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AI-Assisted Document Reading for Veterans Disability Claims

Eligibility & Public Benefits · Healthcare

What it collects that can identify you

Sensitive personal information
Identifiable data
  • Service Health Records and Client Application files containing health, disability, and personal information about veterans, stored in the VAC Client Services Delivery Network and GCCase. Data is classified at Protected B / Protected C and is directly used in individual disability benefit determinations.

AIA — Section 3.1 Q28, Q24, Q26

Sensitive personal information
Identifiable data
  • Client Application files containing personal information from scanned paper disability claim applications, including handwritten entries identifying individual veterans. Sourced from the VAC Client Services Delivery Network and GCCase systems.
Run by
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)
Where
No fixed location
Kept
Retained not specified; audit trail records are maintained indefinitely for accountability purposes
Shared with
Accountable organization
Your copy
You cannot see the data it holds about you. What you can do

What it is for

Eligibility & Public BenefitsHealthcare

This system uses AI to read handwritten and typed text in Veterans Affairs Canada client files, helping process disability benefit applications faster and reduce the backlog. It extracts information from scanned paper documents and health records to support human decision-makers, who retain final authority on all eligibility determinations. Importantly, clients are not currently informed that AI is being used in the handling of their files.

What it collects and what happens to it

Data taken in

Sensitive personal information
Identifiable data
  • Service Health Records and Client Application files containing health, disability, and personal information about veterans, stored in the VAC Client Services Delivery Network and GCCase. Data is classified at Protected B / Protected C and is directly used in individual disability benefit determinations.

AIA — Section 3.1 Q28, Q24, Q26

Sensitive personal information
Identifiable data
  • Client Application files containing personal information from scanned paper disability claim applications, including handwritten entries identifying individual veterans. Sourced from the VAC Client Services Delivery Network and GCCase systems.

Processing

Computer Vision
  • Document Intelligence (handwriting recognition and OCR) supplied by Microsoft, used to analyse scanned document images and extract both handwritten and typed text from veterans' health records and disability claim applications.

Government of Canada AI Register — Capabilities field

What it does

Sensing (Perceptive AI)
Human decides
  • Reads handwritten and typed text from scanned document images (Service Health Records and paper disability applications) and converts them into structured, machine-readable text. A human decision-maker reviews and acts on the extracted information — the AI does not make eligibility determinations.

Outputs

Sensitive personal information
Identifiable data
  • Structured, machine-readable text transcribed from a specific veteran's health records and application files, tied to an identified individual's claim. This extracted data is passed to human decision-makers and recorded in the audit trail for the disability benefit determination process.
Sensitive personal information
Identifiable data
  • Extracted health and disability information from Service Health Records, output for use in individual disability benefit adjudication. This constitutes sensitive personal health data about identified veterans, produced as part of the claims processing workflow.

Run by

Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)
  • Federal department that deploys and operates this AI system to support disability benefit decision making for Canadian veterans. Accountability for design, development, maintenance, and improvement of the system has been assigned internally.

Government of Canada AI Register — VAC entry

Built by

Microsoft
  • Technology vendor that supplies the Document Intelligence (handwriting recognition and OCR) AI capabilities underlying both the Service Health Record Search Tool and the application transcription component. The system was developed in part by the VAC AI Development and Modernization teams using Microsoft technology.

Government of Canada AI Register — VAC entry

Kept for

Retained not specified; audit trail records are maintained indefinitely for accountability purposes
  • Audit trail records of all recommendations, decision points, overrides, and authorized decision-makers are retained. The system maintains change control logs for all modifications. A specific retention duration is not stated in the available documents; personal information retention is governed by VAC's Personal Information Banks and Privacy Impact Assessment.
  • Duration: not specified; audit trail records are maintained indefinitely for accountability purposes

AIA — Section 3.2 Q17, Q20, Q21, Q31

Shared with

Available to the accountable organization
  • Extracted text and audit trail records are available to Veterans Affairs Canada employees (GC employees are the primary users). The audit trail records all recommendations, key decision points, overrides, and the authorized decision-maker, and is accessible to authorized VAC staff. Access permissions are granted, monitored, and revoked through a documented process.

Government of Canada AI Register — Primary users: GC employees · AIA — Section 3.2 Q26

Not available to me
  • Veterans whose files are processed do not have direct access to the AI system's outputs or the extracted data as produced by the system. The AI use is currently not disclosed to clients. Clients may access their own file information through existing VAC access to information processes.

Government of Canada AI Register — AI use disclosed to users: N

Stored

Stored locally
  • Client data is stored in the VAC Client Services Delivery Network and GCCase, both federal government systems within Canadian jurisdiction. Data is controlled by the federal government at Protected B / Protected C classification levels.
  • Duration: not specified; governed by VAC retention policies

Government of Canada AI Register — Data sources field · AIA — Section 3.1 Q28, Q29

How to read the colours

Can it identify you?

Anonymized data
Data about people with the link to who is broken. Stripped of identifiers, blurred, aggregated, or noised so this system can’t reasonably tie a record back to an individual.
Pseudonymous data
Each person’s data is tied to a token (hash, ID, template) that lets this system recognise the same person across events, but the token itself doesn’t reveal a name. Reidentification is possible with extra information.
Identifiable data
The data either contains a direct identifier (name, address, account name, recognisable face or voice, plate number) or carries a token this system uses to look up legal identity during processing.

Who completes the loop?

Human decides
This mode suggests; a person decides what to do next. The AI is always advisory — a human is in the loop on every decision. Example: a triage tool ranks cases for a clinician who chooses which to see first.
Human executes
This mode decides; a person carries out the result. Example: an optimizer plans the day’s trash-collection routes, and drivers run them.
Autonomous
This mode decides and acts on its own. No person reviews each decision or carries out the resulting action.

Definitions from the DTPR standard. Amber is about your data, violet about who decides. The fuller the shape and the deeper the colour, the more identifying the data or the less a person is involved.

What you can do

Ask about this system

Questions go to the Helpful Places, not the vendor.

Your rights

  • Right to Be Informed of AI UseVeterans have the right to be informed that AI is being used in the processing of their disability claim files. Although the register currently states AI use is not disclosed to clients, the AIA requires that a plain language notice be posted through all service delivery channels (internet, in-person, mail, and telephone). If you believe AI has been used in processing your file without notice, you may contact Veterans Affairs Canada through your service channel or the Bureau of Pensions Advocates.
  • Right to an Explanation of a DecisionYou have the right to a meaningful explanation if your disability benefit claim is denied or results in a regulatory action, including the role AI played in the decision process, the data used and how it was collected, the criteria applied, the system's output, and the principal factors that led to the decision. The AIA requires this explanation to be provided in plain language. Contact Veterans Affairs Canada or the Bureau of Pensions Advocates to request an explanation.
  • Right to ContestYou have the right to challenge a decision made about your disability benefit claim. A recourse process is established for clients who wish to contest decisions, and human override of system outputs is enabled. The Veterans Review and Appeal Board is an external stakeholder involved in the process. Contact Veterans Affairs Canada, the Bureau of Pensions Advocates, or the Veterans Review and Appeal Board to initiate a challenge.
  • Right to a Human ReviewAll final disability benefit decisions are made by human adjudicators, not the AI system. The AI only extracts and transcribes text to support human decision-makers. The system additionally enables human override of any automated output. If you wish to request that a human review a specific aspect of your claim, contact Veterans Affairs Canada directly.

Risks and safeguards

  • Civil liberties harmVeterans are not informed that AI is being used in the handling of their disability claim files (AI use disclosed to users: No), which limits their ability to understand and contest automated processing of their sensitive health information.Safeguard: The AIA requires plain language notice posted through all service delivery channels, and a meaningful explanation to be provided with any denial of a benefit, including the role of the system in the decision-making process. A recourse process is established for clients who wish to challenge decisions, and human override of system decisions is enabled.
  • Financial & business harmErrors in AI text extraction from health records or applications could lead to incorrect eligibility determinations, with potentially perpetual financial impacts on veterans who depend on disability benefits for their well-being. The AIA notes impacts are 'most impacts are perpetual' and of 'high impact' on economic interests.Safeguard: Human decision-makers retain final authority; a comprehensive audit trail records all recommendations and key decision points; a recourse process is in place for appeals; and the system enables human override. A Privacy Impact Assessment has been undertaken.