Proposed Settlement in Class Proceeding involving Calculation of Disability Benefits for Disabled Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police

TORONTO, Nov. 13, 2023 /CNW/ - A proposed agreement has been reached to resolve a certified class proceeding involving underpayment of certain disability pension benefits administered by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). The benefits were payable to members and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and their survivors.

The Representative Plaintiffs brought the proceeding on behalf of over 330,000 class members who received the benefits. The central allegation is that the benefits were miscalculated and not properly indexed for inflation.

The proposed agreement provides that Class Members will receive a one-time payment of approximately 2% of the total amount of their affected benefits received between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2023. The estimated value of the proposed agreement is at least $435 million and up to $817 million. 

For the proposed agreement to become effective, it must be approved by the Federal Court. The settlement approval hearing is scheduled to be heard in Ottawa on December 18, 2023. If the settlement is approved, the parties will provide further notice to the Class Members.

The Representative Plaintiffs are Dennis Manuge, Raymond Toth, Betty Brousse, Brenton MacDonald, Jean-Francois Pelletier, and David White.

Class Counsel are McInnes Cooper, Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP, Koskie Minsky LLP, Murphy Battista LLP, and Michel Drapeau Law Office.

For additional information and to obtain a copy of the proposed agreement, please visit www.vetspensionerror.ca. 

SOURCE Koskie Minsky LLP

For media enquiries, please contact Daniel Wallace ([email protected]), Malcolm Ruby ([email protected]), or Michel Drapeau ([email protected])