Evidence of meeting #3 for Veterans Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was clients.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
Ladies and gentlemen, let's get started. We welcome Keith Hillier and Suzanne Tining from the veterans affairs department. They are going to be making a presentation today, an overview of the department's services.
I understand you'll be speaking to this deck. Is that correct?
Just one other question. Is it my understanding that you need 30 minutes total?
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
It's customary that we give each witness 10 minutes, so I'll just seek the consent of the committee that they'll allow that extra time to go through this deck.
Is everybody okay with that? Agreed?
3:30 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
3:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
All right. Without further ado, we'll go to Suzanne Tining and Keith Hillier.
3:30 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
Thank you for having us today. I'm appearing before you to provide an overview of the portfolio of Veterans Affairs Canada. I will make the presentation, and Keith Hillier and I will entertain your questions during the time available after that.
I'd also like to welcome the existing members of the committee. It's a pleasure to reappear before your committee and to answer your questions.
I'd like to welcome and congratulate the new members on the committee. As the minister said on Monday, it is a great committee where a lot of important work is happening.
Before I begin, Keith Hillier is the assistant deputy minister for service delivery and commemoration, working in Charlottetown.
An outline of today's presentation is on page 2 of your slide deck. I would like to give an overview of the portfolio and the mandate of the department.
I'd like to cover the following areas: our clientele, the benefits and services for clients, remembrance activities, and stakeholders and partners. I'll make the bulk of my presentation in English, and include some sections in French. However, I'd be pleased to answer your questions in the language of your choosing.
Our department has a very clear mandate. Since 1919, the Minister of Veterans Affairs has been responsible for the treatment and the care of veterans and to ensure their re-establishment in civilian life.
We are also mandated to help Canadians honour and commemorate the achievements of those who served Canada in times of conflict and times of peace, and to keep the memory of their sacrifices alive.
Essentially VAC's core business is to deliver programs and services to veterans, families, and civilians, and to provide remembrance programs.
On page 4 you will see what the portfolio looks like. It's a pretty simple portfolio. It is led by the Minister of Veterans Affairs, the Honourable Greg Thompson. It's comprised of a department, which I head. That is the middle box, under the minister and two arm's-length organizations, the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman, which was created in April 2007, and a quasi-judicial board, the Veterans Review and Appeal Board, which was created in 1995.
The Department of Veterans Affairs Act and some other 20 pieces of legislation are administered in whole or in part by the department, and that forms the full legislative basis of our department's mandate. The veterans ombudsman is Colonel Pat Stogran, and he was appointed in October 2007. Mr. James MacPhee is the acting chair of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board, after the departure of the chair in December, and we are awaiting the new appointment.
On page 5 you will see basically the number of employees the portfolio has. The department has just over 4,000 full-time positions. Close to 1,500, or around 35% of these positions, are working out of our 5 regional and 40 district offices located across the country. You will see that just over 1,300 employees are located at the national headquarters in Charlottetown, P.E.I., and you probably know that we are the only full-fledged federal department with a head office located outside the nation's capital.
You see that Ste. Anne's Hospital in the Montreal area operates with a staff of approximately 921. We have a small office in Ottawa, with just under 100 people who provide executive services to the department. The ombudsman's office has 34 staff, of which 10 are here in the capital and 24 are located in Charlottetown. And the Veterans Review and Appeal Board--VRAB, as we call them--has 29 members and a complement of 112 staff to support them.
On page 6 I thought I would give you a sense of our budget allocation over the last few years, because in some circles there might be a misconception that Veterans Affairs is winding down because of the demographics of our traditional veterans. But as you can see, since 2004-05 our budget has been steadily increasing to meet the needs of all our clients, be it soldiers returning from Afghanistan or the needs of our traditional veterans as they age. Increases in expenditures that you see there reflect the increased costs of health care delivery through increased salary costs for health professionals, increased costs of drugs and medical supplies, increased costs for related health services such as physiotherapy, chiropractic services, massage therapy, and many more.
It also reflects the expansion of programs supported by the budget of 2007-08, such as the addition of five operational stress injury clinics that the minister talked about on Monday and the extension of the veterans independence program to low-income and disabled widows.
On page 7 you will see that we have planned, for 2008-09, $3.4 billion in spending, and if you look at the two main pieces of the pie, you will see that about 60% of our budget goes to transfer payments for disability pensions, disability awards, and financial support. The second-largest piece of the pie is for our benefits and health care budget, so you have a 60-30 split between pensions and health care. That's about what we have in our planned expenditure for 2008-09.
On page 8 the committee was very involved in the work leading to the government statement on veterans rights, and veterans organizations testified on the declaration before this committee in a previous session. So this committee has played a critical role in addressing issues that veterans have raised throughout the process leading to the approval of this bill of rights.
Page 9 is just a summary of our clientele. We serve a very diverse group of clients, and although our clients are primarily veterans, they are not exclusively veterans. The term “veterans” includes traditional war veterans—those who served in the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War. In the department you will often hear about “traditional war veterans”, and that is who that comprises. The term “veteran” also includes, of course, former Canadian Forces members.
The veteran status for former CF, or Canadian Forces, members provides the group with recognition for their military service and their exposure to risk—for example, in peacekeeping missions and other modern-day operations such as Afghanistan.
The clientele of Veterans Affairs Canada extends beyond veterans. It includes, among others, their survivors and dependents, including children and spouses. It also includes active members of the Canadian Forces, former and active members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as a number of allied and civilian veterans. More broadly speaking, Canadian citizens are also our partners and our clients.
On slide 10 we look at numbers of clients. It is estimated that close to 800,000 veterans and still-serving Canadian Forces members are with us today. When you look at the traditional war veterans, you will see that we are serving 76,000 of them as clients, and there are close to 200,000 living. So about 40% of living traditional war veterans are our clients.
As you can see, only a portion of Canada's veterans become clients, because we are serving those who suffer from service-related injuries or disabilities or those who are income qualified.
On page 11 you can see that over the past several years--not surprisingly--our client base has been shifting, and it is expected to change dramatically over the next ten years. We are witnessing a decline in the number of traditional veterans we serve and an increase in the number of modern-day veteran clients who are looking to our department for support and assistance. You can see in the bar chart that around 2012, our forecast shows that the number of modern-day veterans will exceed the number of traditional veterans we are serving.
At an average age of 85, approximately 2,025 veterans pass away every month. But despite the decline in the absolute number of traditional veteran clients, like other aging Canadians, advancing age and deteriorating health translate into more intense and complex care needs, especially in the last six months of their lives.
Modern veterans, many with growing families, have very different though equally demanding needs.
On page 12 you will see the benefits and services available for clients. The traditional veteran who has a service-related disability is entitled to a disability pension, and the pension is a gateway to other benefits and services, including health care. The traditional war veteran who is low income is also entitled to the war veterans' allowance, which is also a gateway to other benefits and services.
Thanks to the new Veterans Charter, modern veterans have access to programs designed to help them successfully transition into civilian life when their military careers come to an end. But all veterans are eligible for case management, mental health support, redress before an arm's-length quasi-judicial board when they are dissatisfied with a departmental decision, free legal services to appeal decisions before the review board, and advocacy through the veterans ombudsman.
I'll go a bit deeper into the different categories of clients and start with traditional veterans. The disability pension program is a major gateway to other VAC services and benefits. A disability pension provides financial compensation to veterans and Canadian Forces members and their dependants for death and disabilities related to military service. The pension amount relates to the degree or percentage of disability, based on functional impairment. It is not an income replacement.
In February 2008, the veterans independence program was expanded so that more low-income and disabled survivors would have the help they need to remain independent in their homes. To date, over 2,000 survivors have been approved under this extension.
On page 14, for those traditional veterans who are facing financial hardship there is an allowance and financial assistance for emergencies. There are also allowances to cover extra costs of disability, such as clothing alterations for amputees.
Finally, in partnership with the Last Post Fund, we work to ensure that every veteran receives a dignified funeral. The service is available when the death occurs as a result of a pension condition or where there are insufficient funds in the veteran's estate to cover the funeral.
As shown on page 15, in the three-year period between 2001 and 2004, our Canadian Forces client population increased by 58%. So it became quite apparent to the department officials that these clients had a wide range of needs that could only be met by a robust suite of programs and services that did not exist but needed to be specifically focused on helping clients successfully transition to civilian life. The result was the new Veterans Charter, launched in April 2006 with the support of all parties.
It was the most substantial reform carried out at the Department of Veterans Affairs since its inception in 1944. We often compare the new Veterans Charter to other documents which need to change with evolving needs. It's important to stress that nothing about it is set in stone. Our programs and our services are going to continue to evolve in order to meet the changing needs of our veterans in modern times. We will ensure that the communication lines remain open with veterans organizations and with the Canadian armed forces community, including families and the servicemen and women of the Canadian Forces.
On page 16 you will see the five services and benefits that are included in the new Veterans Charter. The new charter provides modern-day veterans with the tools and opportunities to build better lives for themselves and their families after their careers in the military have ended. It offers personalized case management, access to health services and health insurance, rehabilitation services, job placement, financial support, and of course a lump-sum disability award.
On page 17 we discuss case management. We provide a variety of services for a wide range of clients. Today, help is delivered to clients by multidisciplinary teams of specialized professionals working in private, provincial, and federal settings. This requires solid case management by those who interact directly with veterans, their families, and their caregivers. The goal, of course, is to ensure a high quality of care and support toward independent and autonomous living. That's very much what was behind the new Veterans Charter.
We will now go to page 18.
In addition to supporting the Department of National Defence's efforts and operational stress injury clinics, Veterans Affairs Canada runs 10 treatment clinics for operational stress injuries nationwide, including a national coordination centre at the Sainte-Anne Hospital. Recently, we announced the establishment of a residential treatment clinic which will provide specialized services to veterans, Canadian Forces service men and women, and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who are living with operational stress injuries related to their service. This clinic will have a maximum intake of 10 persons for a one to eight-week stay. The residential treatment clinic should open its doors by April 2010 at the Sainte-Anne Hospital.
We're hearing more and more about how tours of service in the military can sometimes have devastating effects on the mental health of our servicemen and servicewomen and those released back into civilian life. The need for a comprehensive mental health strategy is critical to treating a growing number of our clients who have psychiatric conditions resulting from operational duties.
So our mental health strategy involves early promotion and early intervention, treatment, rehabilitation, and ongoing care. It also involves building capacity through new clinics across the country to reach as many clients as possible and collaborating with our partners. Together with National Defence, we have established a joint national network called the operational stress injury social support group, OSISS, an acronym that you might hear often. This team has appeared before both this committee and the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs in previous sessions, and you might want to consider inviting them to hear what they have achieved.
Of course, there are enormous challenges ahead, and we are listening to our clients to best adapt the services to their needs.
To continue on page 19 in reference to mental health support, we are working closely with our DND partners and the families of returning soldiers to identify those most at risk and to intervene early to offer help. There's a lot of research that demonstrates that early intervention in mental health cases is really key to success of the therapy. The operational stress injury social support program, which I just talked about, was created in May 2001 and is a partnership between VAC and DND. It is led by peer and family support coordinators, who provide confidential peer and family support.
I think it is important to recognize that this partnership is the only common and continuous formal social support capability that a CF member or a veteran suffering from an OSI experiences in their recovery or transition from military to civilian life. In addition to sharing the cost for this program, our department is involved in the peer support network on three major fronts: first, of course, many peer support coordinators are co-located in our district offices; second, the Ste. Anne's Hospital centre and the mental health directorate of our department is providing ongoing training and support for the coordinators; and third, we have a co-manager for the program who plays a key role in program design, implementation, ongoing operation, evaluation, and research.
The OSISS peer support network has 22 peer support coordinators and 20 family peer support coordinators located in 14 sites across the country. In the fall of 2006, bereavement peer support was added to the OSISS program, whereby trained peer volunteers reach out and provide peer support to immediate family members who have lost loved ones through military service.
In reference to page 20, when a client disagrees with a decision on an application for benefits and services, there are two levels of appeal within the department. When these two levels of appeal have been pursued and no agreement has been reached, a client can apply to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board to have his or her case heard before the tribunal.
The Bureau of Pensions Advocates is mandated to provide legal assistance to applicants and pensioners with their applications for review and appeal and to represent them before the board. The bureau has offices across the country and addresses an average of 13,000 claims a year. It is important to note here that no other country that we know of offers this free legal service to their clients.
In April 2007, the government officially announced the creation of a veterans ombudsman and unveiled a new Veterans Bill of Rights. The veterans ombudsman is an independent officer who reports directly to the Minister of Veterans Affairs. Colonel Pat Stogran was appointed in October 2007, so he has just completed his first year as ombudsman.
Turning to page 22, family support, we believe that families are the underpinning of a veteran's well-being. You'll see on this slide the benefits and services available to family members. We all know that when someone in our family suffers an injury or disability, the rest of the family must adjust and face stress and hardship through the temporary or permanent loss of support, so our programs want to recognize this. We also recognize that the injured family member's rehabilitation is hampered if the needs of his or her family are not being met. So it just makes sense to involve family members in the rehabilitation of their loved ones and to address their needs as well.
On remembrance, commemoration is an important part of our mandate. This is why earlier I said that all Canadian citizens are our partners and clients. In addition to organizing ceremonies and events across Canada and overseas, we are also responsible for numerous memorials and cenotaphs, honours and awards, and for public information and outreach.
The Community Action Partnership Fund, which we administer, provides financial assistance to groups and not-for-profit organizations organizing activities which honour veterans of the Canadian Forces.
We also provide financial assistance to national war memorials and monuments. We commemorated an important anniversary in 2008, the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War. In June this year, we will be marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day.
Turning to slide 24, focusing on youth is a priority for remembrance, and that is why we are working with educators across the country. Our goal is to pass on to our young people the memories of veterans' achievements and sacrifices and the contribution our men and women in uniform have made to the building of our country and the promotion of Canadian values in troubled areas of the world.
As an example, every year at this time or before this time, we launch in the schools our Valentines for Vets project across the country. Our parliamentary secretary for the minister was at the Perley Rideau Veterans' Health Centre yesterday to distribute some of these Valentines for Vets to the veterans who are living there.
Here in Ottawa there will be a drop-box in Confederation Park for anyone who wishes to leave a valentine. The cards are collected and sent to veterans in long-term care facilities across the country. The box is in the park throughout Winterlude, right beside a heart-shaped ice sculpture, which I hope doesn't melt between now and Valentine's Day.
Another example is partnering with the National Capital Commission. You will have received your invitation to our illumination ceremony for an ice sculpture with a NATO theme, which will take place on Thursday this week. This year marks the 60th anniversary of NATO, and close to 500 veterans and guests will attend the evening ceremony. We will also have diplomats from the 26 member countries in attendance.
So we have a number of initiatives that we continue to pursue to find ways to honour milestones as a tribute to our veterans.
Page 25 deals with stakeholders and partners. We work very closely with the six major national veterans organizations, but the six names you see there are not the only organizations we work with. The national council represents 55 organizations, including aboriginal veterans, Gulf War and Korean War veterans associations, and others.
We also have a number of advisory groups. You have the list here. The Gerontological Advisory Council advises the department on how to address the changing needs of our traditional veterans, so they may continue to enjoy optimal health and well-being as they age. The composition of these advisory groups is representative of veterans organizations, academics, and other experts who are there to provide advice to us.
You have the new Veterans Charter advisory group, and they are really relatively new, but they are providing tremendous help in assessing how the programs are meeting the needs and identifying gaps in services that we have not contemplated.
We also have our latest one, the mental health advisory committee, which will have its first meeting next week.
As I said before, the Department of National Defence is really one of our closest partners, if not the closest partner we have. Modern-day veterans represent an important and growing client group for our department. This fact and Canada's commitment to the successful re-establishment of injured soldiers have promoted the need for greater consultation and closer cooperation between Veterans Affairs and National Defence than ever before, in order to bridge the gap between military and civilian life.
I'm going to stop here.
Over the upcoming years, we are going to face interesting challenges and thanks to your help and advice I hope that we will be able to take up these challenges and honour the government's commitment to our veterans.
I want to thank you for your attention. We would be pleased to answer questions, and I also want to say that departmental officials can come and brief you on any specific aspects you have an interest in, or engage in a discussion on the programs and services we are offering.
Merci.
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
Thank you, Deputy Minister.
I wonder if you could go to page 19 just for the committee to make sure, because one thing was printed and I believe you said something different. Just at the bottom, you had mentioned “20 family peer support coordinators”. Is that correct, rather than 12?
4 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
That's what I have. I'll have to double check, because my notes say 20, but you're right, the slide says 12.
We'll clarify that for the committee members.
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
We'll proceed to questions now.
On the first round, Madame Sgro, seven minutes.
4 p.m.
Bloc
Roger Gaudet Bloc Montcalm, QC
On page 19 of the French version, it states “22 peer support coordinators and 12 family peer support coordinators”. I don't know what it says in English because I don't have it.
4 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
It says the same thing in English.
4 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
That's what I said, but the slide refers to 22 and to 12. So, I'll have to get back to you with the right figure.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Judy Sgro Liberal York West, ON
Thank you very much.
And thank you so much for your presentations. I think it probably warms the hearts of everyone to see the kinds of programs that are going on and the outreach that is being done.
I have a couple of questions. Unfortunately, I had a death in the family so I wasn't here on Monday. But there are some comments from the minister that I'd like you to explain a bit. The minister indicated, and his quote was, “If you died today and your wife needed VIP treatment, guess what, she wouldn't get it.”
Does the department plan to fix the problem as to who's eligible for that VIP program?
4 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
On access to VIP, let's say you are the partner of a veteran. The veteran received VIP before he died. Therefore, as his spouse, you will be receiving VIP at the same level until the end of your life. That's the program that exists now.
The addition that was made in the budget last year was for low-income and disabled survivors who did not have access to VIP because the veteran did not request it before he or she died--mostly he. The government decided to provide these widows with access if their husband had been able to qualify but never did ask for it. That was a change in Budget 2008.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Judy Sgro Liberal York West, ON
Is there a reason that the veterans who are eligible for this program are not reaching out for it? I would assume the kinds of services that are offered are fabulous and would be of huge assistance, say to the wife of a male veteran.
Why wouldn't we give it to all veterans automatically? You wouldn't have to wait to see if they applied for it. Maybe many of them don't even know it exists.
4:05 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
Keith, can you give the numbers?
4:05 p.m.
Keith Hillier Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery and Commemoration, Department of Veterans Affairs
In terms of VIP, currently there are 74,000 veterans and a further almost 29,000 survivors receiving VIP, for a total of around 103,000.
The issue of others being eligible for programs is really a matter for the government. That's the prerogative of the government to put forward programs for Canadians.
We ensure that those who are eligible for the program are made aware through the various outreach programs we do in consultation with the Royal Canadian Legion, other veterans organizations, announcements, and outreach through our district and regional offices.
Eligibility is a much larger question, not just for this program but for any program of government. The government of the day decides on eligibility through the cabinet process.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Judy Sgro Liberal York West, ON
There is such a large number of people who don't take the services; I can't imagine them not wanting it if they knew about it. We could look at something as simple as income tax forms and putting a box there that asks whether they are a veteran. If that box is checked, they automatically get additional information. It just seems that there should be a better way dealing with this issue.
I have a further question on our veterans from Afghanistan. Men and women are coming back from Afghanistan, and I think it would be very hard for them to say they're in need of assistance. Our image of our men and women who go abroad to fight for our country is of people who probably would not find it easy to say they think they need help.
The follow-up seems to be done most immediately. But what about a year later when some of these things start to react within families--domestic abuse, a variety of other things? Is there a connection so that a year or two or five years later, when the symptoms really start to appear, they would reach out and know they're entitled to services?