July 28, 2015
The Task Force was created to find ways to reduce the volume of paperwork Veterans and their families need to complete, and to ensure all letters and forms are easy to understand, and all communication is compassionate and respectful.
The Task Force analyzed one year’s worth of correspondence from the Minister to identify the top subject areas. New standard paragraphs with Veteran-centric language have been prepared to be used in customized ministerial correspondence. The new letters are now being used.
A working group, which included representation from the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman, identified more than 30 possible improvements to the 22 most frequently used Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) forms. In addition to stakeholders’ input, the following changes to forms will begin to be implemented in the fall of 2015:
- Reduce from 22 to 9 the most frequently used forms and applications, leading to a reduction of more than 800,000 pages of paperwork per year.
- The privacy statement on VAC applications has been simplified and has 50% fewer words. This change will reduce the amount of privacy statement documentation by nearly 150,000 pages across all VAC forms issued annually.
- Basic information will be collected in a consolidated, one-time form to provide personal and service information to the Department. In the past, Veterans could have been asked to fill out this information up to ten times.
- Compassion and respect will be inherent in every form and application.
- As of July 2015, Veterans no longer need to complete a Veterans Independence Program Annual Follow-Up form. It has now been replaced with a more personalized telephone conversation approach. This means 425,000 fewer pages of documentation processed per year.
The Department currently uses more than 650 letters, which are sent approximately 450,000 times a year. Only 100 of these letters account for 90% of all letters sent by the Department, therefore VAC will focus on making sure these 100 letters are clear and easy to understand, ensuring the Veteran is the focus, with an emphasis on care, compassion and respect.
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