Important changes to the laws governing the Social Security Tribunal (SST) have been made as of December 5, 2022. The SST deals with appeals and issues relating to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Canada Pension Plan Disability (CPP-D), Old Age Security (OAS), and other federal benefits.
Changes include amendments to the SST’s governing legislation, the creation of new SST Rules of Procedure, and new SST regulations.
Prior to making these changes, the SST asked for public input. ISAC submitted recommendations specifically on “reimbursement of expenses and payment of allowances”, or in other words, what types of reimbursement requests applicants can make based on the costs they must spend to attend the Tribunal. ISAC’s submissions were made specifically about section 63 of the Department of Employment and Social Development Act (DESDA), which among other things outlines the purpose, role, and other details governing the SST.
ISAC’s submissions included three recommendations to improve access to justice at the SST, specifically highlighting the digital divide (costs related to digital access, digital literacy, and digital hearing participation barriers). We recommended that the SST adopt a broad and flexible reimbursement policy to facilitate hearing participation for people facing barriers. Recommendations included reimbursement of transportation costs, childcare costs, costs related to digital access, and easier access to reimbursement requests.
Read our full submission to the SST by clicking here.