Veterans Affairs Committee on March 11th, 2009

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Is there a cap on the dollar amount you spend on someone in a medical centre or hospital? Is there a cap dictating that you will spend only so much money per veteran?

[Leigh Ann Skeens]

The medical centres are administered under the health administration, so that again would fall under Ms. Patterson.

As far as benefits are concerned, if a veteran is in the hospital or anything, the benefits still continue. We don't have any sort of limit on that. If they're in a nursing home, sometimes we can grant additional benefits to cover aid and attendants. There are some additional benefits that we offer as part of this, but we don't have a limit on the amount they can receive.

[Judy Sgro, Liberal, York West, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Thank you.

Monsieur André, do you have another question?

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Yes, I have two questions for the witness.

When a service member dies on active duty, how much money does the family receive in the form of death benefits? If a service member is disabled or injured while on active duty, what procedure is followed to determine the disability benefits to which that service member is entitled? Does it depend on the number of limbs affected? If a service member loses a limb—an arm, for example—is he entitled to receive a certain amount of money or are overall benefits determined on the basis of the disability?

[Leigh Ann Skeens]

On your first question, concerning death benefits, the veteran's service will determine the amount of the death benefits a family receives. If the veteran had a service-related disability for which he was receiving benefits and he died from that particular disability, then his spouse specifically, and his child also, can be entitled to dependency indemnity compensation. The current rates for a spouse who is receiving dependency indemnity compensation are $1,154 a month; if it's a child, it's $488 a month. If the veteran did not die of a service-related condition, the spouse may be eligible for death pension, but again it is an income-based benefit, so they also have to meet the income threshold to be eligible.

We also offer a plot allowance of $300 that can be paid to the family to help cover costs of burial. If the veteran died from a service-related disability, that burial benefit can be up to $2,000; that is a one-time payment to cover expenses.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Okay.

If you have more to add to your answer, go right ahead. I'm sorry.

[Leigh Ann Skeens]

The second part of the question, I believe, was about how we rate disabilities for service connection. We have what we call a rating schedule of disabilities, and it is broken down by parts of the body. It's also broken down by body systems.

I'm trying to think quickly of something to relate it to.

A veteran who has a knee condition or limitation of motion in their knee.... We have specific ratings that are related to each individual disability. It includes mental health disabilities as well as physical disabilities, impairments to vision—all those things are covered in that rating schedule. And it's based on the “whole body” theory; that was established many years ago. The percentage that is granted for the particular disability—for instance, a disability of the knee where you have limitation of motion—can be anywhere from 10% service connected up to 60% service connected, depending on the level of disability and the incapacitation.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Thank you very much, Madam Skeens.

Now back to Mr. Stoffer.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Thank you.

Madam, on page 4 of your deck here it says, “Disability pension—awarded to wartime veterans with permanent and total disabilities which are not the result of military service or to veterans at least 65 years of age”.

Correct me if I read that incorrectly. Say I served in Iraq as an American citizen, and I did two tours, came back, and was fine, then I went and did my normal job and on my way to that job I was in a severe car accident and lost both my legs. Would VBA then assist me in any assistance that I required, even though it wasn't service related?

[Leigh Ann Skeens]

Yes, sir. If you are rated permanent and totally disabled from your disabilities, you can be eligible for pension. You still have to meet the income threshold, however, which is relatively low for veterans who are working full time or even part time.

The instance that you presented I would say would fall more under assistance under our vocational rehabilitation program, so that a veteran could get some help for employment, as long as you're still able to perform some type of regular job duties.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

The second part of that is if I'm a 67-year-old veteran and all of a sudden my hearing is going, which is not service related, and I meet the income eligibility, would you assist me, for example, with my hearing aids?

[Leigh Ann Skeens]

With your hearing aids, the health administration has a program specifically for hearing and hearing aids and Ms. Patterson can cover that.

From a pension perspective, if you're over 65 and you're determined to have a disability that makes you permanently and totally disabled so that you can't work at all—it could be a heart condition, it could be a back condition, it could be anything--it does not have to be service related. As long as you're 65 years old and you have one day of wartime service and 90 days of active duty service total, then yes, you can be eligible for pension if you meet the income requirements.

[Peter Stoffer, NDP, Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Kerr, do you have another question?

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Yes. I'll ask on Mr. Clarke's behalf.

On deck 12, I was interested in the reserve educational assistance program.

[Leigh Ann Skeens]

Yes, sir.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

If I understood you correctly, after 2005 the change meant that all reservists who were active would get the same consideration, the same eligibility, as active soldiers who were not reservists. And you said, I think, it's strictly because of the call-up requirements in the recent wars.

If that changes, if all of a sudden the world circumstances change and the reservists weren't called up, would that automatically stop that program? And is there any other way for a reservist to enter this educational program?

[Leigh Ann Skeens]

Before this new GI bill that's going to be in effect August 1, 2009, it wouldn't necessarily go away. This program is going to continue, so a veteran who is in the reserves but who is called up as part of a national emergency or wartime period would still be eligible for this benefit.

However, we expect that many of these programs will become obsolete because the new Post-9/11 GI Bill is a much better benefit from the perspective that it pays so much more totally your tuition costs, your housing cost, books, and supplies. We expect that most all of our service members are going to choose to go under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. And because of the relaxed eligibility requirements for that, so that you can have an aggregate of active duty rather than having to serve your continuous three years, the reservists and national guardsmen will be able to be eligible for that benefit as well.

They'll have to probably be in for a little longer to get the aggregated service that's required, but they will still be eligible for that benefit. In that case, under the new GI bill starting this year, all the veterans who are eligible for that will get the same amount of money if they're going to school full time and they have the required aggregate number of months of active duty.

So it brings the active duty service members and the reserve service members who serve the same amount of time over a longer period to an equal level.

[Greg Kerr, Conservative, West Nova, NS]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Sweet]

Thank you very much, once again.

Now, Madam Foote.

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

Thank you.

When we talk about independent living, you break it down into training activities of daily living, technological assistance, and personal adjustment counselling.

I'm wondering if you can give us any idea of the percentage of veterans who actually avail of those services.

[Leigh Ann Skeens]

With respect to the percentage of veterans...I'm trying to see if I have that number with me. I don't have an exact percentage of those in independent living programs, but I can certainly get that information to you.

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Random—Burin—St. George's, NL]

One of the issues we keep hearing is that veterans are reluctant to go for personal adjustment counselling, as an example.

I'm wondering if you are aware of that. Is that the situation in the U.S. as well?

[Leigh Ann Skeens]

Yes, that is the situation here as well. That's something we have worked hard on with our vocational rehab program, as well as with the Veterans Health Administration, to encourage those veterans who are coming back with severe disabilities to get some readjustment counselling.

We've developed some additional programs to help and encourage them to go for that sort of counselling and also to make a smoother transition from hospital care into benefits care so they are more aware of the services from the vocational rehabilitation and employment program. As part of that program, we do offer that readjustment counselling, independent living services, and some of those additional benefits.