Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results — Continued

Goal 4: Individuals have access to a fair and timely appeal process.

Core Business Areas:

Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal.

The BC Employment and Assistance appeal system ensures unbiased, fair, timely and transparent decision-making for clients.

The Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal operates under the authority of the Employment and Assistance Act, which was proclaimed on September 30, 2002. The tribunal operates independently of the ministry, administering its appeal process through a central office based in Victoria. The process begins after a client has gone through the reconsideration process at the employment and assistance regional level, and is still unsatisfied with the outcome. The tribunal is composed of a full-time tribunal chair and one or more part-time vice-chairs appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, approximately 200 regionally-based panel members appointed by the minister, and staff appointed under the Public Service Act.

Objective 1:

Decisions are made on appeals and parties notified within the statutory timelines.

Strategies:

1. The processing of appeals, including timeliness, is monitored and the rules of procedure are amended as required to maximize efficiency of the process.

2. Effective administrative support is provided to the hearing panels.

The tribunal is required by statute and regulation to process appeals according to various strict timelines. Measure 4.1 tracks the tribunal's success in meeting these timelines. A higher percentage indicates success in meeting all timelines and delivering timely decisions. The tribunal achieved 100 per cent of appeals within the statutory timelines during the second half of 2002/03. The target for future years has been set at 100 per cent of appeals decided within the statutory timelines.

Measure 4.2 tracks the percentage of appeals heard within the 15-day statutory time limit as set out in the Employment and Assistance Regulations and the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Regulations. Future year targets for this measure are also set at 100 per cent, reflecting the ministry's commitment to ensuring fair and timely access to the decision-making process.