For the veterans independence program, one of the primary gateways for access is that you must have a disability entitlement. For a World War II veteran or their surviving spouse, there's a huge process to go through to get that access.
We typically try to get a hearing loss disability entitlement. You have to actually send in an application form or have the veteran come in. You must have an older World War II veteran come in and fill out the application form, and then you have to send it to Veterans Affairs, get the audiogram, and do all of that. It can be a very lengthy process, especially for some of our older veterans. Then we can apply for the veterans independence program to get the housekeeping, the grounds-keeping, and some meals on wheels programs in the home to keep them there independently.
For all our war veterans, the Legion's position is that the program should be made available to all our war veterans and their spouses without them having to go through those barriers and hoops for the eligibility. The program is about keeping them in their homes. It's about making a safer environment for them. The Gerontological Advisory Council, in their 2006 report, called it “Keeping the Promise”, and Veterans Affairs has not kept that promise for these older veterans.