Absolutely not, we hope.
Congratulations on your appointment on November 11. We are happy to have you here. Veterans need an ombudsman to advocate for them.
One issue relates to post-traumatic stress. When we studied the issue of people dealing with post-traumatic stress, a number of witnesses who testified talked to us about statistics. Some were discouraged by the fact that, as they said, from 70 to 90% of initial applications for services or a disability pension were rejected. There seems to be more receptiveness to second applications, 40 to 50% of which were accepted. It seems to have become a knee-jerk reaction for the Department of Veterans Affairs to reject an initial application. A number of witnesses pointed this out. Denis Beaudin, for example, testified to this.
The effect is to deter these people who are dealing with a very serious personal psychological problem. They have the impression they have to fight the Department of Veterans Affairs to have their disability recognized.
Should this situation be a priority for the Ombudsman's attention? Have you defined the situation clearly?
This is quite common. We hear many veterans complain about the fact that they have been denied disability status. This puts them in a truly precarious situation. These are very vulnerable people. Some of them get discouraged and wait years before claiming what they are owed.
You are probably familiar with the situation. I would like to hear what you have to say about it.