Replace veterans Review and Appeal Board: NDP

Simplified process needed to assist disabled veterans

NDP Veterans Affairs critic Peter Stoffer (Sackville—Eastern Shore) introduced a bill today to repeal the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB) and replace it with a simplified process for military and RCMP veterans’ disability applications.

“For many years, veterans have been dissatisfied with the Veterans Review and Appeal Board,” said Stoffer. “It angers them to know that the members of VRAB are often appointed because of their political connections and have little military or medical experience to make decisions on their eligibility for a disability pension.”

Last May, the Veterans Ombudsman reported that VRAB was failing to give veterans the benefit of the doubt, not disclosing medical information used in its rulings and were vague in explaining their decisions to military and RCMP veterans.

“The VRAB appeal process is not working like it should and there is a high level of dissatisfaction among veterans and their families,” added Deputy Veterans Affairs critic Sylvain Chicoine (Châteauguay—Saint-Constant).

Stoffer and Chicoine suggested that the Board should be replaced with a medical evidence-based peer reviewed process for making decisions on veterans’ disability applications, under the responsibility of Veterans Affairs.