Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you for your question. The announced additional money—and member of Parliament Laurie Hawn mentioned a few times the amount of money available for rehabilitation—isn't for those non-commissioned members. Tim mentioned he finished his university education, but he had already started it.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. Some people get the opportunity to take additional education while they are in the forces. If I am not mistaken, National Defence has cut back on those opportunities through its budget cuts. Those opportunities to continue education have been greatly reduced. The non-commissioned members have a difficult time to advance their education while they are serving.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, I very much would. At present, injured veterans are already taking a 25% pay cut when they go on their earnings loss benefit. Had they not been injured, it's money that they would have put aside, put into savings, in the best part of their career, in the end years. In the U.S., ever since the GI Bill came out during the Second World War, there have always been low-interest home loans available for injured veterans get them on their feet, to make them stable in their home life, thereby taking stress off the family.

Veterans Affairs committee  I also recommend veterans mortgage life insurance, because mortgage protection insurance could help families of severely disabled veterans pay off their home mortgage in the event of a veteran's death. There are many veterans who have been medically released who do not qualify for mortgage life insurance due to their injuries.

Veterans Affairs committee  May I just say the last point, sir?

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. I just have one point to say, sir.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the invitation to appear today. I sincerely hope that I'm heard today, because over the past nine years the stakeholders have given about 486 solutions to problems with the new Veterans Charter. I think three of them have been used, so it would be nice to humour me once in a while and use one of my suggestions.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thanks, it's a very good question. Yes, I did. This idea of a new adjudication system was written because of the feedback of our members. A couple of years ago when we had 6,000 members I put this out to them, and I got instant feedback. I can show you the spreadsheet going back to when I did it.

Veterans Affairs committee  Then you have your own mirror version of the medical review board.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. But then they're not going to be as busy because only the veterans who are out would be going through the new medical review board. That's an evidence-based system, where you provide a proper claim in the first place, prepared for you and with you by a claims processor.

Veterans Affairs committee  I have to say yes. In 2006 when it came out, I thought we had something there.

Veterans Affairs committee  Pardon me?

Veterans Affairs committee  I would say that we need the adjudication system changed to a medical evidence-based system. We need to disband the VRAB so that it's an easier transition system. Where the National Defence medical review board...their word is taken. They're all doctors. If they say you can't fulfill the obligations of your trade and you're being removed from the military for medical reasons then that should be transferred to Veterans Affairs without adjudication.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's really hard to really trust what you're saying. To say, “What are your priorities?” and “Trust us, just give us your priorities for now and trust us, we're going to make more changes”. It's only been one change in 10 years. As I was saying, it's only eight years since 2006, but by the time any changes that come from this committee are implemented, it's going to be another at least 18 months by the time it goes through Parliament, gets gazetted, and goes through the system.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, I would love to be able to answer your question on that. I'm going to give you a story of a soldier suffering from PTSD in Alberta. His wife and four kids were in the vehicle and the RCMP pulled them over because he was confining his wife and four kids thinking that he was in the Hells Angels and driving his minivan down the road.