Thank you, Maureen.
Good morning, everyone.
I'm very pleased to be here today, particularly with the Legion and with Tim, with respect to the important subject of the transitioning of our veterans to the workplace, which is a critical subject for veterans, as you can see from the Legion and from community organizations and universities, as Tim has outlined.
As Maureen indicated, the transition from military to civilian life is a critical passage for Canadian Forces members. Yet as Brad has indicated, the research in this area is evolving to the extent that we know we need to know more, we need to learn more about that experience, what the needs are in transition, and how we can best develop programs and services to meet those needs.
There has been recent research, such as the “Life After Service” studies. I'm not sure if you're aware of those studies. It looked at veterans who released between 1998 and 2007, and this kind of research is helping us to better understand the needs of transitioning veterans. The total released population from 1998 to 2007 was approximately 42,000, so it provides very rich data to help us better understand the experiences and the needs of the transitioning veteran.
This research has told us that most veterans who transition out of the military—that's 65%—felt they had an easy adjustment to civilian life, but a very important group, about 25% of the releasing members, have found the adjustment to civilian life very difficult. As a whole, the research indicated that released CF members were less likely to experience low income compared to other Canadians. A full 89% of the survey participants worked as civilians post-release. About 8% experienced unemployment, which is similar to the Canadian population, and very few—1%—accessed social assistance. Those with a difficult adjustment tended to have less than 20 years of service in the military, released at lower ranks, and had multiple health conditions and poor social support.
So this research is telling us we need to target supportive programs more precisely to those 25% who are having difficulty with their transition. I think you're hearing it here this morning, from the Legion and from Tim in terms of the program through UBC, how critical these kinds of initiatives and programs are to better support our veterans who transition.
This is also why the new Veterans Charter, which Maureen has described, is so important to the transition of modern-day veterans. It's based on the principles of modern disability management, but also based on the fact that those with the greatest need require the greatest support. These programs—whether it's medical, psycho-social, vocational, or financial support—work together to support the successful re-establishment of the veteran and his or her family into civilian life. That can be defined in various ways. I think there's a misunderstanding that a rehabilitation program is all about employment. Employment is not necessarily the goal. There's also independence, reintegration into the community, and recovery, which is defined very individually by veterans.
For those who don't require immediate or intensive supports, we have the career transition services program, which provides assistance in finding a satisfying second career. It's interesting to note that in that research, we did see that 72% of the participants in the “Life After Service” study indicated that military experience helped them obtain a civilian job.
So available research and VAC experience indicate that re-establishment in communities and the civilian workplace is particularly complex for veterans living with mental health conditions, particularly if there are co-existing physical disabilities. To better support the transition of these veterans and their families, a number of mental health supports are available, in addition to the new Veterans Charter programs and the case management programs that Maureen described, many of which were not in place ten years ago.
Mental health diagnosis, assessment, and treatment is available through a joint network between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of National Defence. We have 17 operational stress injury mental health clinics, and veterans also have access to more than 4,000 registered health professionals across the country who specialize in mental health.
Tele-mental-health services are also available through our operational stress injury clinic to help ensure that veterans are provided with easier access to support when they need it, particularly those veterans in rural or isolated areas.
VAC and DND also have in place a network of trained peer support coordinators for veterans and their families through the internationally recognized operational stress injury social support program, which Tim referred to in terms of the folks working with him and helping to get veterans in touch with the program offered through UBC. These folks have first-hand experience dealing with the impact of operational stress injuries. They coordinate vital support, often leading fellow CF members, veterans, and families to seek treatment and access re-establishment programs, as Tim indicated.
The department has also significantly added to our front-line health services by providing more than 200 clinical care managers across the country who provide intensive support and monitoring of veterans with particularly complex mental health conditions. There's also a VAC assistance line, where veterans and their families can access short-term professional counselling 24/7. We also have a pastoral outreach service, with a network of more than 200 chaplains to provide spiritual guidance to those veterans and their families in need.
We have a strong focus on partnerships to expand our knowledge of and support for veterans with mental health problems, and their families, including outreach to community organizations to build awareness of veterans issues.
I was very happy to hear that you will be visiting Conception Bay during your tour in Newfoundland and Labrador, to see first-hand the community covenant that has been established there to support veterans. It is surely a model for other communities across the country, and a mechanism to enhance the veterans' sense of belonging in the community, which is so critical. Through our research, we found that only 39% of our veterans actually felt a belonging in the community. So it's critical, as Tim and the Legion have indicated, that programs and initiatives developed at a community level continue to grow so that the veterans feel more integrated and have a sense of belonging in the communities.
Recognizing the re-establishment difficulties for those with mental health conditions, we are working on a program of research on workplace reintegration for veterans with mental health conditions. In addition, given the link to transition success, health, and employment, the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, which Brad had indicated, was established in September 2011. It includes a network of about 20 universities. Through their work, we hope to further increase the body of evidence in veteran health.
That concludes my comments. I would be happy to have my colleagues in research, if there's ever any interest in the recent research on veterans issues, appear before you, as well.
We'd be pleased to respond to any questions you might have.