Did you know that if you have received a favourable decision for a disability award, Pain and Suffering Compensation, or a Pension, you are eligible for periodic reassessments?

If an application to Veterans Affairs Canada for a disability benefit is successful, meaning a medical condition either developed during, or was aggravated by, service or resulted from another condition for which you already receive VAC benefits, you will receive disability entitlement and an assessment.

Entitlement means that VAC agrees the medical condition is wholly or partially related to service. The assessment, meanwhile, will determine the extent of the current disability and how it affects your daily life.

Once you have entitlement for disability benefits and an assessment is completed, you can request a reassessment if the condition(s) change. Medical conditions, however, are not normally reviewed if it has been less than two years since the last assessment. That said, if a disability has worsened and there is new medical evidence to show that, a reassessment can be requested anytime by contacting VAC or a Legion command service officer. After a review of the situation, that individual will follow up on your behalf to arrange an examination.

Under the Pension Act, if your disability assessment has been in effect for three years or more and you’re 55 or older, any pensioned disability can’t be reduced. If, however, you’re younger than 55 and a reassessment determines the medical condition(s) have improved, your pension could be reduced.

Regardless, if you’re not satisfied with a recent assessment decision, you should consider contacting a command service officer for advice on an appeal. And if a disability has worsened, contact a command service officer to arrange a reassessment.