For our traditional veterans, but now there are many more younger veterans entering into our community that is served by Veterans Affairs. In terms of initiatives, one initiative is using plain language. It is important to communicate with the veterans in plain language, so we expect that this will make for a better understanding.
In other areas I think the veterans independence program is a very good program, but we intend to move forward. I think we need to make this program more simple, more user-friendly for veterans, so I am exploring ways in which we could make the veterans independence program.... This program is helping disabled veterans. It is aimed at disabled veterans to help them, whether with
domestic chores, such as cutting the grass, washing windows or housekeeping.
At the moment, veterans have to provide invoices and send them to Charlottetown. The people in Charlottetown look at the invoices, add them all up and send them back. Is there a way to simplify that? That is what we are looking into. Right now, there are some issues with travel. Given all those issues, is there a way to simplify our procedures? We should do something to make things easier for veterans and to simplify the administrative management process so as to cut the red tape and to ultimately provide services to veterans, since that is the objective.
That is the direction we are heading in and it includes: the veterans independence program; clearer and plainer language in correspondence; and simplifying the forms, as I said—for example, confidentiality forms, among others, are redundant. It is all about reducing the administrative burden.