Remove five-year back-pay limit
Petitioners ask the Minister to remove the five-year statutory limit on disability allowance back-pay and ensure veterans receive timely, just retroactive compensation. The government responds it already pays retroactive benefits and is reducing delays.
Why we would sign this petition
- Eliminating the five-year cap ensures veterans aren't penalized for Veterans Affairs processing delays and can receive the full retroactive disability compensation owed.
- It would allow case-by-case resolution to deliver timely, fair payments, aligning with the petition's “one veteran, one standard” commitment.
- The change targets harm from slow adjudication and would restore benefits to veterans whose claims were delayed beyond five years.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Removing the limit could substantially increase retroactive payouts, creating fiscal pressures and requiring trade-offs with other program priorities.
- Veterans Affairs already pays retroactive benefits for periods prior to decisions and can grant extra payments in limited cases, which partly mitigates the cap's effect.
- Improving processing speed, automation, or targeted exemptions for extreme delays might address harms without eliminating a universal statutory limit.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS IN PARLIAMENT ASSEMBLED We, the undersigned Citizens or Residents of Canada draw the attention of the House to the following: THAT, WHEREAS the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act states that Canada is obligated "to show just and due appreciation to members and veterans for their service to Canada,"; AND WHEREAS many veterans who suffered injuries during the course of their service have been inadequately compensated; AND WHEREAS the process by which Veterans Affairs Canada evaluates disability benefits claims exceeds reasonably expected time frames; AND WHEREAS the five year statutory limit on back-pay eligibility unjustly punishes veterans for Veterans Affairs Canada's application processing delays; AND WHEREAS the Minister's mandate letter specifically lists a dedication to the "one veteran, one standard" approach. THEREFORE, YOUR PETITIONERS call upon the Minister of Veterans Affairs to remove any statutory limits on back-pay eligibility for the disability allowance and work with individual veterans to achieve just and due compensations for disability allowance in a timely manner.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Mr. Sean Casey Veterans Affairs Canada strives for service excellence based on the “One Veteran, one standard” approach, with a goal of ensuring all Veterans are afforded the same positive and respectful service experience. Veterans Affairs Canada works to make supportive improvements and changes to streamline the transition from military to civilian life, and improve how Veterans Affairs Canada’s services are delivered. Reducing processing times for disability benefit applications is a priority for Veterans Affairs Canada. Veterans Affairs Canada recognizes the importance of timely decisions for Veterans and their families and continues to work to address delays as they arise and identify the ways in which claims processing and interactions with the public can be strengthened. The service standard for disability benefits applications is 16 weeks for first applications and reassessments, and 12 weeks for departmental reviews, 80% of the time. Some files are complex and therefore, take a longer time to process. Between 2015-2016 and 2024-2025, Veterans Affairs Canada experienced a 92% increase in the number of applications received for disability benefits. In 2019-2020, Veterans Affairs Canada received an average of 5,200 applications per month and rose to an average of 6,700 applications per month in 2023-2024. This average increased again in 2024-2025 to 7,200 applications per month. For the 2024-2025 fiscal year, while it must be acknowledged that the average processing time for first applications was 20.9 weeks, Veterans Affairs Canada remains committed to identifying and addressing issues when they arise and returning to the service standards that Veterans and their families expect. As such, Veterans Affairs Canada is working on a number of actions to reduce the backlog and to make decisions faster including automating some of the tools used in the decision-making process and modernizing services through digital transformation. Veterans Affairs Canada has measures in place to protect Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans from being penalized when it takes an extended period of time to process a disability application. Both the monthly Disability Pension under the Pension Act and the monthly Pain and Suffering Compensation, which came into force on April 1, 2019, under the Veterans Well-being Act can be paid for a period of time prior to the date of decision. They can be paid to the later of the date when the member or Veteran first applied; or three years prior to the date of the decision awarding the Disability Pension or Pain and Suffering Compensation. This permits Veterans Affairs Canada to pay the member or Veteran for the complete time period between application and decision in the majority of cases. Additionally, in limited situations, either Veterans Affairs Canada or the Veterans Review and Appeal Board may grant an additional payment when the member or Veteran experienced delays in obtaining records or other administrative difficulties beyond their control. This additional payment can be up to an additional two years of Disability Pension or Pain and Suffering Compensation payments. A member or Veteran is not responsible for application delays related to the duties of Veterans Affairs Canada. Veterans Affairs Canada continues to make every effort to implement changes to improve the quality of service to members and Veterans and their families.