• Employment: Introduced inclusive hiring practices and launched bias-reduction tools for managers.
• The built environment: Completed accessibility audits for the Board’s head office facilities and implemented priority upgrades.
• Information and communication technologies (ICT): Members of the Accessibility Network were invited to review the Board’s website and noted its user-friendly, information-focused design. Looking ahead, opportunities will be explored to engage persons with disabilities in user testing to help inform future improvements to the website.
• Communication (other than ICT): Introduced accessible videos that help inform Veterans and their families about the Board’s Hearing process. These included closed captioning and plain language.
• The procurement of goods, services and facilities: Employees and management from the Board’s Administration and Systems units attend sessions offered by VAC Procurement regarding accessibility-related requirements in procurement and contracting.
• The design and delivery of programs and services: The Board worked with the Bureau of Pensions Advocates (BPA) and VAC to establish a process to communicate a client’s accommodation requirements in advance of their Review Hearing.
• Organizational culture: The Board established an Accessibility Lead to guide the development and implementation of the VRAB’s Accessibility Action Plans and Accessibility Progress Reports.
• Training: 89% of staff attended events, trainings or webinars related to accessibility in 2024.

In this plan, we build on this progress and focus on areas where barriers still exist, as well as introducing new actions that respond to emerging needs and reflect feedback from persons with disabilities.

The Accessible Canada Act (“Act”) and the Accessible Canada Regulations (“Regulations”) requires the Board to establish a process for receiving and actioning accessibility-related feedback. This feedback process can be used to provide feedback on:

• the implementation of this Plan;
• accessibility barriers at VRAB;
• preventing or removing such barriers;
• accessibility best practices; and/or
• success stories related to accessibility at VRAB.

An accessibility barrier is anything that does not allow persons with disabilities to be included and take part in all areas of life and society. Barriers prevent persons with disabilities from participating in the same way as persons without disabilities. The Act identifies several types of accessibility barriers:

• physical
• architectural
• technological
• attitudinal
• information
• communications
• policy
• practice

VRAB can receive feedback or suggestions related to accessibility submitted in any of the following ways:

By mail:

Director General, Veterans Review and Appeal Board
PO Box 9900
Charlottetown PE, C1A 8V7

By email: VRABAccessibility-AccessibilitéTACRA@VRAB-tacra.gc.ca

By phone or fax:

Toll free in Canada and the U.S.: 1-800-450-8006
From all other locations, call collect 0-902-566-8751
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD): 1-833-998-2060
Fax: 1-855-850-4644

Please note that all feedback will be acknowledged in the same manner it was received, unless it was provided anonymously.

Alternate Formats

Please note that requests can be made through the above contact information for the following documents in alternative formats:

• VRAB’s Accessibility Action Plans
• VRAB’s description of its accessibility-related feedback process
• Annual progress reports on the implementation of VRAB’s Accessibility Action Plans and how feedback will be taken into consideration.

Alternate formats include:

• Print
• Large print (increased front size and clarity)
• Braille (a system of raised dots that individuals who are blind or who have low vision can read with their fingers).
• Audio recording (a recording of someone reading the text out loud)
• Electronic (an electronic format that is compatible with adaptive technology that is intended to assist persons with disabilities).

I am pleased to share with you the Veterans Review and Appeal Board’s 2025-2028 Accessibility Action Plan.

At the Board, we strive as an organization to ensure that Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP members, and their families can fully participate in the redress process and that our employees and Board Members are supported in providing that service.

Building and supporting a strong culture of accessibility is a central part of who we are – from the way we design our spaces and systems, to how we communicate, learn and engage with one another. A recent survey of employees and Members shows that our team feels supported in having their accessibility needs met and in expanding their accessibility-related knowledge.

As part of our efforts to continue improving and ensure Veterans have a voice in this, in Spring 2025, we launched an updated Review Hearing Exit Questionnaire. The updated questionnaire includes questions about any barriers that Veterans may have encountered when dealing with the Board during their Review Hearing process. To date, the results of this questionnaire indicate that Review Hearing participants’ accessibility needs are being met in most cases, but that there is still room to improve.

We will continue to seek feedback from Veterans and staff, through these and other mechanisms, to ensure the Board continues to foster and strengthen a culture of accessibility and inform our next steps in this space.

This Accessibility Action Plan outlines the actions we will take over the next three years to further this work and ensure the Board remains an inclusive, barrier-free environment for all – both within our workplace and in our service to Veterans and their families.

Thank you,

Christopher J. McNeil,

Chairperson

The Veterans Review and Appeal Board is committed to providing inclusive and accessible service through the following fundamental principles:

• Everyone is treated with dignity.
• Everyone must be able to participate fully and equally.
• Laws, regulations, policies, programs, services, and structures must take into account the ways that different kinds of barriers and discrimination intersect.
• Persons with disabilities must be involved in developing and designing laws, policies, programs and services.

The Board will update this Plan every three years or as specified by regulations and will prepare and publish annual progress reports. This process will include feedback to the Board and input from persons with disabilities. The Board's goal is to ensure that all Veterans can fully participate in the redress process, and to provide a barrier-free, inclusive workplace for all employees and Board Members.

The Board’s 2025–2028 Accessibility Action Plan sets a clear direction for advancing accessibility and inclusion across all areas of the organization. Developed under the Accessible Canada Act, the plan emphasizes removing barriers, improving programs and services, and integrating accessibility into organizational culture as part of the long-term goal of becoming barrier-free by 2040.

Building on progress from the previous plan, this Action Plan continues work on initiatives that remain in progress and introduces new actions to address emerging needs. Where appropriate, actions have been refined to reflect lessons learned and evolving best practices.

Accessibility and inclusion guide how the Board operates and serves Veterans and their families. Our policies, tools, and practices are designed to remove barriers and create equal opportunities for employees and Veterans. This approach reinforces our commitment to continuous improvement—recognizing that accessibility is not a single initiative, but an ongoing responsibility requiring collaboration, innovation, and accountability. It is embedded in our culture and informs every decision we make to ensure an inclusive experience for all.

Desired outcome:

• Job seekers with disabilities see the Board as a workplace of choice.
• Job seekers and public servants with disabilities have access to employment opportunities at the Board and can contribute to their full potential.

Employment barriers:

1. Inconsistent manager readiness for duty to accommodate: While the Board made progress in 2024 by adopting the GC Workplace Accessibility Passport and promoting it through VAC-led information sessions, there is still no formalized internal learning pathway to ensure managers consistently receive training on accessibility and duty to accommodate. Without a structured approach, knowledge transfer and retention may vary, which could affect manager readiness to apply accommodation practices effectively and consistently across the organization.
2. Systemic and cultural shortcomings to supporting employees with disabilities: Representation of employees with disabilities is improving, however the 2024 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES), highlights that employees with disabilities report lower scores in feeling valued, recognized, and psychologically healthy compared to others. This gap indicates that accessibility and inclusion are not fully integrated into The Board’s organizational culture and employee experience, creating a barrier to retention and career advancement.

Note: For the PSES data, we used the VRAB subset for employees who identify as persons with disabilities. This ensures the barrier reflects their real experiences in our organization.

Actions to remove the barriers in Employment

Table 1: Actions to remove the barriers in Employment

Desired outcome

• VRAB’s head office location and Hearing spaces across the country are fully accessible

The built environment barriers

1. Limited inclusive workplace design: Accessibility gaps within the Board’s head office continue to create barriers for employees. Findings from the August 2025 accessibility pulse survey indicate that staff, particularly those with disabilities, face challenges that impact comfort, inclusion, and full participation in the workplace Areas for improvement identified within the feedback included:
   • Enhancing meeting accommodations for neurodivergent employees, such as reducing glare and minimizing background noise
   • Enhancing physical accessibility by modifying entryway doors for individuals with mobility challenges
   • Addressing concerns that not all workstations are height adjustable to support ergonomic needs
2. Inconsistent hearing room design: The Hearing Room Project, which aims to create a more consistent and efficient in-person hearing experience, has found that accessibility barriers remain in Hearing Rooms across the country, affecting the comfort, safety, and full engagement of participants.

These persistent barriers, including excessive furniture and loose cables that hinder independent movement, and artwork that depicts combat scenes that make a Hearing Room feel triggering, demonstrate that the spaces are not yet fully accessible and require attention and action from the Board.

Actions to remove the barriers in the built environment

Table 2: Actions to remove the barriers in the built environment

Desired outcome

• The Board’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be easily used by all.

Information and communication technology barriers

1. Limited knowledge of available accessibility tools: Employees may not know about the adaptive computer technologies that are available, which makes it harder to apply accessibility practices in everyday ICT tasks. A December 2025 review of software licenses usage showed that no VRAB employees are currently using accessibility tools to support their work.
2. Lack of early integration of accessibility in ICT planning and design: Most IT projects supporting VRAB are led by VAC, and accessibility considerations are sometimes introduced later in the process rather than fully integrated from the outset. This timing can lead to additional work and may create barriers for Veterans and employees who rely on assistive technology. VAC’s 2024 Accessibility Progress Report acknowledges these challenges. While audits, fixes, and the development of an Accessibility Framework have driven progress, these improvements are not yet applied consistently across all projects.

Actions to remove the barriers in information and communication technology

Table 3: Actions to remove the barriers in information and communication technology

Desired outcome

• The VRAB employees and Members are equipped to design and deliver accessible communications in all forms.
• All Board communications, both internal and external, are accessible by design and reflect diverse perspectives, use plain language, and provide formats that meet the needs of all audiences.

Communications (other than ICT) barriers

1. Limited feedback from persons with disabilities: Communication materials (outside of information and communication technology) are not regularly tested or reviewed by persons with disabilities. As such, feedback is not systematically gathered to help inform enhancements and ensure accessibility standards are met.
2. Inconsistent accessibility in content and design: While progress has been made and the Board’s Communications team has developed fully accessible templates for use across the organization, the Board does not yet have a clear and consistent process to ensure all communications, such as templates, videos, training materials, signage, reports and briefings meet accessibility standards. This gap can result in variations in compliance and user experience, and may unintentionally create barriers for persons with disabilities.

Actions to remove the barriers in Communications (other than ICT)

Table 4: Actions to remove the barriers in Communications (other than ICT)

Desired outcome

• The goods and services procured by the Board are accessible.

Procurement of goods, services and facilities barriers

1. Lack of internal framework for accessibility in procurement: VRAB staff have participated in VAC procurement sessions, which highlighted the ongoing need to integrate accessibility into procurement practices. Current processes do not include a weighted scoring system for accessibility. This can result in goods and services such as new equipment purchases or external facility bookings for events and training not meeting accessibility standards and creating barriers for employees and clients.

Actions to remove the barriers in the procurement of goods, services and facilities

Table 5: Actions to remove barriers in the procurement of goods, services and facilities

Desired outcome

• VRAB employees and Members are fully supported and prepared to design and deliver an accessible appeals program.
• Persons with disabilities are satisfied with the accessibility of the VRAB appeal program and associated services.

The design and delivery of programs and services barriers

1. Challenges in providing inclusive hearing experiences: Veterans face challenges accessing clear information and support during Review Hearings. Feedback from the Review Hearing Exit Questionnaire (June to September 2025) highlights barriers such as technical issues with videoconferencing, lack of clarity on the process, and heavy reliance on phone-based communication.

Actions to remove the barriers in design and delivery of programs and services

Table 6: Actions to remove the barriers in design and delivery of programs and services

Neither applicable nor relevant to VRAB’s operations.

Accessibility

The degree to which a product, service, program or environment is available to be accessed or used by all (Source: Glossary: Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada)

Accommodation

This term refers to the design and adaptation of a work environment to meet the needs of a diverse workforce, and do what is required in the circumstances of each individual, to avoid discrimination up to the point of undue hardship.

Barrier

means anything — including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice — that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation.

Disability

means any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment — or a functional limitation — whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.

Duty to accommodate (DTA)

Employers have a duty to accommodate employees to avoid discrimination based on the eleven grounds identified in section 2 of the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA). Employers must accommodate employees who fall into the groups protected by the CHRA up to the point of undue hardship (Source: VAC’s internal Employment Equity and Diversity Action Plan 2017-2022).

GC Workplace Accessibility Passport

The Accessibility Passport is a tool that promotes collaboration between public service employees and managers. It will allow them to promptly identify and implement the devices, tools, and support measures that will enable employees to succeed in their job. The Passport is owned by the employee and will document adjustment needs, possible solutions, devices or supports received in the past, and adaptive tools that the employee would like to bring with them, should they change jobs or organizations.

Plain language

This refers to clear, straight-forward writing. It avoids obscure vocabulary and complex sentences. Writing in plain language does not mean over-simplifying or leaving out critical information. Using plain language makes critical information accessible and readable for everyone.

For more information on VRAB, please refer to Quick Facts on VRAB’s webpage.

Accessibility Network

The Network provides the opportunity for employees with a disability, as well as their allies, to help identify accessibility barriers within the Department, and to provide feedback on the plans under development for a more accessibility-confident VAC. This group provides feedback and input based on their lived experiences and help guide VAC towards being a more accessibility-confident Department.

Accessibility progress tool

This tool, used by the Application Management Directorate, refers to automated and manual methods to track applications in scope; accessibility assessments completed on those; and EN 301 549 compliance status of each application as improvements are made over time.

Assyst Web

An online tool used to submit IT requests/report IT issues.

Client Service Delivery Network (CSDN)

This is an aging integrated system that supports VAC employees in delivering Departmental benefits and services.

Corporate Services Directorate

This is the unit in VRAB that consists of the corporate support functions, such as: Information Technology/Systems, Access to Information and Privacy and Information Management (ATIP and IM), Communications, Strategic Planning and Administrative Services.

European Standard (EN 301 549)

EN 301 549 is the European Standard for Digital Accessibility that the Government of Canada is adopting for ICT. The industry standard for web accessibility is W3C WCAG (World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). EN 301 549 includes WCAG plus accessibility standards for all other digital products, including mobile phones, electronic documents, software, and hardware.

GCcase

This is an integrated system that supports VAC employees in delivering Departmental benefits and services.

GCworkplace model

A Government of Canada workplace design that is based on providing a modern and flexible work environment that is adaptable to various employees' needs and situations.

Let’s Talk Veterans (LTV)

LTV is an online accessible consultation and engagement platform launched in 2021 to give Canadians, Veterans and their families the opportunity to provide direct feedback to VAC.

My VAC Account

This tool is a public-facing client portal that enables Veterans to apply for benefits, send secure messages, and track applications online with VAC.

VRAB Review Hearing Exit Questionnaire

A questionnaire tool designed to capture feedback from Veterans and their families, following a VRAB Review Hearing with the Board.

VRAB’s Workforce Statistics

Reports on VRAB personnel