Veterans Affairs committee  I think there are a couple of things to bear in mind. First of all, as part of our outreach, we have over 50 employees across Canada who are available to help veterans prepare their claims, and we're looking at other methods of outreach in the not-so-distant future. The other part of that is that as the minister announced at the press conference in Winnipeg with regard to reducing red tape, and based on the recommendation of the veterans ombudsman, we have made and will continue to make more improvements in the decision letters, so that people have an understanding of exactly why the decision was made and what evidence was looked at.

Veterans Affairs committee  I understand what you're saying, and I just want to give you a little bit of a sense of the operational dynamic. In some cases, veterans who were claiming for more than one condition might say, “Look, I have the information for two of my conditions, and I'll put it through so I can get part of my claim in pay, and then come back later.”

Veterans Affairs committee  I'd be happy to provide that, Mr. Chair.

Veterans Affairs committee  I guess my first response is that obviously, due to privacy concerns, I cannot make any comment on any of the individual cases you mentioned. I can say on a much more general basis that the employees of Veterans Affairs Canada care about the veterans and their families. I've been around government for a long time.

Veterans Affairs committee  We looked at our business processes and how we were doing it. You also make reference to the veterans independence program. To achieve some of the faster turnaround times and wait times, we're re-engineering our programs. We're trying to eliminate steps that probably have no value to the veteran or the department.

Veterans Affairs committee  I want to be clear on the direct deposit. Veterans have been receiving direct deposit of their pension cheques and their disability awards for many years. The change is with respect to reimbursements for travel, medical, etc. In fact, approximately 50,000 veterans in the last year have taken advantage of the fact that they can get their reimbursements much faster through direct deposit.

Veterans Affairs committee  Unfortunately, there are situations where sometimes people aren't aware, and that's why last year, with the support of the chief of military personnel, we visited about 20 Canadian Forces bases and wings and had town halls to outline to the men and women the types of services and benefits....

Veterans Affairs committee  I would leave that question to the Canadian Forces. Essentially, the theoretical answer is yes. Sometimes people don't always show up. The participation rate is well over 80%, so a lot of people actually go to the interview, particularly those who are being medically released, who may see an immediate need for assistance from Veterans Affairs Canada, as opposed to somebody who maybe is just winding down their military career, is in good health, and may not have the same interest in our services and benefits.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm aware of it peripherally. I'm not responsible for the commemoration program.

Veterans Affairs committee  There are two ways we are going to be able to measure it. First, there's the formal way, in terms of the reports on plans and priorities that are tabled, as well as the departmental performance report, and we have numerous statistical reports that show us what the wait time is.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, we do satisfaction surveys, and also—

Veterans Affairs committee  No, they're not. They're not segregated. There's a segregation between war-era veterans and modern-era veterans. There's no segregation based on the theatre where you may have had action.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for the opportunity to meet here today. I'd like to introduce Mr. Raymond Lalonde, who's my director general responsible for our network of operational stress injury clinics across Canada. Over the past few months you have heard substantial testimony from qualified, credible expert witnesses who spoke passionately on the subject of Canadian Forces members transitioning to civilian life.

Veterans Affairs committee  I would say that our response is very positive and that we work with the ombudsman. For example, I have quarterly meetings with the ombudsman so that many of the things that had been noted in the ombudsman's report—and we appreciate his input—we've actually been working on for some time.

Veterans Affairs committee  Quite quickly, Mr. Chair, I can't comment on any particular veteran's issues, but I can assure you that we afford the maximum flexibility for veterans who need to see specialists.