ACVA Committee Report
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Government Response to the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs’ Eighth Report Comparative Study of Services to Veterans in Other Jurisdictions The Government of Canada welcomes the opportunity to respond to recommendations made in the eighth report of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. The Government would like to thank both the Committee for this report as well as the witnesses who appeared before the Committee. The Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs undertook a comprehensive study of services to Veterans in other jurisdictions such as United States, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The approach analyzed, “the performance of the many programs introduced to respond to the transformation in armed conflict following the end of the Cold War.” The committee’s objective was to “see if approaches that produced sound results could serve as inspiration, or inversely, to prevent Canada from embracing an idea that … has failed to produce the anticipated results.” The Government endeavours to improve its transition and service delivery services to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, Veterans and their families and values your suggestions on possible ways to improve. The Government agrees with the spirit and intent of the report—some of the Government initiatives already underway are, in fact, in line with the recommendations. The Government is pleased to provide you with a recommendation-by-recommendation response on the progress made to address your concerns. Since 2016, the Government has put in place substantial improvements to the benefits and services available for Veterans. With additional benefits and services now becoming available, more and more Veterans are coming forward to get the help they need. For example, over the past two years, Veterans Affairs Canada has seen a 32 per cent increase in the number of applications for disability benefits. This has only served to exacerbate the challenge with the long standing backlog on assessments. To keep up with the rise in demand and ensure that Veterans get services and benefits when they need them, Budget 2018 announced $42.8 million over two years, starting in 2018-19, to increase service delivery capacity at Veterans Affairs Canada. Committee Recommendation 1 That the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces be more flexible in applying the principle of universality of military service and consider establishing a “limited assignment status,” as defined in the US Air Force Instruction 36-3212. Government Response 1 The universality of service principle provides that CAF members must be able to perform general military and common defence and security duties. This includes the requirement to be physically fit, employable and deployable for general operational duties. Members who do not meet universality of service are subject to release. Following Canada's 2017 Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, and in alignment with the committee’s recommendation, the CAF is currently reviewing its policies and practices to examine how to retain some of these members—if they are still able to serve in some capacity—while still maintaining a deployable, combat-capable CAF. This review will consider existing similar models from other nations, such as the United States, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and the extent to which they could be applied to the CAF. Committee Recommendation 2 That the Canadian Armed Forces medically release members only once:
Government Response 2 In line with the committee's recommendation, the Government of Canada—under the new Defence Policy - Strong, Secure, Engaged—has committed to fully support CAF members from recruitment to retirement and beyond by, among other things, reinventing transition. A key element of this commitment is the establishment of a new CAF Transition Group (CAF TG), commanded by a General officer, to provide support to all CAF members to seamlessly transition to post-military life, and to ensure all benefits are in place before their transition. In the creation of the CAF TG, the CAF is working with VAC to provide personalized, professional and standardized transition support to all CAF members and Veterans, particularly targeting those who are ill or injured, including those with non-physical illness or injury. The joint CAF -VAC planning for this new organization is ongoing in parallel with the core mandate of the Joint Personnel Support Unit (JPSU), which is to provide standardized, high quality, consistent personal and administrative support for all injured and ill current and former CAF members, their families and the families of the deceased. Specific to the committee's recommendation, both the CAF and VAC recognize that some members may face barriers to transition to life after service and may need to remain in the CAF for a longer period of time in order to prepare for that transition. In these cases, an evaluation of complexity is conducted, and if the member is considered to have complex transition needs, an Integrated Transition Plan (ITP) is implemented. Created in conjunction with the releasing member and administered by the Integrated Personnel Support Centres, an ITP may run for a period of six months to a maximum of three years. The goal is to provide the member with sufficient time to complete the proposed pre-release plan in order to help address the factors identified in the evaluation of complexity. ITPs ensure that where possible, prior to release, required adjudications have occurred and releasing members have appropriate access to VAC benefits and services, Service Income Security Insurance Program (SISIP) Financial benefits and services, as well as not-for-profit job related organizations, when applicable. As part of the release process, members have access to CAF Transition Services, which is a suite of programs and services for transitioning CAF members. This includes some programs which are available exclusively to medically releasing members. These services are designed to help members access meaningful employment after their release from the CAF, and include career and educational counseling, career transition workshops, long-term planning assistance, and information on public service priority hiring, which provides priority hiring for medically released CAF members. These services also include the Military Employment Transition Program, which connects employers to retiring CAF members as potential employees, as well as the Vocational Rehabilitation Program for Serving Members, which consists of on-the-job-training, work experience, or civilian vocational rehabilitation training. VAC is also engaged in the release process for medically releasing members, and strives to ensure that disability benefit adjudication is completed prior to the member's release. Committee Recommendation 3 That, with the aim of securing access to family doctors and to other necessary health and social services for Veterans in the province/territory they settle:
Government Response 3 The federal government provides the provinces and territories with financial support for health care services, with the provinces and territories being responsible for providing physician services to the vast majority of Canadians. Responsibility for matters related to physician-workforce administration, such as managing its supply, distribution and retention, falls within provincial/territorial jurisdiction. That said, federal, provincial and territorial governments do work together through the Committee on Health Workforce to explore shared priorities, including collaborative approaches to: align the health workforce to meet population health needs; optimize the use of health care providers; increase collaborative approaches to care; and, improve health systems sustainability and quality of care. Accordingly, the Minister of Veterans Affairs will write to his counterpart the Minister of Health and outline the unique challenges that face Veterans, members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are in the process of release, and their families. The Committee on Health Workforce also provides policy and strategic advice to the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Conference of Deputy Ministers of Health on health workforce challenges and the planning, organization and delivery of health services. The work of the Committee on Health Workforce includes physician resources planning, but it is not focused on improving access to family physicians for particular populations, such as Veterans. As such, the Committee could serve as a mechanism for pan-Canadian discussions and could be a forum for VAC, Health Canada and their provincial/territorial counterparts to discuss Veterans' access to family doctors. Additionally, in terms of coordination, VAC works with Medavie Blue Cross and national associations of health professionals to register health professionals as providers. For example, Veterans have access to over 4000 registered mental health providers. VAC staff also assist Veterans in accessing programs and services available in the community. These include provincial/territorial and nongovernmental medical rehabilitation services, health, and other resources. Case management services assist former members, Veterans, RCMP and their families who may be finding it difficult to navigate a transition or change in their lives. These supports include coping with serious illness or adjusting to a loss such as a loss of a career or a loved one. A new initiative called “Guided Support” is enhancing efforts to assist Veterans and their families to access benefits and services from other organizations. The Guided Support Pilot Project was launched in October 2016 to help develop a new approach in providing personalized, one-on-one service to Veterans. It provides Veterans and their families involved in the pilot with a single point of contact and removes the need to navigate available supports and how to access them. With this new approach, a Veterans Service Agent takes full responsibility for a Veteran and their family who may need extra help by analyzing their needs and coordinating and integrating services. An in-person meeting is scheduled when required, held either in a VAC office or the Veteran’s home. Finally, VAC continues to work closely with the College of Family Physicians of Canada on steering committees, attending and presenting at the College's Annual Forum. VAC’s presentations focus on informing Canada's family doctors about Veterans' health issues—particularly mental health issues—as well as VAC services available for Veterans. The College of Family Physicians of Canada also makes this information available to family doctors by posting it on their website following the conferences. Committee Recommendation 4 That, following the introduction of the education and training benefit in April 2018, Veterans Affairs Canada ensure that Veterans who are released for medical reasons attributable to service and participate in the vocational program offered by the Service Income Security Insurance Plan do not receive less than Veterans who are eligible for the education and training benefit. Government Response 4 The Government of Canada will ensure that Veterans continue to get the full benefit of all programs available to them for vocational retraining and education. On April 1, 2018, all honourably released Veterans of the CAF who have completed a minimum of six years of service in the CAF and who were released on or after April 1, 2006 will be eligible for the Education and Training Benefit (ETB). This includes those who have been released for medical reasons and participate in the vocation program offered by the Service Income Security Insurance Plan. Access to other vocational programs, including the program offered by the Service Income Security Insurance Plan, will not affect a Veteran’s eligibility for the Veteran’s ETB. Currently, medically released Veterans may also be eligible for VAC’s Rehabilitation Services and Vocational Assistance Program. VAC’s Rehabilitation Services and Vocational Assistance Program may provide further education and re-training up to a maximum of $75,800 for those whose careers have been impacted by a health problem caused primarily by their military service. The ETB provides funding, in the form of a grant, up to a maximum of $80,000 for eligible Veterans, to cover education costs related to formalized education and training programs at approved post-secondary institutions, as well as for short courses. The ETB cannot be paid during a Veteran’s participation in the Rehabilitation Service and Vocational Assistance Program. However, an eligible Veteran could receive the Education and Training Benefit either before or after his or her participation in the Rehabilitation Services and Vocational Assistance program. VAC and National Defence are working together to reduce complexity, strengthen partnerships and ensure a seamless, simpler transition for CAF members to Veterans Affairs programs and services. A joint effort is currently underway to design the best way to streamline and simplify the dual support systems that exist between the two Departments. Committee Recommendation 5 That disability compensation for pain and suffering be offered as a lifetime pension and that, at the Veteran’s request, it be convertible into a lump-sum payment based on the Veteran’s age at the time of the injury or illness for which compensation was granted. Government Response 5 On December 20, 2017, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that the Government of Canada is modernizing the financial package that Veterans receive in compensation for their service-related pain and suffering by introducing the Pension for Life. These changes are part of an overall well-being package that combines financial recognition of pain and suffering, income replacement, and a host of wellness services and programs to help Veterans successfully transition to life after service. The Pension for Life is separate from the CAF pension that Veterans receive for their service. The Pension for Life, which will come into force on April 1, 2019, includes: the Pain and Suffering Compensation, the Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation, and the Income Replacement Benefit. The Pain and Suffering Compensation will replace the lump-sum Disability Award with a lifetime, monthly benefit that members and Veterans can cash out. Should the Veteran choose the lump sum instead of the monthly option, they will receive a non-age adjusted lump sum. The formula to cash out the monthly payment into a lump sum will consider the value of the Disability Award in the year of the cash out and the total amount of monthly payments received by the member or Veteran up to that time. Unlike the design in Australia, neither sex nor age will play any part in the lump sum cash out formula for the Pain and Suffering Compensation. Committee Recommendation 6 That the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police require their recruits to sign up, upon enlistment, for a My VAC Account. Government Response 6 To ensure that CAF members have the opportunity to use My VAC Account to access services or information at any point during their career, VAC and DND/CAF are currently exploring ways to regularly register new CAF recruits for My VAC Account following basic training. VAC is also actively working to register serving CAF members, Veterans, and family members of those receiving VAC benefits. DND/CAF also promotes registering for My VAC Account during transition interviews and at Second Career Assistance Network seminars, where releasing CAF members can learn about VAC's services and benefits. DND/CAF and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) also promote the program through internal publications. The RCMP also launched a digital advertising campaign in March 2017. Upon graduation and throughout their careers, the RCMP also informs its members in the following ways:
DND/CAF’s and RCMP’s efforts are proving successful. The number of My VAC Account users has increased by almost 60% over the past year, resulting in over 60,000 active users. This includes more than 16,000 new users who registered between April and June 2017, following the RCMP's March 2017 digital campaign. Committee Recommendation 7 That upon enlistment of their recruits, the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence be authorized to share, on an ongoing basis, relevant medical records with Veterans Affairs Canada, in accordance with existing privacy legislation. Government Response 7 In accordance with the Privacy Act, a CAF member's personal health information can be disclosed to VAC once a member applies for a VAC program or service. This occurs on a routine basis in order to assist with claims assessment and administration. In the absence of an application, there is no authority for VAC to collect information from DND/CAF. To do so would be an over collection of information which contravenes the Privacy Act. Privacy regulations state that federal institutions cannot collect personal information without parliamentary authority for a program or activity, and there is no such authority in place for the CAF to disclose members' personal health information to VAC on an ongoing basis. Nonetheless, VAC and DND/CAF are committed to solving the compatibility issues between CAF’s and VAC’s systems and have made progress in sharing electronic health records while respecting privacy legislation, as well as harmonizing key aspects of programming. The Government is committed to making the sharing of information between these two Departments as seamless as possible. |