Certainly. As you say, it's a new concept. Looking forward and developing benefits and a new delivery system, a new way of delivering benefits, I think, is what's important.
Right now benefits and programs have been designed after missions, based on the needs of the particular individual who served. Afghanistan is a good example. There was a suite of programs brought in after the Afghanistan era that was made specifically for people who served in Afghanistan. Again, one of the eligibility criteria was “must have served in Afghanistan”. There were the same types of programs after World War II and Korea.
What we're saying is that right now the needs are not based on the mission; the needs are based on what a veteran and his family are facing. The new concept is to make sure we work from there backwards to what we need to achieve. What are the benchmarks, and how do we put the law and the processes in place to achieve them?
It is a brand new concept, yes. Veterans Affairs Canada is not known to be proactive, that's for sure.