Disability Benefit Processing - Summary Report

Quarter three of Government Fiscal Year 2023-2024 (ending 31 December 2023)

*This report will be updated with new quarterly statistics within 90 days of the end of each quarter.

What's on this page

1. Overview
2. Statistics
3. Additional Information

Overview

More and more Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members are coming forward to get the benefits and services they need to improve their well-being. Between 2015-2016 and 2022-2023, Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) experienced a 61% increase in the number of applications received for disability benefits.

To process the increased number of applications, we have hired more staff, made improvements to the application process, and simplified decision-making for some medical conditions. Part of the additional $164.4 million in funding announced in November 2023 will ensure VAC is able to retain existing temporary employees, dedicated to processing disability benefit applications for an additional two years until March 2026.

Our priority continues to be making faster decisions on disability benefit applications. In June 2020, we released our strategic direction document to address the long-standing issue of decision processing times, that document was updated and released on 3 March 2023. It outlines the progress made over the past two years and our priorities until March 2024.

We’ve made several updates to the summary report based on recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General’s spring 2022 report and the seventh report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs: Fairness in the Services offered to Francophone, Women and 2SLGBTQ2+ Veterans. With the addition of new data, we’ve re-formatted the report to make it easier to read and navigate. Please note all the information from previous reports is still available in this updated version.

Statistics

In the past four years, we completed more than 190,000 applications. In fiscal year 2022-2023, we delivered $2.4B in disability benefits to Veterans. Below, you will find data on the number of applications received, completed and pending, as well as percentages of approved applications.

What is the backlog?

A complete application which has been waiting longer than our service standard is considered to be in the backlog.

What is the total number of pending disability benefit applications?

Note: Q1 2019 data is not available due to upgrades to our application tracking software.

There are three types of pending applications in the table above:

1) Incomplete application stage

In most cases, applications at this stage are missing information such as proof of identity, signed forms or required medical questionnaires.

As of 31 December 2023, we had 16,498 incomplete applications.

2) Applications ready for assignment stage

During this stage, most of these applications are waiting to be assigned. An administrative decision-maker looks at the application to determine whether or not the condition is straightforward. If it is, they will make a decision. If the condition is more complex, the application is moved to a nurse decision-maker.

As of 31 December 2023, we had 3,584 applications awaiting assignment.

3) Complete applications waiting for a decision stage

These are completed applications working through the process.

As of 31 December 2023, there were 11,495 complete applications ready for a decision.

Total: Incomplete applications + applications ready for assignment + complete applications = 31,577 applications pending as of 31 December 2023

Historical summary - Applications received and processed

*Note: Data for Q1 2019 was not available due to upgrades to our application tracking software.

Individuals applying for a Reassessment have previously received a favourable decision for the same disability. This allows them to access treatment benefits, which provide coverage for things such as prescriptions, medical equipment, nursing services and appointments with specialists.

If the Veteran disagrees with a First Application or Reassessment decision and has new evidence to present, they may request a review or appeal.

Applications Received by Sex

Please note: the numbers of applications received for male and female will not equal to the total number received. This is because the information is not available for a small number of applications (e.g. the applicant did not specify, data entry errors)

Applications Received by Language

Please note that the numbers for French and English applications received will not equal to the total number of applications received. This is because the language details are not available for a small number of applications (e.g., the applicant did not specify, data entry errors, etc.).

Applications Received by Service

When we have made a decision on an application and the Veteran has been informed, the application is considered finalized.

Decisions made by sex

Please note that the number of decisions made for the male and female applications will not equal to the total number of decisions made. This is because these details are not available for a small number of applications (e.g., a VAC staff member did not enter the information, etc.).

Decisions made by language

Please note that the numbers for French and English decisions will not equal to the total number decisions made. This is because this language details are not available for a small number of applications (e.g., the applicant did not provide those details, a VAC staff member did not enter the information, etc.).

Decisions made by service

Not all conditions can be processed at the same speed. One factor which can slow the processing of a condition is its complexity.

Put simply, a straightforward condition is one which does not need to be reviewed by someone with a medical background. Conditions can be complex for a number of reasons. Sometimes, the medical condition itself is complex—like a rare cancer. Other times, evidence or circumstances surrounding the condition are complex. It may also be difficult to establish a link between the condition and the applicant’s service.

Once we determine a confirmed disability is service-related, we look at the severity and its impact on quality of life. Using this information and the Table of Disabilities, we assign an assessment level ranging from 0-100%.

For example, a Veteran assessed at 100% may have a disability which is severe and impacts their quality of life significantly. A Veteran may also have a combination of disabilities which amount to a 100% assessment level.

Above is a summary of how many Veterans are currently receiving disability benefits based on different assessment levels. As the table shows, over 60% of Veterans are assessed at levels of disability of 40% or less and 13% of Veterans are assessed above 80%.

Average processing times

Based on a recommendation from the Office of the Auditor General's spring report, we've updated how we define processing times. As of 1 April 2022, the processing time represents the time between when we receive a complete application and when a payment is made (for favourable decisions). Previously, processing times showed the time between when we received a complete application and when a decision is made. Both the average and median times within this report, even those prior to 1 April 2022, have been calculated using the new method to allow for accurate comparisons from one quarter to another.

Note: To start counting the processing time, we must first have all required information from the applicant. Please see our Wait time tool for processing times across various programs, updated weekly.

Average application processing time by sex

The Department has a Veteran Benefit Team dedicated to processing applications from female Veterans/members. This team is working to ensure we can systematically address the current barriers and close the gap in processing times for female and male applicants. This approach is improving processing times for female applicants.

Average application processing time by language

We are looking closely at the longer processing times for applications from Francophone Veterans to determine how this can be improved.

This quarter, applications received in French represented approximately 16% of total applications received. Approximately 30% of the Department’s staff that make disability benefit decisions are either French or bilingual. In addition, the Department recently hired more bilingual and Francophone Disability Adjudicators to increase our capacity to process French applications and bring the average processing times for English and French applications closer to parity.

Average application processing time for Veterans, CAF members and RCMP

We administer disability benefits on behalf of the RCMP.

Additional Information

Veterans Affairs Canada Statistics - Facts and Figures

Veterans Affairs Canada Service Standards Results

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