Miscalculation of Disability
Pensions Class Action Settlement

Class Members with a current payment relationship with VAC have or will receive payments automatically. As of December 2024, most settlement payments to the VAC payment group have been issued by VAC via direct deposit or through your usual method of payment.

If you do not have a current payment arrangement with VAC, you were required to submit a Claim Form to the Administrator to be eligible to receive compensation under the Settlement. Please note that the Claims Period has ended. The deadline to submit a claim was March 19, 2025.

Claims processing times will vary depending on the completeness of information provided and the volume of claims received. The payment of Living and Estate claims has begun and the payment of Family claims are expected to begin in April/May 2025.

The Claims Administrator has until March 19, 2026 to issue all payments. Please note that the Claims Administrator cannot provide claimants with specific updates about claims or payments.

The amounts received as part of this settlement are not taxable.

The Final Settlement Agreement (FSA) addresses an alleged miscalculation and resulting underpayment of disability pension benefits for members and Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and their spouses, common-law partners, dependents, survivors, or estates.

The Federal Court has approved the settlement value of up to $817.3 million. The settlement payment for each Class Member is calculated based on a formula that considers the sum of all affected benefits paid to a Class Member during the period from 2003 to 2023 (“relevant period”).

Class Members who currently receive disability pensions directly from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) are part of the VAC Payment Group. Members of this group will automatically receive settlement payments from VAC.

Living Class Members, estates and survivors who do not currently receive disability pensions directly from VAC are part of the Claims Based Payment Group and were required to file a Claim Form. Please note that the claims period has ended. The deadline to submit a claim was March 19, 2025.

The FSA provides that, all Class Members that have not opted out release the government from all potential claims arising from the miscalculation.

A Class Member is qualifiable for compensation if they received one or more of the below benefits at any time during the relevant period from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2023:

• Pension Act pension for disability;

• Pension Act pension for death;

• Pension Act attendance allowance;

• Pension Act allowance for wear and tear of clothing or for specially made apparel;

• Pension Act exceptional incapacity allowance;

• Veterans Well-being Act clothing allowance;

• Civilian War-related Benefits Act war pensions and allowances for saltwater fishers, overseas headquarters staff, air raid precautions workers, and injury for remedial treatment of various persons and voluntary aid detachment (World War II);

• Flying Accidents Compensation Regulations relating to compensation for flying accidents.

• RCMP Disability Benefits awarded in accordance with the Pension Act.

If you are a Class Member who is part of the Claims Based Payment Group, you needed to submit a completed and signed Claim Form to the Claims Administrator within the Claim Period. Please note that the claims period has ended. The deadline to submit a claim was March 19, 2025.

For inquiries related to the Affected Benefits or your status as a Class Member, contact Class Counsel:

• Phone: 1-866-545-9920
• Email: info@vetspensionerror.ca

The claims period has now ended. The Claims Administrator is in the process of reviewing all claims received. 

Processing times will vary depending on the completeness of information provided and the volume of claims received. The payment of Living and Estate claims has begun and the payment of Family claims are expected to begin in April/May 2025. 

The Claims Administrator has until March 19, 2026 to review all the claims and issue payments to those that are valid. Please note that the Claims Administrator cannot provide claimants with specific updates about claims or payments.  

The Claims Administrator will review each claim for completeness and to determine if any information appears to be missing. The Claims Administrator will contact you and request any missing information. Additional documents can be added to your claim by clicking on the “Add Document” button in the “Existing Claim” section of the claim portal, once logged in to your account.    

If you have an address or contact information change after submitting your claim, you can update this in your account settings.

The Claims Administrator manages the collection and review of claims submitted by the Claims Based Payment Group. The Claims Administrator also manages the settlement distribution to the Claims Based Payment Group, ensuring that payments are processed efficiently and accurately to qualifiable Class Members.

The Government of Canada bears the cost of administration, ensuring that the settlement funds directly benefit the Class Members without diminishing their compensation.

Please direct any questions about a payment from VAC directly to them. You can reach VAC directly at 1-866-522-2122 or through your My VAC Account.

As of December 2024, most settlement payments to the VAC payment group have been paid by VAC via direct deposit or through your usual method of payment. 

The VAC payment group consists of Class Members with an existing payment relationship with VAC.

These group members did not have to make a claim to receive a settlement payment.

Yes. Each file size limit is 10 MB. The maximum files size for your account is 250 MB storage across all your claims.

When that quota is reached, the following message is displayed: "You have reached the maximum allowable file storage limit per user."

The file formats you can upload to your account are the following: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .pdf

Please call the call centre for more instructions at 1-833-839-0648.

On the claim form, each Upload Document field is restricted to one document. Any additional documents can be uploaded after submitting your claim by navigating to the “Existing Claims” page and using the “Add Document” button.