Evidence of meeting #20 for Veterans Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was clients.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4 p.m.
Conservative
4 p.m.
Director of Program Delivery, Career Transition Services, Right Management
No, we don't.
If, for example, the individual needed face-to-face coaching, we would provide that. What often happens is that we would have the individual coach or counsellor meet the individual at the base or in a mutually convenient place for them, or have that meeting at their house. In some places where we don't have an office, that's an opportunity to get together.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON
Do the men and women you're working with find this an agreeable situation?
4 p.m.
Director of Program Delivery, Career Transition Services, Right Management
Yes, very much. It works out for them, absolutely.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON
Good.
Ms. Gueulette, one thing in your presentation I was interested in is where you talked about 90% of the people you have dealt with to date have PTSD. Are these 90% in a stable condition, or are these people...? Where are they in the process with PTSD?
4 p.m.
National Contract Manager, CanVet Vocational Rehabilitation Services, WCG International HR Consultants
Generally speaking, when they're referred to us, the VAC case manager has already consulted with a psychologist, and that client has been in treatment through the OSI clinics, for example. If they have not, then we often will have them assessed at that time by a psychologist and work with that psychologist.
Sometimes they are still in treatment. We would obviously never recommend moving forward with the plan until that person was stabilized.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON
You also mentioned in your presentation that people are moving through the process through National Defence and may or may not be on SISIP, and are then transitioning through and so end up on the earnings loss benefit. Are you familiar with this program, and are the people you are working with receiving benefits with the earnings loss benefit? Of the 1,900, there's a good chance that a large majority of them would be receiving the earnings loss benefit of some sort or another?
4 p.m.
Tricia Guelette
Yes.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON
Okay.
One other question I have is the cost. In your presentation—and Mr. Foster, if you want to add to it as well, feel free—your agreement is that if this is above and beyond your services, you cover some of the cost. What does the department say when you bring this up to them?
4 p.m.
National Contract Manager, CanVet Vocational Rehabilitation Services, WCG International HR Consultants
Everybody wants to help veterans; I mean, they are wanting to help them just as much as everybody at this table.
They are bound by the structure they work within at this time. We all work together to the best end that we can, but we're all bound by the rules. It's not for lack of wanting to make a difference; it's just the rules we're faced with.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON
If you weren't covering the cost, how long do you have to wait to receive payment back?
4 p.m.
National Contract Manager, CanVet Vocational Rehabilitation Services, WCG International HR Consultants
Our contract stipulates that we submit an invoice, they review it within 15 days, and then reimburse us within 30 days.
4 p.m.
Conservative
Ben Lobb Conservative Huron—Bruce, ON
Also in your presentation, you talked about maybe setting up a website down the road, a portal for job postings. DND has one already, and we have one—I guess at some point we’ll be coming through with “Helmets to Hardhats”. Is this something that you can see yourselves kind of meshing together, to provide the ultimate portal for people looking for jobs? How do you see that? Is that something you've discussed with the bureaucrats at Veterans Affairs Canada?
4 p.m.
National Contract Manager, CanVet Vocational Rehabilitation Services, WCG International HR Consultants
We've certainly never discussed it. It's something that we've experienced. We've had lots of employers phoning us who want to hire veterans. You have a portal, obviously, where you can post jobs.
I think at the end of the day we're all just trying to make a difference. We want to make it easy for employers to find veterans with these great skill sets and to match them to jobs.
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Greg Kerr
Did you want Mr. Foster to answer as well? You're near the end there.
4 p.m.
Director of Program Delivery, Career Transition Services, Right Management
I think Carol can address the payment piece; I just want to talk about the Helmets to Hardhats program.
Certainly that's a fantastic program. We are aware that it's still getting up to speed and getting organized. As we learn more about the program, perhaps we can have some conversations about the type of portal that's being discussed. It could be something that we could look at, perhaps, having jobs put on our bank that reflect the portal. There are a number of technical solutions that probably can do that.
I think it's really important, though, that the program get lots of publicity, because it will really benefit a lot of the veterans we're working with.
Do you want to add the other piece?
4:05 p.m.
Operations Manager, Career Transition Services, Right Management
Certainly.
We're very much like CanVet; when we submit an invoice, VAC reviews it within 15 days, and we receive payment within 30.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
February 9th, 2012 / 4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Gueulette, your relationship with Veterans Affairs started when you responded to a request for proposals a couple of years ago. In terms of the services that you provide, were they provided either by government or by another company before you won the contract?
4:05 p.m.
National Contract Manager, CanVet Vocational Rehabilitation Services, WCG International HR Consultants
They were provided by interim services while the contract was in the bid process. These are new services that were brought on by the new Veterans Charter.
During the bid process, which took some time to complete, Veterans Affairs arranged for interim providers to provide the services while the bid process was going on. Once the bid was awarded, we won the bid and took over those services. Now we're able to provide a national approach.
4:05 p.m.
National Contract Manager, CanVet Vocational Rehabilitation Services, WCG International HR Consultants
Our company was not an interim provider.
4:05 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
Okay.
We heard from Right Management that they're on a fee-for-service basis. Are you as well?
4:05 p.m.
National Contract Manager, CanVet Vocational Rehabilitation Services, WCG International HR Consultants
We are on a fee-for-service basis, yes.