Yes, absolutely. We don't want these cases to end up in confrontation. There are established facts. Certain things make me feel uneasy. I can talk about the RCMP. In stress-related cases, they tell us we shouldn't talk about it. But that is not the way we do things. As occupational physicians, when it is determined that an individual is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and that means he is eligible for compensation, we consider him to be eligible and we pass on the file. From that point on, I am unaware of what the process is.
Of course, the actual officers are responsible for evaluating the cases. I believe you were given a good historical overview of PTSD last Tuesday. The case law as well as medical knowledge in that area are advancing every day. It is essential that officers base themselves on significant criteria. There are medical advisors. With us, cases are decided by our experts. It's not easy to question workers. Sometimes people are troubled by the questions because they're of a very personal nature. But we need to have the answers and all of it has to be validated by a physician.
Providing training to officers would indeed help them gain a better understanding of the phenomenon and facilitate the process. However, even if we provide better training to people, there will still be PTSD cases, because we cannot predict each and every situation. At the same time, if we are able to identify these cases and do some early intervention, people will not become totally incapacitated.
The problems associated with eligibility and case management mean that people are constantly fighting for their rights. We don't know what to do with them anymore. I, personally, prefer to ask an individual suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder what he intends to do. Yes, we will give him a pension, but I ask him if he can work. That individual has to declare himself to be disabled because no one believes him. His wife doesn't believe him because PTSD means he doesn't like anyone anymore and doesn't react to anything. His children probably think he is crazy and that he is a lost cause. We have to look at those issues.