Veterans Affairs committee  Same thing.... Just facilitate their moving through the system faster, because some people want change. It's like, “Okay, I'm done, it's over, and I have to get moving again.” You have to grab them when the time is right. When they have that enthusiasm is when you want to be able to offer these services to them.

Veterans Affairs committee  The VAC lawyer, yes. It's not something that people want to do. A lot of them don't realize that you're only one step away from the big no, because all you have after that is to appeal your decision, and it's a paper appeal, and they can say no, and after that it's just up to you.

Veterans Affairs committee  Within the military, I've dealt with probably five or six in the 10 years that I worked for the operational stress injury social support program. As you say, it's a hidden thing. It happens, especially if you were sexually assaulted while serving, and there are things going on to try to track a person down.

Veterans Affairs committee  No. That's another big problem. When you're released, nobody gets you a doctor. Nobody facilitates that. A lot of fellows who leave are lining up with the provincial list to try to get a doctor. Other than that, they go to one of the walk-in clinics. The walk-in clinics aren't designed to fill out paperwork and sort out your concerns.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, a couple of times. It's interesting. The reason that I ended up in front of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board was they didn't understand the cumulative effects on the human body after serving 30 years in the infantry. They wanted a specific target injury. “When did you fall?”...

Veterans Affairs committee  A lot of people give up on the system. You'd be surprised at how many veterans out there made that initial access, were refused, and just walked away from it. The anxiety, frustration, anger, and all that, didn't weigh enough to carry on with pursuing whatever it was they were trying to get.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's education. Education is the thing. Period. Understand the injury. If you have a busted hip, it's too easy. You look at an X-ray and you see the marks and that. On the mental health side, the people dealing with these veterans have to have some knowledge to it. I think mandatory education programs to bring people up to speed with what they're dealing with would make a big difference.

Veterans Affairs committee  Over the past several years, yes. Some of the case managers are doing amazing work. There is more info getting out to the veterans, but it's piecemeal. As some of the fellows have said, most of the knowledge comes from word of mouth, from somebody who accessed it, and this is whether it was a success or failure, or whatever it was.

Veterans Affairs committee  Do you mean the JPSU or the OSI clinic?

Veterans Affairs committee  Well, it's an access point. We used to call them a holding platoon; we all had them. Once they know you're going to be released, you are posted over to the JPSU, literally, from your home unit. That allows your unit now to bring somebody in behind you. Before, the units would have up to 90 people on categories, so they've created this organization you go to.

Veterans Affairs committee  The fellows I talk to all have mental health concerns, so for the most part, it's trying to find a therapist. A lot of them do not want to get a VAC therapist. You go up to the OSI clinic and have your therapy there, and some of them feel uncomfortable with that. There are a lot of therapists out there in the community, especially around Fredericton now, who specialize in trauma therapy, and that's what they need.

Veterans Affairs committee  Well, I don't winter in Florida with the money I made from that.

Veterans Affairs committee  What was great were the comments I got from soldiers and veterans when they said, “Jeez, that was me.” They identified, and so on and so forth. My second book is Better off Dead: That's a comment they told me a lot when I was working with the operational stress program. It's their stories.

Veterans Affairs committee  I dealt mainly with soldiers who had an operational stress injury or mental health concerns. Most of the drugs would be in the range of antidepressants, anti-anxiety pills, and so on and so forth, and that was a big concern. The other big concern was with starting your whole prescription life again once you get out, because the DND ones literally stop.

Veterans Affairs committee  There are what we call local initiatives. In Valcartier, the brigade there has all kinds of initiatives that they've built and have in position. They've been really proactive with a lot of things that go on. Other bases like Petawawa and Gagetown are big army units, but the people are changing all the time.