Veterans Affairs Canada Audit of Remissions - April 2012

An overpayment occurs when benefits are paid to a beneficiary who has no entitlement or when benefits have been paid in excess of entitlement. Once an overpayment has been detected, Finance Division can collect, write-off, forgive or remit the overpayment. A remission is the cancellation of or release from an otherwise enforceable debt, tax, fee or penalty. A remission may occur under the following circumstances:

• the overpayment cannot be recovered within the reasonably foreseeable future;

• the administrative costs of recovering the overpayment are likely to equal or exceed the amount to be recovered;

• the repayment of the overpayment would cause undue hardship to the person or a beneficiary; or

• the overpayment is the result of an administrative error, a delay or an oversight on the part of an officer or employee of the federal public administration.

The purpose of this audit was to provide assurance that Veterans Affairs Canada’s current process for remissions is in compliance with Treasury Board policy. In addition to interviews, walkthroughs and documentation review a random sample of 50% of the remissions processed were examined. The scope of this audit covered all remissions reported in the 2010/2011 Public Accounts.