Veterans Affairs Committee on June 5th, 2012

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Could you get to your question, please?

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

But, Mr. Chair, you have to set the scene.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

You're doing it very well.

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

Do you have those same concerns? How will you approach those unmet needs? What plans are in place? Obviously we can't allow those folks to go without the services they have earned and deserve.

[Anne-Marie Pellerin]

Thank you very much for the question.

Certainly our outreach strategy, in terms of Veterans Affairs, is very much in response to the studies that have been done that would indicate a veteran population not currently accessing services of the department.

Through that outreach strategy, the department is endeavouring to educate people, to encourage people to approach the department if they have a need they think may be related to service, and then in that way to determine eligibility, and if that eligibility is established, to provide the services.

We're continually pursuing that outreach, and so far that has meant a slight increase in terms of people approaching the department for service.

The other avenue we're monitoring very carefully with our colleagues at National Defence is the potential releases. Colonel Blais mentioned there is a period of up to two or three years during which members are retained in the military before release. That period enables the Department of Veterans Affairs to plan and be proactive in getting ready to serve that population that is going to be releasing from the military.

We feel that we're relatively well positioned to be able to absorb more cases, based on our exceeding the standard at the moment, and to put services in place through our existing case manager complement and through our health professionals and contracted services as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

Thank you very much, Ms. Pellerin.

Now we go to Mr. Storseth for five minutes, please.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you very much to the witnesses for coming today.

Colonel Bernier and Colonel Blais, it's good to see you again.

I have a couple of questions. I'd like to dive right into them.

If there are Canadian Forces members looking to medically retire, then I assume, from the conversation we just had and your presentation, that an integrated transition plan would have been done for every one of them in the last six months.

[Col Gerry Blais]

Yes, it would have been done in the last six months. Especially as we begin the process, we are focusing on those who have complex needs. The plan is that by the end of the year everybody releasing for medical reasons will have an integrated transition plan.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Who would be included in who they would be sitting down with?

[Col Gerry Blais]

I'm sorry?

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Who would they be sitting down with, then, to create the plan?

[Col Gerry Blais]

At the table there is the Veterans Affairs representative who works in the integrated personnel support centre. There is the case manager from health services. There are the services staff from the integrated personnel support centres who ensure either return-to-work programs, employment programs, or education programs. There are people from SISIP financial services and insurance. There is the individual himself or herself and a family member, if he or she so chooses, and basically anybody else who can assist in making sure that transition goes smoothly.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

How many meetings would they traditionally have on this before they created the plan?

[Col Gerry Blais]

It's an ongoing process, because as a person is advised that they're going to be medically released, they've basically known in advance for some time, and the process has already begun—we have looked at education programs, we have begun to access employment services, etc.

There are as many meetings as are required. By the time we get to the transition plan meeting, in most of the cases one meeting does the trick.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

You talked a little bit about flexibility. Explain to me the flexibility within this system.

[Col Gerry Blais]

As Colonel Bernier mentioned, there is a tool that analyzes the complexity of an individual's needs. If a person is considered a complex transition, be it because there are modifications required to the home for the long term—for health care or for potential employment—or perhaps there's a mental health condition that would preclude employment for a couple of years, then from the medical side of the house they recommend a period of retention, which can go from six months up to three years. We work within those parameters to ensure that the person is given every chance to succeed on the way out.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

What do you mean by “retention”?

[Col Gerry Blais]

That means they remain in uniform; they are not released from the armed forces.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

If I were a member who was, say, just a few months short of my 10-year mark to qualify for my pension or some pension benefits, would this flexibility, nine times out of ten, be invoked so that it could carry me over that point?

[Col Gerry Blais]

That's not considered an aspect of complexity; however, we want to set people up for success, so any benefit of the doubt.... If a person is within a couple of months of the ten-year point, unless there are really odd circumstances, we will get them there.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

Thank you very much. It sounds like a good system.

We've had OSI clinics on some of the bases I represent, and I know they have gone over tremendously well, especially for their ability to give current serving members access from remote rural locations. And some of these more remote locations are getting clinics. That has been a big step for some of our guys.

You talked about Edmonton as one of the pilot projects. Could you give some details on that and say whether you see it as a success story, Colonel Bernier?

[Col Jean-Robert Bernier]

That pilot project is only just starting, and it's only to track, digitize, and electronically transfer to Veterans Affairs all the medical records of people undergoing medical release in order to accelerate the process for them to adjudicate the benefit or whatever is required. That pilot project is just starting now. We hope to have it finished by September of this year and then to have it fully implemented across the armed forces clinics two years later, by September 2014.

[Brian Storseth, Conservative, Westlock—St. Paul, AB]

I see this as being a big step forward for our men and women who are moving from active duty to becoming veterans. Often one of the logjams in the system, as you say, is accessing medical records and having to swap them back and forth. This is something that's very important.

How much time do I have left, Mr. Chairman?

[The Chair, Conservative, Greg Kerr]

We're actually over, but I'm waiting for your question.

[Voices]

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