Benefit Programs and Other Services

Performance Discussion

The Benefit Programs and Other Services business line has two expected outcomes. The first is Canadians receive their rightful share of entitlements.

It is critical that we offer Canadians the right tools and information. This enables them to give us the information we need to register them on the appropriate benefit rolls, and helps to ensure that they receive timely and accurate benefit payments. Canadians are likely to access these programs if they are informed about them and clearly understand what they need to do to receive benefits. We conduct review activities to verify that benefits and credits are issued only to recipients who are eligible for them, and that they receive the correct amounts in accordance with the legislation. On balance, we believe that we have met this expected outcome through the following:

• continuing our strong performance in processing benefit payments and associated transactions in a timely and accurate manner;
• improving our telephone service, enhancing the transaction capabilities and the information available on our website, and pursuing outreach efforts to promote our programs and promote awareness of client rights and obligations; and
• ensuring that the correct amounts are being paid to entitled clients through the results of our validation and controls program, with the acknowledgement that overall benefits compliance declined somewhat from results recorded in previous years.

The second expected outcome is as follows: Provinces, territories and other government departments rely on the CRA as a key service provider.

Our legislative flexibilities as an agency, our business expertise and the adaptability of our automated systems enable us to provide Canadians with a greater range of services on behalf of the provinces, territories, and other federal departments and agencies, thereby eliminating duplication and reducing the overall cost to taxpayers. On balance, we believe that we have met this expected outcome, by administering programs and providing expanded services to our clients, leveraging the strong performance we have achieved using the federal benefit delivery infrastructure.

Our performance against our Expected Results is described in detail throughout the rest of this chapter.

By effectively delivering benefits and related services, we have also contributed to the achievement of the CRA's strategic outcome.

Date modified:

2005-10-26