Funding cuts at veterans’ legal bureau could delay hundreds of appeal hearings, union says

A sign for the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) in Ottawa on March 25, 2025. (Peter Szperling/CTV News Ottawa)

A federal union warns the Bureau of Pension Advocates (BPA), which represents veterans and RCMP members in disability appeals, is set to lose nearly half its workforce as temporary funding expires, raising concerns about growing backlogs and longer wait times.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents bureau staff, says the cuts mean 300 hearings that were planned for April alone will not be scheduled.

The Union says 96 term positions, including 24 lawyers, will be cut when temporary funding expires next month.

“We are very concerned,” said Toufic El-Daher, president of the Union of Veterans’ Affairs Employees (UVAE). “They have backlogs, they have almost 25,000 new files that are expected, even more for 2026, and cutting this legal and support staff makes no operational sense.”

• Latest information on federal public service, including notices, job cuts, return to office rules and more

El-Daher says this is not a workforce adjustment, but the end of temporary funding that was granted in 2023 to help reduce a backlog of disability appeals.

According to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board’s latest annual report, applications to the board jumped 40 per cent last year.

At the same time, Veterans Affairs Canada’s own Departmental Results Report shows the department missed its 16-week service standard for disability benefit decisions more than half the time.

That means many veterans are already waiting longer than the department’s own timeline before even reaching the appeal stage.

“This goes against our values and mission to serve veterans,” said El-Daher. “The Liberal government under Mark Carney, they speak about honouring and recognizing veterans, but from what we are seeing on the ground the actions honestly simply don’t match the words.”

In a statement to CTV News, Veterans’ Affairs Canada said, “Temporary funding granted to BPA to address a significant backlog from Budget 2023 will sunset on March 31, 2026. BPA is now transitioning back to steady state operations in line with its permanent funding levels.

“The BPA remains committed to supporting Veterans and their families throughout the appeal process and is working to enhance service to Veterans. This includes the BPA standardizing business processes and developing guided forms to better support Veterans as they navigate appeals.

“Additionally, VAC is working to modernize service delivery, including examining changes to reduce the administrative burden on Veterans, automate processes, and tighten workflows.”

For Philip Ralph, a 25-year-veteran and former military chaplain, he knows firsthand service comes at a cost.

“They served their country; they have done what we as Canadians have asked them to do,” he said.

“The very nature of their job, they are going to experience trauma far more than the average citizen will ever. There’s been many that have had their claims denied and they’re almost forced to go into the appeals process, which can be long and drawn out.”

PSAC warns that cuts could push wait times up to four years and the Royal Canadian Legion, which co-represents cases, says delays mean delayed care, putting pressure on their organization to fill in the gaps.

“We’re worried that veterans’ health could possibly be deteriorating before they get the access to treatment,” said Carolyn Hughes, director of Veterans Services, Royal Canadian Legion Headquarters.

For many veterans, challenging the denial is worth the effort.

According to the same annual report, nearly 89 per cent of veterans who had their cases heard received additional benefits for their claim.

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App