The Veterans Review and Appeal Board’s Compassionate Award Application is now available in a fillable form online in My VAC account.
Now, My VAC Account users can easily apply for the Compassionate Award directly through their account.
My VAC Account users can also communicate with the Board, via the secure messaging feature.
If you do not have a My VAC Account, you can register for one online.
The Compassionate Award is a special discretionary award for Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Members, and their families, who need assistance on compassionate grounds.
When a Compassionate Award is granted, it corresponds to the type of entitlement which had been previously denied under the Pension Act or the Veterans Well-being Act. The amount of the Compassionate Award will be based on the amount that would have been paid to the applicant if the earlier claim for entitlement had been approved. The Board has discretionary authority to grant a Compassionate Award under Section 34 of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act where:
- An applicant has exhausted all redress processes and was unable to qualify for an award under the Pension Act and Part 3 of the Veterans Well-being Act, and;
- The facts and circumstance of the applicant’s case show that there is an “especially meritorious” basis for granting an award on a compassionate basis.
When a Compassionate Award is granted, it will correspond to the type of entitlement which had been previously denied under the Pension Act or the Veterans Well-being Act. The amount of the Compassionate Award will be based on the amount that would have been paid to the applicant if the earlier claim for entitlement had been approved.
Please note that if you are being represented by the Bureau of Pensions Advocates or the Royal Canadian Legion, your representative would be responsible for submitting a hard copy of the application to the Board on your behalf.
For further information, please contact us.