2020-21 Departmental Results Report

• From the Chair
• Results at a glance
• Results: what we achieved
  • Core responsibility
  • Internal Services
• Analysis of trends in spending and human resources
  • Actual expenditures
  • Actual human resources
  • Expenditures by vote
  • Government of Canada spending and activities
  • Financial statements and financial statements highlights
• Corporate information
  • Organizational profile
  • Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
  • Operating context
  • Reporting framework
• Supporting information on the program inventory
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Organizational contact information
• Appendix: definitions

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It is my privilege to present the 2020-21 Departmental Results Report for the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB). We are an appeal tribunal that helps Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Members, and their families, obtain the benefits to which they are entitled for service-related disabilities. This year, we celebrated our 25^th anniversary and we had the privilege to welcome 10 additional Board Members.

There were many challenges as we faced the COVID-19 pandemic and we are proud of our staff and Members who worked passionately to pivot to virtual hearings. Despite this virtual shift, the VRAB issued close to 3,000 decisions; almost 500 more than the previous year. Of these, 91 per cent of Veterans received new or increased disability benefits. This work ensured we could maintain access to benefits for Veterans, CAF and RCMP Members.

During the reporting period, the Board explored opportunities to improve how we schedule and hear cases. We continued to provide timely hearings by maximizing the use of our simplified hearing model. We focused on the quality of our decisions through the robust professional development training program for Board Members.

A focus of the Board has been communications. Throughout the year, work was done to improve communications with Veterans and their families so they understand the appeal process and resulting decisions. Recognizing the challenges the global pandemic presented for outreach and engagement, the Board continued to explore new ways of communicating with Veterans. Outreach and engagement with the Veteran community and stakeholders were key in this period to ensure we maintain strong partnerships with external stakeholders, who are a direct line to Veterans. Strengthening these partnerships helps us better understand how we can best support Veterans.

I am extremely proud of the work that our Members and staff do for Veterans, CAF and RCMP Members, and their families. As Chair, I continue to focus on ensuring that Veterans receive the benefits to which they are entitled for service-related disabilities.

Chris McNeil
Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board

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In 2020-21, the Board focused on the following priorities that contribute to its planned results of ensuring Veterans receive high quality, timely hearings and decisions.

Deliver Service Excellence through Access to Justice and Timeliness

The VRAB continued working to help Veterans and their families obtain access to the disability appeal process, and ultimately benefits, more quickly. In 2020-21, the Board pursued opportunities to improve and modernize the appeal process to better serve Veterans. Timely hearings are a priority for the Board and efficient scheduling is necessary to achieving this goal. During the reporting period, the Board explored opportunities to improve how we schedule and hear cases. We continued to provide timely hearings by maximizing the use of our simplified hearing model. We focused on the quality of our decisions through the robust professional development training program for Board Members.

Over the past two years, the number of applications received by the Board more than doubled, from 2,306 in 2018-19 to 4,728 in 2020-21. Further increases in the number of applications are expected as a result of Veterans Affairs Canada’s Service Excellence initiative to reduce the backlog and improve the delivery of services and programs. During the fiscal year, the Board worked with the department to address workload pressures and resource requirements for a longer-term perspective on the delivery of the Review and Appeal program.

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Accessibility, Inclusion and Diversity for All

The Board is dedicated to having a progressive and modern organization positioned to respond to the changing environment under which it operates, and respectful of the diverse needs of Veterans and their families. During the reporting period, the Board continued to advance new and ongoing initiatives aimed at improving accessibility for Veterans and their families. The Board focused on maintaining and investing in developing its staff capacity and knowledge, and ensuring strategic and efficient use of its resources. As we continued to navigate the challenges of the ongoing global pandemic, the Board persisted in making health, safety and well-being of our staff and Members a priority. We provided support to staff and Members as they continued to work remotely, and equipped them with the necessary resources and training to carry out their work.

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Strengthen Outreach and Improve Communications

The Board continued outreach and engagement with the Veteran community and stakeholders to maintain strong partnerships with external stakeholders, who are a direct line to Veterans. Strengthening these partnerships helps us better understand how we can best support Veterans.

Throughout the year, work was done to improve communications with Veterans and their families so they understand the appeal process and resulting decisions. Recognizing the challenges the global pandemic presented for outreach and engagement, the Board continued to explore ways of communicating with the Veteran community, such as sharing information and resources through social media and virtual presentations to target audiences.

For more information on the VRAB’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the “Results: what we achieved” section of this report.

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Core Responsibility

Appeals

Description:

Provide an independent review and appeal program for disability benefits decisions made by Veterans Affairs Canada; ensure Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police members, and their families, receive the benefits they are entitled to under law for service-related disabilities.

Results:

Everything the Board does under its core responsibility aims to provide Veterans and their families with high quality, timely hearings and decisions. In 2020-21, the Board focused on the following priorities to achieve these results:

Deliver Service Excellence through Access to Justice and Timeliness

• The Board focused on further improving the scheduling model used for hearings so that it is more streamlined and provides greater access to the appeal process. The Board continued with the implementation of a ‘Simplified Hearing Process’ that groups together less complex cases involving similar issues. This approach enabled a larger volume of cases to be heard in a shorter timeframe, while increasing the time and resources to address more complex cases. During the reporting period, the Board issued close to 3,000 decisions, almost 500 more than the previous year. Additionally, 70 per cent of decisions were issued to Veterans and their families within six weeks of the hearing compared to 52 per cent in 2019-20.

• The Board is committed to serving Veterans better through continuous improvement and innovation. In 2020-21, the Board continued work with Veterans Affairs Canada’s My VAC Account team to improve Veterans’ access to, and the timeliness of, their VRAB decisions and other important information from the Board. My VAC Account is a secure online service that allows Veterans, still-serving Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP Members, and their families to easily communicate and engage with Veterans Affairs. As a result of this work, Veterans are now able to communicate with the Board using the secure messaging feature in My VAC Account. In July 2021, more than 800 Veterans were using the messaging feature to communicate with the Board. As well, Veterans can also access their decisions and other information through the online portal. These improvements mean applicants who use the portal will receive their decisions and letters faster than those receiving them by mail.

• Training for Board Members is key to the success of the Board’s outcome, and continued to be a focal point in 2020-21. To support Board Members in making quality decisions for Veterans, training sessions were provided on a variety of topics, including Consistency in Tribunal Decision-Making, Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation, and the new Compassionate Award Guidelines.

  During the reporting period, the Board also developed a comprehensive New Members’ Training Program that focuses on areas such as legislation, administrative law, the weighing of evidence, military issues, medical conditions, the conduct of hearings, and decision writing. In December 2020, 10 new Board Members were appointed to the Board. The new program was delivered to them virtually, providing the necessary training and context in order to ensure a smooth transition and integration into their new role. These new Board Members will increase the Board’s capacity to conduct hearings and issue decisions, and be critical in our operations as the Board’s workload continues to grow.

Accessibility, Inclusion and Diversity for All

• The Board respects the diverse Veteran population we serve, and strives to be responsive to their needs. Providing better service to Veterans and their families also means ensuring employees and Board Members are supported. The Board is committed to building a more equitable, diverse and inclusive workplace, where employees and Members have the tools they need to do their jobs, allowing them to better support Veterans and their families. Highlights from 2020-21 include:

  • Creating a Wellness Plan that supports employee health, engagement, diversity and promotes a work environment that is free from harassment and discrimination. Implementation of the Plan is expected in 2021-22.

  • Raising awareness about the importance of mental health and well-being through quarterly conversations and staff meetings.

  • Developing an action plan to deliver The Working Mind mental health training program. The program, which is designed to address and promote mental health and reduce the stigma of mental illness in the workplace, was delivered to the Board’s management team at the beginning of 2021-22. Training for employees will be delivered later in the fiscal year.

  • Celebrating diversity and inclusion by encouraging participation in various events, activities, and education and awareness sessions hosted by Veterans Affairs Canada.

  • Reinforcing the Board’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, both in the service we provide to Veterans and in striving to be a workplace of choice, through the release of our new Values statement. These statements inform our work and guide our employees.

• The global pandemic brought with it many changes to the Board, including a more digitally-focused work environment and the shift to a predominantly remote work model, to ensure the health and safety of employees and Members. To support staff and Members as they work remotely, the Board:

  • Equipped them with the necessary tools and technology;/

  • provided access to virtual ergonomic assessments to ensure they are working in a healthy and safe manner;

  • communicated regularly and strategically to promote connectivity and information-sharing; and

  • provided added support to those who may feel additional stressors related to the pandemic and changes in the physical workspace.

• The Board began to develop a plan for the actions it will take to implement the Accessible Canada Act, which aims to make Canada barrier-free for the benefit of all, particularly people with disabilities, by recognizing, removing and preventing barriers. Initiatives aimed at improving accessibility included providing teletypewriter (TTY) service so that Veterans who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech-impaired can use the telephone to communicate with the Board, by typing messages back and forth instead of talking and listening. The Board also began the conversion process for the Board’s public-facing website to ensure that web content is accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities.

  The Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada outlines actions for all departments to strengthen the recruitment, promotion, and retention of persons with disabilities. In 2020-21, the Board continued to work with managers to ensure they have the tools and resources needed to identify opportunities that address representation and remove barriers to accessibility in employment. During the reporting period, the Board onboarded a new resource as part of a two-year Federal Internship for Canadians with Disabilities program.

Strengthen Outreach and Improve Communication

• Communications and outreach are fundamental to improving and supporting access to the Board’s appeal program, while ensuring that Veterans, their families and stakeholders understand what the Board does. Interpretation Hearings are an important way for the Board to provide Veterans, CAF and RCMP Members, and their families, with clarity on our legislation, policies and procedures. In January 2021, the Board held an Interpretation Hearing where a Panel of Board Members heard from stakeholders on the interpretation of the Board’s legislation with the intent to bring clarity to whether disabilities arising from medical care can be compensated. The Interpretation Decision resulting from the hearing was issued in May 2021.

  During the reporting period, the Board continued to engage and consult with the CAF and RCMP, Veterans’ organizations and other groups dedicated to supporting and advocating for Veterans and their families. These organizations provide valuable information and feedback to help us better understand how we can best serve Veterans and their families. In November 2020, the Board’s Chair and Deputy Chair had the opportunity to appear before the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs to speak about the appeal process and to answer committee member’s questions.

Gender-based analysis plus

• The Board continued to promote the Government of Canada’s priority of strengthening diversity and inclusion by considering gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) in its activities and processes.

• The Board serves a diverse group of Veterans, including factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, ability, etc. The Board continued to apply a GBA Plus lens to help ensure we take into consideration the variation in experiences and barriers that some groups face as we develop or improve our program and services. For example, the Board recognizes that some applicants may prefer to be referred to using non-binary titles and pronouns. The Board continues to ensure it is respectful of an applicant’s gender identity.

• The Board continued to work with VAC’s Office of Women and LGBTQ2 Veterans to identify and work to address challenges facing these groups of Veterans, regardless of their biological sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or other identity factors.

Experimentation

• No experimentation initiatives were identified for 2020-21.

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Results Achieved

¹ This indicator is based on responses to questions from the Board’s Review Hearing Exit Survey, which is administered to applicants in-person following their hearing. During the global pandemic, in-person Review hearings had to be suspended, except for very limited circumstances. Results for this indicator are not available as the survey was not administered.

² The volume of applications received by the Board more than doubled in the last two years. This impacted processing times as it took longer to schedule and hear cases, and issue decisions for those cases that could not proceed through the Board’s simplified hearing model.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Financial, human resources and performance information for VRAB’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

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Internal Services

Description

Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:

• Acquisition Management Services
• Communications Services
• Financial Management Services
• Human Resources Management Services
• Information Management Services
• Information Technology Services
• Legal Services
• Material Management Services
• Management and Oversight Services
• Real Property Management Services

VAC provides some internal services to the Board under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This service relationship has been in place since the Board was created in 1995 and provides VRAB with an excellent opportunity to maximize resources by capitalizing on the significant investment VAC has made in these services while maintaining its adjudicative independence.

The Board continued to work within the MOU for Internal Services developed with VAC.

Budgetary financial resources (dollars)

¹ Internal Services to support the operations of VRAB are provided at no cost under a MOU with VAC.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

¹ Internal Services to support the operations of VRAB are provided at no cost under a MOU with VAC.

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Actual expenditures

Departmental spending trend graph

The following graph¹ presents planned (voted and statutory spending) over time.

¹ Totals in Departmental Spending Trend Graph may not add due to rounding.

• Total spending for 2020-21 was $10.5 million, a decrease of 1.9 per cent from 2019-20 when total spending was $10.7 million.
• The majority of the decrease relates to a decrease in travel expenditures due to COVID-19 restrictions. These decreases were offset by increases in salary expenditures as additional Board Members were appointed during the fiscal.

Budgetary performance summary for Core Responsibilities and Internal Services (dollars)

¹ Internal Services to support the operations of VRAB are provided at no cost under a MOU with VAC.

• The Board’s actual spending for 2020-21 was $10.5 million. This represents a 4 per cent variance from the total planned spending of $10.9 million reported in the 2020-21 Departmental Plan.
• Actual spending was relatively consistent with planned spending. Despite the impact COVID-19 has had on the current environment, we continue to deliver services to our clients.

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Actual human resources

Human resources summary for core responsibilities and Internal Services

¹ Internal Services to support the operations of VRAB are provided at no cost under a MOU with VAC.

The variance between planned full-time equivalents and actual full-time equivalents relates to fewer staff than planned.

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Expenditures by vote

For information on the VRAB’s organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2020–2021.

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Government of Canada spending and activities

Information on the alignment of the VRAB’s spending with the Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available in the GC InfoBase.

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Financial statements and financial statements highlights

Financial statements

The Veterans Review and Appeal Board’s financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2021, are available on the departmental website.

Financial statements highlights

Condensed Statement of Operations (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2021 (dollars)

The Board’s total operating expenses were approximately $328,000 lower than planned in the 2020-21 fiscal year. As well, the actual expenditures for the 2020-21 fiscal year were $118,000 lower than the previous fiscal year. This is mainly attributable to an increase in salary expenditures offset by a decrease in travel expenditures.

Condensed Statement of Financial Position (unaudited) as of March 31, 2021 (dollars)

Net liabilities increased by $30,000 in 2020-21 when compared with fiscal year 2019-20. This is mainly attributable to the increase in accrued liabilities. Net financial assets decreased by $189,000 which is attributable to a decrease in the amount due from the Consolidated Revenue Fund to discharge existing liabilities.

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Organizational profile

Appropriate minister: The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, P.C., M.P.

Institutional head: Christopher J. McNeil

Ministerial portfolio: Veterans Affairs

Enabling instrument(s): Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act; Veterans Review and Appeal Board Regulations

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1995

Other: Applications for review and appeal can be made to the Board under the following legislation:

• Pension Act
• Veterans Well-being Act ;
• War Veterans Allowance Act;
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pension Continuation Act; and
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act.

The Board also adjudicates applications for compassionate awards made under section 34 of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act.

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Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

“Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” is available on the VRAB's website.

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Operating context

Information on the operating context is available on the VRAB’s website.

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Reporting framework

The VRAB’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2020–21 are shown below.

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Financial, human resources and performance information for the VRAB’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

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The following supplementary information tables are available on the VRAB's website:

• Reporting on Green Procurement
• Gender-based analysis plus

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The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.

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Mailing address

Veterans Review and Appeal Board
161 Grafton Street
PO Box 9900
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 8V7
Canada

Telephone:

Toll Free in Canada and the United States

• 1-800-450-8006 (English Service) or
• 1-877-368-0859 (French Service)

From all other locations, call collect

• 0-902-566-8751 (English Service) or
• 0-902-566-8835 (French Service)

TTY: 1-833-998-2060

Fax: 1-855-850-4644

Email: vrab.info.tacra@canada.ca

Website: https://www.vrab-tacra.gc.ca

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appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)

An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3 year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité)

A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that connects the department’s core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

experimentation (expérimentation)

The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works, for whom and in what circumstances. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.

full time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. For a particular position, the full time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person’s collective agreement.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])

An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2020-21 Departmental Results Report, those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2019 Speech from the Throne, namely: Fighting climate change; Strengthening the Middle Class; Walking the road of reconciliation; Keeping Canadians safe and healthy; and Positioning Canada for success in an uncertain world.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative where two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

non budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)

What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)

The process of communicating evidence based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision making, accountability and transparency.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)

Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

Identifies all the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.

result (résultat)

A consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.

statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)

Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

target (cible)

A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)

Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.

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