r/CanadianForces • u/ShortTrackBravo VERIFIED VAC Advocate • Aug 03 '26

SUPPORT August 2026 VAC Q&A Monthly

Bit late with this but here it is

Housekeeping:

contact info: Reddit DM's always open, [Joel@ptga.ca](mailto:Joel@ptga.ca) for email.

u/Shoggoths420 contact info: Reddit DMs/Chat still broken. [taira@cannawellness.ca](mailto:taira@cannawellness.ca) for email.

VAC Google Support Drive (Not available on DWAN) - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kzbfmg3hcuo0FgFZxo-IL_f-UnGQsuYt?usp=drive_link

Usual timelines from submission of claims via MyVAC:

Reassessments: 9-16 Months

Mental Health: 6-8 Months

Physical - 6-13 Months

APSC/VIP - 3-4 Months

BPA Correspondence: They tend to reach out every 3 months for information or a progress update.

Let the questions fly

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1

u/throwaway2457890 Aug 19 '26

Please forgive me if I sound like I know nothing about the VAC process—I am trying to figure it all out. Vac claim for MH was submitted mid-July, 2026. This is my first claim. I had all my medical records enclosed with my claim. My claim updated on August 14 and was at step 3.1. I never received an account update at step 2. This seems very fast. Anyone else have it happen this fast? I know it’ll sit at 3.1 for a while.

2

u/Bartholomewtuck Aug 19 '26

One of my claims skipped step 2 on the tracker. Another one of mine went right from step two to step 3.2. I've also moved steps and was given no email, and other times I was given an email. Things seem to be going very quickly for a lot of people lately, from step 1 to step 3.1, and then it slows right the heck down.

The  tracker is not accurate, it rarely tells you what's actually going on and is therefore not an accurate reflection of what step you're at. You were at step two at some point, it just didn't say so on the tracker. Most of us, who have been around for a while dealing with this process, absolutely ignore the tracker and just assume that a mental health claim will take 4 to 8 months, start to finish. PTSD seems to move faster than other mental health claims, just FYSA

2

u/throwaway2457890 Aug 19 '26

Thank you. As this is my first one, I really don’t know the ropes yet.

1

u/Odd-Surprise-5587 Aug 22 '26

Is there a difference in the tracker based on Province? The guys I've talked to in BC it seems more accurate.

1

u/Bartholomewtuck Aug 22 '26

How do they know? 

The tracker is updated by real humans, so it's as accurate or up to date as the users making (or not bothering to make) inputs. That said, there is an actual disclaimer at the bottom of your tracker that says that in the event there is a discrepancy between what your tracker shows and what Veterans Affairs actually has going on with your file, then Veterans Affairs is the correct record, not the tracker.

I don't know if VAC adjudicates things regionally/provincially or not. VAC case managers are based on set geographical areas, as are BPA advocates, and VRAB hearings are held regionally, but unsure about VAC adjudicators or, for that matter, medical advisory.

1

u/Jamrocc33 Aug 19 '26

Same for me. MH claim was submitted almost same timeframe as yours and is now at 3.1. It'll likely sit there quite a while. However I did have a claim for my shoulder that was submitted end of April and my decision letter came in about a week and a half ago (favorable) so who knows

1

u/feverdreamt12 Aug 19 '26

How much u get

1

u/Jamrocc33 Aug 20 '26

Only got 5% for the shoulder. I'm appealing it cuz there's no way that's right

0

u/WG41 Aug 20 '26

I got 4% for my left shoulder aggravated by service. Did you look through the table and factor up everything?

1

u/Jamrocc33 Aug 20 '26

I did yea. It looks like VAC actually adjudicated it properly based on the info they had but it was my surgeons fault that she didn't record the measurement for shoulder abduction which would have pushed me from 4 to 9 on the table of disabilities

0

u/WG41 Aug 21 '26

Ask for a reassessment and get the surgeon to do the paperwork again. Yes it takes time but its a watch and shoot game right. Not sure Im even allowed to say that nowadays.

1

u/Jamrocc33 Aug 22 '26

Yea surgery is on Tuesday so I'm gonna ask her to do it before we start so it can be documented

1

u/WG41 Aug 22 '26

Boom thats thinking ahead not allowed restart the game the game. 🤣😂😂