I wanted to give people a heads up that the government budget released on March 21, 2019, included funds to make structural changes to the SST appeals process. Based on the public statements by government, it appears they are replacing the current judge-alone hearing with a hearing before a panel of 3 people, similar to what was in place before the SST was created back in 2013 (Review Tribunal).
If it is like the old Review Tribunal system, then you would have your case decided by three people working together - a lawyer, a health professional and a member of the public. All three are appointed to the tribunal to decide cases. We will be tracking and explaining these changes at Firm website and will have an email update list people can sign up for to receive updates on the changes by email.
If you are already at or past the Reconsideration Stage, then I doubt any of these new changes will apply to you. There will be a period of time where some people continue under the “old” system and some people will move into the “new” system.
If you want to learn more, here is an article I have written about the changes. Plan to continue to update the article as more becomes known: The 2019 Changes to CPP Disability & the Social Security Tribunal: What They Mean for You.