CAIS Program: The Appeal Process

If you do not agree with how CAIS program rules and policies were applied to your application, you may submit an appeal. Your appeal will be reviewed by an Appeals Sub- Committee of the National CAIS Committee (NCC).

THE APPEALS SUB-COMMITTEE

The National CAIS Committee has established Appeals Sub-Committees to hear producer appeals. For reasons of efficiency, some provinces have chosen to have more than one committee, or to combine with other provinces to form a committee. Each Appeals Sub- Committee includes no less than three, and a maximum of five producer representatives. Federal and provincial governments have the option to nominate a minimum of one nonvoting provincial representative and one non-voting federal representative to attend the meetings. Sub-Committee meetings are scheduled based on the availability of producer representatives. The federal CAIS Administration provides secretariat services to the Sub- Committee in provinces where Canada delivers CAIS. CAIS officials may attend meetings to provide information on administrative processes.

STEP BY STEP THROUGH THE APPEALS PROCESS

• Step 1: Submit your appeal in writing
  You or your representative must submit your appeal in writing to the Appeals Sub-Committee. The appeal request must be submitted within 90 days from the mailing date of your Calculation of Program Benefits (COB) or notification of an adjustment. In your letter, clearly identify the reasons for the appeal and provide information and documents to support your request.
  
  If you are in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Yukon, send your letter to:
  
  CAIS Program Appeals
  P.O. Box 2759 Station Main
  Winnipeg, Manitoba
  R3C 4B4
  
  If you are in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, or Prince Edward Island, contact your provincial CAIS administration for information on the appeals process.
  
  
• Step 2: Appeal request received
  The CAIS Administration will acknowledge receipt of your appeal in writing.
  
  
• Step 3: An internal review of your application
  Before your case is referred to the Appeals Sub-Committee for consideration, a CAIS appeal officer will do an internal review, independent from the original processing of your application. Adjustments will be made to your file if the program policies and guidelines were applied incorrectly by the Administration.
  
  
• Step 4: Comment on the Appeal Brief
  The appeal officer will prepare an appeal brief outlining both your position and the CAIS Administration's position. A copy of the appeal brief will be sent to you for further comment and/or additional documentation before being forwarded to the Appeals Sub-Committee.
  
  
• Step 5: Appeals Sub-Committee meeting
  The Appeals Sub-Committee will meet to review the appeal brief. You have the opportunity to attend the Appeals Sub-Committee meeting to answer questions of clarification on the issues raised in your letter of appeal, but not to present new evidence not already contained in the appeal brief.
  
  
• Step 6: You will be notified of the result
  After all of the facts relevant to your file have been reviewed, the Appeals Sub-Committee will recommend that your appeal be either accepted or denied. This recommendation is submitted to the CAIS Administration, and you will be notified in writing of the Sub-Committee's recommendation and of any related follow-up action required.

USEFUL TIPS FOR SUBMITTING AN APPEAL

• Review program statements and documents to become familiar with the program rules. These may include the Calculation of Program Benefits Notice, the CAIS Program Handbook, the Implementation Agreements, and/or the Farm Income Protection Act.
  
  
• In your letter of appeal, identify the program rules which you feel have not been correctly applied in the processing of your application. Raise all of the issues to be considered in the appeal.
  
  
• Specify the steps you would like taken to remedy the situation.
  
  
• If the CAIS Administration has determined that you did not meet a deadline, demonstrate the steps you took to ensure you met the deadline.

You are responsible for knowing and following program policies and meeting deadlines. Exceptions may be made in exceptional circumstances where forces beyond your control prevented you from meeting program requirements. (Examples include Acts of God such as flash floods, unscheduled surgery, and death or serious illness of the participant or an immediate member of the participant's family.)

DO I REQUEST AN ADJUSTMENT OR AN APPEAL?

If you want to change the information originally submitted on your CAIS forms, you can request an adjustment within 90 days from the date your Calculation of Program Benefits Notice was issued. Requests for an adjustment must be submitted in writing to the CAIS administration, and do not need to be reviewed by the Appeals Sub-Committee.

For more information on the CAIS Program:

• In British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, and Yukon call (toll free) at 1-866-367-8506 or visit our Web site at www.agr.gc.ca/caisprogram
  
  
• In Alberta, call Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) (toll free) at
  1- 877-744-7900 or visit www.AFSC.ca.
  
  
• In Ontario, call the Agricorp (toll free) at 1-877-838-5144 or visit www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA
  
  
• In Quebec, call la Financière agricole du Québec (toll free) at 1-800-749-3646 or visit www.financiereagricole.qc.ca
  
  
• In Prince Edward Island, call 1-902-368-4842 or visit www.gov.pe.ca/go/cais