Our new glossary helps people understand the appeal process

Laws that set out whether you have a right to benefits are very technical, and the words we have to use to explain our processes and our decisions can be complicated. But everyone is entitled to understand how the appeal process works and how it affects their rights. So we put together a glossary, to explain what these complicated legal terms mean in plain language. We started with 50 terms, and we’ll add more terms to it over time.

We were inspired by Justice Canada’s A2J Index. The Index is a self-assessment tool that enables any tribunal to see where it can make access to justice improvements. The Index tells us that having a glossary on our website is one of the features of an accessible administrative tribunal.

This new tool is another way we’re making the appeal process more accessible for the people who use our system.

If you have any suggestions for other terms we should include, we’d love to hear from you.