Veterans Review and Appeal Board
www.vrab-tacra.gc.ca
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Did You Know...
- The Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB) is the arm’s length appeal tribunal for disability pension and award decisions and War Veterans Allowance claims rendered by Veterans Affairs Canada (Opens a New Window).
- The Board’s program is designed to give applicants every opportunity to show how their disability is related to their military or RCMP service.
- Veterans need only be “dissatisfied” with a disability decision to request an independent hearing before VRAB.
- Applicants can request an independent hearing of a disability decision before VRAB at any time; there is no time limit to appeal.
- The Board’s hearing process for disability pension and award decisions provides applicants with two opportunities to have their case re-examined by a competent, specialized and independent body of adjudicators.
- Applicants may bring forward new information, be represented and present arguments in support of their claim.
- The review hearing is the first level of redress with the Board. It is the only time in the process when applicants and any witnesses may appear and testify about the facts of their claim.
- In the absence of a majority decision among the two Board Members on a review panel, the decision most favourable to the applicant stands.
- If applicants are not satisfied with the decision from their review hearing, they may request an appeal hearing. While the law does not permit applicants to testify in person again, it is a further opportunity for their representative to make oral and/or written arguments in support of the claim.
- Three Board Members who were not involved in the review hearing conduct the appeal hearing. The decision of the majority of appeal panel Members stands.
- VRAB’s process is non-adversarial, which means that no one is arguing against the claim. During hearings, Board Members may ask questions to better understand the evidence in order to render a fair and reasonable decision.
- Board Members decide each case on its own merits, and in reaching a decision, they resolve doubt in favour of the applicant as required by section 39 of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board Act (Opens a New Window). That doubt, however, must be reasonable and must derive from a careful analysis of the evidence.
