That's a very good question, Mr. Chair.
We used to say in the military that the military is not a career, it's a way of life. You're surrounded by a culture of interdependency in the forces. A lot of things are provided for you, without you having to queue in line or anything like that. The best example of that is a doctor for the individual. A doctor is provided by the service on a day-to-day basis. If you don't feel well, you go to the infirmary, and you're looked after by a doctor right there and then. For the annual medical it's the same thing.
Well, the individual who now transitions into the civilian community now has to get used to all that. Where do you go for a doctor? What's a walk-in clinic? All of these things are unknown to the military person, because these things have always been looked after for him.
Another example would be salary negotiations, unions—all of these things. They're non-existent for the individual.
So you go from a world of interdependence to one of complete independence. Somebody has to explain to you how it works, and there's a stigma attached to it when you're not.... Of course, some people do very well if they have the ability to do things for themselves, but a lot of people in the forces are really living the culture. They feel that all of a sudden they've been abandoned by the system.
I think it's necessary to have somebody in the joint personnel support unit say to the healthy veteran, “Okay, now you'll be going into civilian society. Is there anything you're concerned about? Is there anything we can do to help you out?”