Common Experience Payment Process Overview

In all stages of the CEP process, the elderly (65+) and seriously-ill applicants receive priority. Applicants in distress may also call a toll-free crisis line at
1-866-925-4419.

Apply

Important Notice: The Common Experience Payment application deadline has passed. Late applications will be accepted until September 19, 2012 in cases of disability, undue hardship and exceptional circumstances, and must include a written reason for the delay in application. For more information, you can call the CEP line at 1-866-699-1742 (TTY: 1-800-926-9105) or visit a Service Canada Centre  .

Research

After the application is complete, Service Canada sends it to AANDC.

Applicants can call 1-866-565-4526 for updates on their application or other questions. AANDC researchers verify that the former student resided at a recognized Indian Residential School (IRS), and for how long, in several ways:

1. The computer search is an automatic search of over 2 million documents which produces clear answers in about 40% of cases.
   
   
2. If this does not give a clear answer, a researcher must search through documents for each school named, and before and after each school year requested in order to confirm eligibility (manual research).
   
   
3. If manual research does not produce a clear result, the CEP Response Centre will try to contact the applicant to ask a set of questions about their IRS experience.  If the applicant can provide information, their answers will be compared with what is known about the residence and life there to support the application.

Decision

Service Canada sends the research decision letter, and where residence is confirmed, payment.  Payment arrives within a few days of the letter.  Payment is $10,000 for the first school year that an applicant lived in a recognized Indian Residential School (IRS) as a student resident, plus an additional $3,000 for each additional school year, after the first one, that the applicant lived in an IRS as a student resident.

Choices

If the applicant is satisfied with the decision, the process ends here.  The applicant may ask for Reconsideration if they are missing resident school years (a school year is usually from September of one calendar year to June of the next calendar year). Applicants can request Reconsideration via mail or fax, using the form included with the decision letter.  They may also make a toll-free request by phone to the CEP Response Centre (1-866-565-4526) or by e-mail to reconsideration@aandc-aadnc.gc.ca.

Reconsideration

In this stage, AANDC researchers will review the original decision and examine any new information (applicants do not need to provide any information for Reconsideration but any information that can help prove residency is welcome).  If needed, the CEP Response Centre may contact applicants for more information or to clarify any questions identified by the researchers. 

Decision

Once again, Service Canada will send out a notice of the decision. Any payment should arrive within a few days of the decision letter.  The decision letter will include an explanation of any years not paid at this stage.

Choice

If an applicant is satisfied with the Reconsideration decision, the process ends here.  If not, a form attached to the Reconsideration letter can be used to request an appeal by mailing it to the CEP Appeal Administrator.

Appeal

For each Appeal, AANDC reviews the existing information and any new information provided. Applicants can get information about the status of their appeal by calling (toll-free) 1-866-879-4916.  The information then goes to the National Administration Committee (NAC), a committee of 7 made up of one lawyer from each of Canada, Church Organizations, Assembly of First Nations, the National Consortium, the Merchant Law Group, Inuit Representatives and Independent Counsel. NAC then makes a decision and sends it to the Appeal Administrator, along with the reasons for the decision.  The Appeal Administrator then informs Service Canada and the applicant of the decision.  Service Canada makes any payment. Applicants may request a judge to review a NAC decision.

This overview is for general information and does not describe any court reviews of National Administration Committee (NAC) decisions.