I'll take you to a story that happened a couple of years ago in my riding, with an individual who was a war veteran. He was becoming very frail. He liked to stay in his basement near his wood heater and do his crosswords. At night he would have to go up the stairs in order to go to bed. He found it difficult to get up those stairs, and he asked if he could get a lift for his house. DVA's initial response was no, because his elderly wife could help him up the stairs. The definition of “need” was different there. What he thought he needed and what the DVA individual thought he needed were different.
Who should determine the need? Should it be someone from DVA with the flexibility to say yes or no? I'm thinking of various prescription drugs, hearing aids, whatever it is that they require. In order to facilitate better conditions in their home, for example, their home may have to be modified, outside or inside. Who determines that need?