About Us
Learn more about the Board, our performance and planning, and the work done to continually enhance transparency.
Welcome - Transcript
I am Chris McNeil, Chair of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. I come to this work from a career in municipal law enforcement. I understand the toll the career in uniform can have on those that do. That is why I am honored to serve Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP members and their families. As a Board, we are committed to ensuring Veterans receive the benefits to which they are entitled.
For almost thirty years, the Board has been providing Veterans, who are not satisfied with the disability decision from Veterans Affairs Canada, the opportunity to have that decision reviewed by a set of fresh eyes.
At Board Hearings you will have the chance to tell your story, present new information and evidence. On the basis of such evidence, the Board awards benefits to thousands of Veterans each year.
While the majority of the claims that come to the Board are from Veterans and members of the Canadian Armed Forces, we also serve Veterans and members of the RCMP. The most common types of conditions we see are tinnitus, hearing loss, mental health claims and back and knee conditions.
The majority of these applications are for entitlement. The focus of an entitlement hearing is whether service factors could have caused or contributed to the disability being claimed. About a quarter of the applications are assessment cases. The focus of an assessment hearing is whether the nature or severity of the disability warrants a higher award of benefits.
The Board provides Veterans with two levels of Review. The first level is a Review Hearing. Most of the applications we receive are at this level, where the decision of Veterans Affairs Canada is being reviewed.
The second level of adjudication is an Appeal Hearing, where the Veteran is provided another opportunity to appeal if they are dissatisfied at the Review Level. If dissatisfied at the Appeal level, the Veteran always has the right to request a Reconsideration of their case on the basis of new evidence or if an error in fact or law exists in the appeal decision.
The majority of Veterans who have their cases heard by the Board receive favorable decisions and are awarded benefits for their service-related disabilities.
To help us fulfill our commitment to Veterans and their families, the Board released a five-year strategic plan in 2023. Guided by our vision and mission, the plan focuses on four key priorities:
- Access to Justice,
- Productivity,
- Innovation, and
- People
Under our first priority, Access to Justice, we will strive to improve timelines and processes for Veterans who come forward to the Board.
Our second key priority is Productivity, as we continually strive to improve how we work and empower our people to create a culture of high-performance.
Our third priority is Innovation as we must evolve so that we can improve our service to Veterans in today’s ever-changing environment.
And finally, our fourth priority is People, which focuses on building a culture that is inclusive of all and empowers our staff and Members to support Veterans.
We are committed to modernizing and streamlining our processes. While the way we work continues to change, our mandate to serve Veterans and their families with timely Hearings and decisions remains constant.
I encourage everyone to take the time to visit our website, read our latest annual report, and follow us on X. You can also watch our videos on our website to learn more about the Veterans Review and Appeal Board.
I understand that pursuing your rights to disability benefits can be difficult, but I want to encourage you to learn more about your rights. We, at the Board, are committed to ensuring that you get a full and fair review of your disability claims.
To those of you that have served, and to those of you who have supported those that have served, I want to thank you for your service.
Services and information
About the Board
Our mandate, vision, mission, values and operational structure.
Chair and Members
Information on the Chair and Members, their roles and code of conduct.
Transparency
Links pertaining to the Board's policy and process in regards to privacy, personal information, complaints and completed Access to Information Requests.
Plans and reports
Corporate, financial and other plans and reports that relate to the operations of the Board, its decisions and legislative obligations.