2023-2024 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 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. In recent years, the number of applications received by the Board more than tripled, 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 2023-24 and beyond, creating challenges for the Board to provide Veterans with timely hearings and decisions. To ensure Veterans and their families obtain access to the disability appeal process, and ultimately benefits, more quickly, the Board will continue to evaluate its operating procedures and resourcing model and will continue to seek the necessary resources for its redress program to ensure Veterans and their families get the benefits to which they are entitled in a timely manner.
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 are to continue to work with the Minister on the Board’s appointments that reflect the diversity and linguistic duality of Canada; prepare a Recruitment Strategy to ensure the Board has the necessary skills to meet the needs of the future and reflects the diversity and linguistic duality of Canada; develop a plan to support a digital-first approach; and renew our focus on learning and professional development by investing time and resources in learning activities.