Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Good morning everyone. It’s a pleasure to be here today.
I'm delighted to be here again. As you may recall, my colleague, Charlotte Stewart, and I were last before the committee on September 29, at which time we provided a bit of a departmental overview. As director general of policy and research, I am going to lead off today on the policy framework for the new Veterans Charter, including recent enhancements that have been implemented. Following that, Charlotte Stewart, the director general of service delivery and program management, will speak to program implementation and service delivery issues.
As you are mostly aware, the new Veterans Charter includes a suite of programs and services that work together to support the successful transition of veterans and their families to civilian life. This suite of services is supported by case management, mental health services, and other Veterans Affairs Canada programs, such as treatment benefits and the veterans independence program. The focus of the new Veterans Charter is to support the veterans' transition from military to civilian life, to support his or her wellness and his or her independence throughout the move into civilian life. The new Veterans Charter programming is based on principles of modern disability management, and includes comprehensive medical, psychosocial, and vocational rehabilitation services targeted to address the recovery and re-establishment needs of veterans and their families.
While participating in rehabilitation, veterans are eligible for income support in the form of our earnings loss benefit program, which is one of a number of financial benefits available to provide an income stream up to age 65 if necessary, and to guarantee a basic standard of living. The charter also includes a lump-sum disability award that recognizes and compensates for the non-economic effects of a service-related disability. It provides for access to the public service health care plan for those not currently covered, and it provides services to help with career transition.
In place since 2006, the new Veterans Charter aims to care for the men and women it serves in a more comprehensive manner than existed prior to 2006. Ladies and gentlemen, the new Veterans Charter is not perfect, but it's a strong foundation on which to build, as was done recently with the enhancements that were approved by this committee some months back, which came into force on October 3. These new Veterans Charter enhancements represent an investment of $189 million over five years and will benefit approximately 4,000 veterans over that period.
These enhancements include the following. One is an increase in the monthly financial allowance under the earnings loss benefit, bringing the minimal annual pre-tax income to $40,000 for those participating in rehabilitation or who are unable to be gainfully employed. The second improvement, increased access to monthly allowances, including the permanent impairment allowance, is essentially a taxable allowance worth up to $1,632 per month, based on current rates. It is payable for life to seriously impaired veterans. There's a new monthly supplement of $1,000 to the permanent impairment allowance, and it's intended for the most seriously disabled veterans who are unable to be gainfully employed. Finally, the enhancements provide flexible payment options for veterans who receive a disability award.
Ladies and gentlemen, these changes address the priority gaps that had been identified through consultations with a number of stakeholders, including this committee and its reports, and other groups. These changes are predicated on a defining principle, that those in greatest need receive the most support. With these improvements, our most seriously disabled veterans will be guaranteed a minimum annual income of $58,000 per year. We have also taken other advice to heart. We are improving our outreach to CF members, veterans, and their families regarding programming that Veterans Affairs provides. In collaboration with our colleagues at National Defence, we have made 19 joint presentations now to more than 6,000 CF members, veterans, and their families on major CF bases across the country, so that they are fully informed about what the new Veterans Charter actually provides them.
In light of our commitment to ensure this is a living charter, evolving to meet the needs of CF veterans and their families, we will continue our efforts to understand the distinct needs of the younger CF population. The departmental programs and services, as such, must be evidenced-based, and we are using our research work, jointly undertaken with National Defence and the Canadian Forces, to help guide program and policy design.
Ladies and gentlemen, that gives you a little bit of context for the New Veterans Charter and for the enhancements to the charter. I'm now going to turn it over to Charlotte Stewart, who is going to speak to some of the service delivery and implementation issues.