2022-2023 Operating context
The Board is a micro-organization with a small, dedicated staff. The Chairperson, appointed by the Governor in Council, is the Board’s Chief Executive Officer and reports to Parliament through the Minister of Veterans Affairs.
The Board can have up to 25 full-time Members (including the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson). Members hear Veterans’ cases brought forward for redress. They then decide whether the evidence meets the requirements of the legislation to award new or increased levels of disability benefits.
Workload
The Board’s operating environment is directly influenced by the unpredictability of the nature and volume of applications. A good indicator of how many applications the Board is likely to receive in a given year, is the volume of Veterans Affairs Canada’s (VAC) disability benefits decisions from the previous year. Over the past three years, the number of applications received by the Board more than doubled, largely as a result of VAC’s Service Excellence initiative to reduce the backlog and improve the delivery of services and programs. Further increases in the number of applications are expected for 2022-23 and beyond, creating challenges for the Board to provide Veterans with timely hearings and decisions as the intake of applications will exceed the Board’s processing capacity. To ensure Veterans and their families obtain access to the disability appeal process, and ultimately benefits, more quickly, the Board will continue to explore opportunities to address workload pressures and resource requirements for a longer-term perspective on the delivery of the Disability Review and Appeal program.
Even though the Board’s caseload is primarily correlated with VAC decision volumes, it can fluctuate from year to year due to other factors. One factor is that there is no time limit to bring forward an appeal, so Veterans can request an independent review of their VAC or VRAB decision at any time.
Human Resources
The Board relies on its Members and staff to provide Veterans and their families with a fair and timely appeal process. As a small tribunal, it faces unique challenges in workforce management and makes ongoing efforts to maintain knowledgeable and skilled Members and staff to deliver its program.
Board Members are Governor-in-Council (GIC) appointees selected from a pre-qualified pool of Canadians. As the membership is dynamic, it is both a challenge and a priority for the Board to maintain a balance of experienced and new Members for expertise and knowledge transfer. The Board’s capability to effectively deliver on its mandate hinges upon an adequate complement of Members appointed through the open and transparent merit-based GIC selection process.
Due to the complex and changing environment under which the Board operates, the Board must ensure there are adequate resources in place, with the necessary skillsets and competencies to meet the organization’s evolving operational goals. The Board faces significant operational pressures to support the increasing workload. Key priorities for the Board continue to involve communicating with the Minister on the Board’s appointment needs; recruiting strategically to respond to organizational resource and skill needs, such as official language requirements and new skill-sets to support a digital-first approach; focusing on learning and professional development by investing time and resources in learning activities; and providing Members and staff with developmental opportunities.