Acting Chair's Stakeholder Update, January 2017
As we move into the New Year, I would like to update you on a few items the Board is working on to provide Veterans and their families with a fair and timely appeal process for disability benefits.
Reducing our Reliance on Paper
For the last several months, we have been working to reduce our reliance on paper so that applications progress more quickly and efficiently. This means finding ways to use technology to replace the parts of our operations that involve moving paper, including the mailing of documents between our administration office in Charlottetown and hearing locations across Canada. This initiative will transform our work – from how we process applications to how we prepare decisions – and save time. Before Christmas, we carried out a successful pilot and are continuing to refine our processes for implementation later in 2017.
Spotlight on Plain Language
We continue to make plain language writing a priority, so that our decisions and communications are clear and easy to understand. To support this commitment, the Board recently provided Members and staff with targeted training from experts. We are also reviewing our most common letters, website, and brochure for plain language improvements.
Our Web Presence
Like many other federal departments and agencies, in 2017, the Board will be migrating its web content to Canada.ca, the Government of Canada’s new central website. Our pages will identify us as an arm’s-length institution and will be accessible from the Veterans’ audience page as well as several other locations. Links to content on our current website will redirect users to these new pages. Going forward, we will continue to develop and post online resources to help Veterans and their families with the appeal process.
Publishing Decisions and Hearing Schedule
We continue to publish our decisions online to fulfill our obligations under the open court principle, so that Veterans can see how the Board applies the law in cases similar to their own.
As you know, the Board’s hearings are open to the public under ss. 36.2 of the VRAB Act. In our Annual Report 2015-16, we committed to publishing the Review hearing calendar to increase transparency and make it easier for people to attend hearings. The hearing calendar is now available here: https://vrab.dev.aks.cloud.veterans.gc.ca/what-expect/review-and-appeal-hearings/review-hearing-calendar
Rules of Procedure
As you know, the Board has been working for some months with Justice Canada on formalizing rules of practice and procedure for the appeal process. These rules explain what we need in terms of evidence and information to help Veterans and their representatives present the best, most complete information to the Board. They will also support the Board in being efficient, transparent and consistent in how it processes Veterans’ applications. I expect the proposed rules to be published in the Canada Gazette for public comment later this spring/summer and will ensure you are informed of this opportunity.
Membership Notes
I am anticipating that the Board will welcome new Members appointed by the Governor in Council (GIC) through the government’s new process later this spring. Interested Canadians were invited to apply through the GIC website in November 2016, and their applications are now being screened, with an exam and interviews to follow.
If you have any questions or concerns about the Board, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I am always interested in talking to you, or in meeting with you here in Charlottetown or in your location. Feel free to share this update with your members, and encourage them to follow us on Twitter for regular information and updates on the Board’s activities.