Veterans Affairs Committee on March 6th, 2012

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Thank you very much, Minister.

Now I understand we go to Mr. Lizon, for five minutes.

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Minister, I would like to ask you a question. Could you give us some information on the benefits navigator? Not long ago you announced a new initiative, the benefits navigator, that is designed to improve services delivered to our veterans. As you are aware, this committee is currently conducting a study on the delivery of services for veterans, and transitioning Canadian Forces personnel to civilian life. Could you explain how the benefits navigator will improve clients' access and make information about programs and services available to veterans?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

Very briefly, this is actually a user-friendly tool where, regarding your profile and your style, you click and it puts emphasis on the program to which you are entitled and the function of what....

But I will invite James, who has been closely involved in the procedure, to give some more explanation.

Just so you know, this tool is available for our employees to enable them. Eventually as we make it more user-friendly and readily accessible, we will make it available to the veterans' community as well.

[James Gilbert, Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, Communications and Commemoration, Department of Veterans Affairs]

Thank you, Minister.

Thank you for the question.

I've been proud to be working on the benefits navigator-benefits browser project. It has galvanized a lot of staff and people are excited with the products, and about how it's going to make their work easier to serve veterans.

It's from Mr. Blaney's leadership in terms of creating a hassle-free environment and cutting red tape that this benefits navigator-benefits browser puts the veterans first so one can see what type of veteran they are. Are you a modern-day veteran, where did you serve? Right away, for the staff there is a suite of benefits that are available, so they don't have to go through various different web pages, and different manuals to get it. They have a veteran in front of them, they can ask a few questions of that veteran, and right away that suite of services and benefits to which that veteran may be eligible is at their fingertips.

We tested it with one district and then we rolled it out across the country. Our front-line service staff are feeling empowered that they have a good tool, which can help them serve the veterans so that the veterans are well aware of the benefits and services they're entitled to.

It's been a great project to work on.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

The comments I got from some employees, especially for new employees, is that it's very useful because it gives them a broad overview of the programs available and they can then drill in.

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

To continue along this line, I understand this is available now to the employees. Are you planning or working on a web-based program that will actually be available for clients, so that the clients who are computer literate can go to check what they're entitled to and browse the website and get knowledge that way?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

Yes, absolutely. As we are implementing it to the employees, I would be willing in the next fiscal year to implement this to the veterans' community.

[Wladyslaw Lizon, Conservative, Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON]

Minister, another question I have—we spoke about this yesterday during the debate—is about cutting red tape. As I mentioned, I hear from veterans in my riding and many of my colleagues hear from veterans in their ridings about cutting red tape and simplifying procedures. Can you give us some examples of how the new procedures are working to make applications more user-friendly and clearer for the veterans, especially at a later age because traditional veterans are in their mid-eighties? I think the average age is now 88 years in Canada.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

For our traditional veterans, but now there are many more younger veterans entering into our community that is served by Veterans Affairs. In terms of initiatives, one initiative is using plain language. It is important to communicate with the veterans in plain language, so we expect that this will make for a better understanding.

In other areas I think the veterans independence program is a very good program, but we intend to move forward. I think we need to make this program more simple, more user-friendly for veterans, so I am exploring ways in which we could make the veterans independence program.... This program is helping disabled veterans. It is aimed at disabled veterans to help them, whether with

domestic chores, such as cutting the grass, washing windows or housekeeping.

At the moment, veterans have to provide invoices and send them to Charlottetown. The people in Charlottetown look at the invoices, add them all up and send them back. Is there a way to simplify that? That is what we are looking into. Right now, there are some issues with travel. Given all those issues, is there a way to simplify our procedures? We should do something to make things easier for veterans and to simplify the administrative management process so as to cut the red tape and to ultimately provide services to veterans, since that is the objective.

That is the direction we are heading in and it includes: the veterans independence program; clearer and plainer language in correspondence; and simplifying the forms, as I said—for example, confidentiality forms, among others, are redundant. It is all about reducing the administrative burden.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Thank you very much, Mr. Minister.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Chairman, I have a point of order. The parliamentary secretary, in her question, indicated that the new Veterans Charter was passed by a Conservative government, which is factually incorrect. It was passed on May 13, 2005 by the Paul Martin government. I just wanted to make sure that this was corrected or clarified.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

It's not a point of order, but you got the point on the record.

[Eve Adams, Conservative, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

Pardon me, Mr. Chair, simply because I've been named....

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

You're going to have to be quick, because we're really short on time.

[Eve Adams, Conservative, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

They were actually enhancements to the new Veterans Charter. These improvements to the earnings loss benefit and the disability awards are actually a result of those enhancements. That was announced last November, I believe.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Thank you very much. If you want to continue this, it can take place outside the room when we're all through.

As I say thank you, I want to point out that we have a very brief time period for dealing with our next witness, so I want to make sure that we leave it. We need 10 minutes at the end to vote, actually, on the motions themselves.

Thank you very much for joining us today and answering questions. We look forward to probably seeing you again back at committee on other issues. Thank you for being here.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Lévis—Bellechasse, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

We will suspend.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Thank you, folks.

We are under real time pressure. I just want to point that out. We have to vote on these motions during the last 10 minutes. We're running just a little late. If it seems as though I'm pushing, Mr. Larlee....

By the way, welcome. It's nice to have you here. Ms. Rowell, it's nice to have you here.

What I will do is indicate that I may want to shorten the answers. We're going to try the round with everybody involved this time so that we don't leave anybody out. But we're going to try to go for a four-minute round. We won't even make that. I'm just giving everybody notice right now.

If we're all ready to go, first we'll hear, for a few minutes, if we could, from Mr. Larlee. Welcome.

He is from the Veterans Review and Appeal Board.

Please proceed.

[John D. Larlee, Chair, Veterans Review and Appeal Board]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and good afternoon, honourable committee members.

I am pleased to be here today to talk to you about the board's main estimates for 2012-13 and about how we are serving Canada's veterans.

With me is Karen Rowell, our director of corporate operations, who has been with the board since its creation in 1995.

The board fulfills the government's commitment to providing veterans, and members of the Canadian Forces and the RCMP, with a generous and independent appeal process for disability benefits decisions made by Veterans Affairs Canada. I can assure you that the board is dedicated to serving veterans and their families respectfully, efficiently, and effectively.

The vast majority of our budget is spent on conducting hearings for veterans in almost 30 locations across the country. These hearings deal with the most complex and challenging cases, since the straightforward ones are approved by the department. The reality is that many veterans are satisfied at the departmental level and never bring their decisions forward to the board.

Let me turn, for a moment, to how our hearing process works.

The board's hearings are non-adversarial, which means that no one is arguing against the veterans. Veterans are represented at no cost by lawyers from the Bureau of Pensions Advocates or service officers from the Royal Canadian Legion.

The review hearing is the first level of redress at the board. It is the veteran's first and only opportunity to appear before decision-makers, with witnesses, and to testify about his or her disability and its relationship to service. He or she can also bring forward new information and present arguments in support of his or her case. By the end of this fiscal year, 3,600 applicants will have had review hearings.

If the veteran remains dissatisfied, he or she can request an appeal hearing. Through a representative, he or she, again, can submit new information and make further arguments in support of the case.

By the end of this fiscal year, 1,000 veterans will have had appeal hearings. Thanks to the opportunity these hearings provide, many applicants are successful in obtaining a better outcome at the board. In 2010-11, half received increased benefits due to a review decision, while a further one-third received increased benefits on appeal.

Mr. Chair, the board plays a vital role in ensuring that Canada's veterans receive the benefits they so rightly deserve, and we are committed to making ongoing program improvements to better serve them. Today the board processes review applications 20% faster than it did five years ago. Our progress is even more significant at appeal, with a 50% reduction in processing times. We have a manageable workload and are getting decisions to veterans sooner.

The board's priority is to make decisions that are fair and well reasoned in a timely fashion. In order to do so, we make sure that the veterans' applications are heard by professional and independent mediators. We have an excellent group of members who bring a wide range of professional experience to their work.

Board members qualify through a selection process that is based on merit and recognizes the value of military, medical, policing, and legal experience. In fact, our two most recently appointed members are Canadian Forces and RCMP veterans.

All new members undergo a rigorous 12-week training program before hearing cases. They also receive ongoing professional development and support from knowledgeable staff. As chairman, I have established performance assessments for members to give them regular feedback and opportunities to enhance their skills. I am committed to finding more ways to strengthen our program in the next fiscal year. We will remain dedicated to managing our costs effectively and providing a fair and effective appeal program for veterans and their families.

We are conducting a process redesign to find ways to cut red tape and make the appeal process faster and easier. We are continuing to make the protection of veterans' personal information a priority, and will look for opportunities to further strengthen our privacy practices.

We are focusing on plain language in our decisions and our communications. We are improving our website, and will publish noteworthy decisions to increase transparency and help veterans who may come before us in the future.

We are continuing to educate our members and staff about military and RCMP culture, and the challenges faced by disabled veterans and their families. We continue to expand our outreach to build stronger relationships with stakeholders and act on their feedback.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity today to talk about the board's commitment to serve Canada's veterans.

Mr. Chairman, I'm prepared to answer any questions the members may have.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Thank you very much, Mr. Larlee, for those comments.

We'll go to the NDP for a four-minute round, shared by Ms. Mathyssen and Ms. Papillon.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want the committee to be aware of my notice of motion for the next meeting. It is essentially that in the opinion of the committee, Rob Anders, MP for Calgary West, be removed from the Veterans Affairs committee. I'll be prepared to speak to that at the next meeting.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

We have the notice, and of course, we will not deal with it until the business section of next meeting, which gives you the 48-hours' notice. That's fine.

Ms. Papillon.

[Annick Papillon, NDP, Québec, QC]

Thank you very much.

My question is for the Department of Veterans Affairs. I would like to go back to what happened a few weeks ago.

During Veterans' Week, we set up the scientific advisory committee on veterans' health, with the first issue being exposure to depleted uranium. Last December, when the committee was created, five people were selected and we were even able to see their CVs.

However, we have since not received much information about the committee, and I would like to know more.

First, I would like to know what the mandate of the committee is. Second, I would like to know whether the minister is making a commitment to table the committee report in the House, when it ends in June 2013. I would then like to have more information about the committee's meetings and about whether veterans can suggest witnesses to be heard during the meetings of the scientific advisory committee on veterans health. Similarly, I would like to know whether some documents might be reviewed in order to make sure that they are not documents where conclusions have already been reached. Finally, I would also like to know the costs incurred since the advisory committee was set up, as well as the committee's budget assessment.

Since many veterans are relying on this committee, could you provide me with answers to be able to reassure them?

[Suzanne Tining, Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs]

Thank you very much for asking this question. Let me give you an update.

The scientific committee was set up a few months ago. There have already been two meetings, one at which the minister has clearly laid out his expectations of the committee.

As to your second point, you wanted to know whether veterans will be able to make their opinions known. I think that is what you meant.