It's very simple. There's a huge communication problem between the Department of Veterans Affairs, the veterans and the active military. The military use the military jargon and the veterans affairs department administrators use administrative jargon. We'd need an intermediary because a soldier and an administrator don't speak the same language. They can't understand each other. What's needed is simply for a social worker to participate in the process.
The soldier would go talk to the social worker who, with his or her medical knowledge, would be in a position to adequately analyze the needs of this veteran. The social worker would then be responsible for discussing this with the administrators at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans who are suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and who have trouble even putting up with themselves are asked to explain their needs. For my part, I don't know what those needs are, but I know I'm in distress. I don't have the skills necessary to say what my needs are. However, I can tell you about my problems. From that point, it's very simple. The soldier should only have to talk to the social worker. That social worker would then conduct a professional analysis and refer that person to the appropriate care and services.
Moreover, if the veteran spoke to a social worker rather than an administrator, the social worker could ensure follow-up of the veteran's file. Right now, the soldier always has to beg and justify every request. As I said earlier, veterans are always seen as people who want a bigger cheque. We want care. We're simply asking to be treated like human beings. I think that if we proceeded like—