Video—Backlog of CPP disability appeals is higher than before the creation of the Social Security Tribunal

Video Transcript

In our audit of the Canada Pension Plan Disability Program, we observed that the backlog of appeals is higher than before the creation of the Social Security Tribunal, which was created to increase the speed and efficiency of the appeals process.

We found that when it started operations in April 2013, the Social Security Tribunal did not have the people, systems or procedures in place to deal with its workload.

For example, the Tribunal expected to start operating with ninety-six employees, but only twenty-one were in place when it opened.

In 2014-2015, as the backlog issues grew worse with the addition of new appeals, the average time it took to get a decision on an appeal exceeded eight hundred days.

That’s more than twice the average time required two years prior.

Close to three years after its creation, the Tribunal continues to struggle with providing timely decisions for appellants.

To alleviate the backlog, Employment and Social Development Canada further reviewed the files of some appellants who were waiting for a decision from the Tribunal, and determined that about a third of them were in fact eligible for benefits.

This means that eligible applicants could have been approved sooner.

Looking at Employment and Social Development Canada, we found that the Department met its service standards for assessing applicants for disability benefits and reconsiderations.

However, we also found that applying for disability benefits was a lengthy and complex process involving the completion of many forms.

Departmental officials have stated that the application kit could take applicants several months to complete.