Evidence of meeting #61 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 main.
A video is available from Parliament.
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
I'm going to let Charlotte answer that.
Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Human Resources and Corporate Services, Department of Veterans Affairs
Overall, we are watching that, and it does vary by program. I think one that's very indicative is the rehab program, where now we have 5,700 veterans who are participating. For that, with the earnings loss that goes along with it, we've seen an increase of about 20%.
Now, there are many factors that bring people into these programs. Some will come to our department through conversations when they release from the military, through transition interviews. They'll be made aware of Veterans Affairs Canada, and they may come into our department quite quickly after they release. Others may release, move on, and then at a future point require the services of Veterans Affairs Canada. Through outreach, they'll become aware of it as well.
The inflow and the increases don't all happen just at the end of an engagement, for instance, such as an engagement in Afghanistan or another similar event. It's not necessarily going to work in a linear fashion, if I could say it that way. What we manage, what we look at, is how many people are accessing our programs. We know that it's increasing by about 20%. I mentioned earlier that the disability pension program continues to see a decline, which is at about the same rate.
I guess to go to your question, it's very important for us to understand this, but at the same time, we need to be looking to the future and trying to determine what the needs will be there. That will bring in potentially a different type of client at different times.
Conservative
Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON
That's perfect. I have a follow-up on that, based in part on the minister's comments about e-services.
Looking again at both the traditional veterans and the new cohort of veterans, and the e-services and mobile apps, which I think are admirable, because that new generation of veterans will use services in that way, is the department tracking adoption rates of these new services?
Also, it was alluded to earlier that some of the traditional veterans have caregivers or children accessing the e-services. Are we tracking that as well as to how much uptake of these services there is and how many veterans are actually having someone assist them?
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
Mr. O'Toole, that's a very good question.
If we can have a response fairly quickly, that would be great. Thank you.
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
Yes, okay.
Yes, we do track it, because we want to make sure that we're investing in those processes that are most useful to them. For My VAC Account, for example, my understanding is that we have 5,300 subscribers now, that number having increased greatly, as I said, in the past year and a half.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
Thank you very much, Mr. O'Toole.
I have a very quick question before we go to Eve Adams.
I was very pleased at the system decision that the earnings loss benefit be tagged onto that. That was extremely helpful.
One other offset still happens on disability payments. My friend Mr. Hillier knows this very well.
A fair number of military and RCMP veterans have been medically released from their departments, and unfortunately they cannot work anymore. They receive Canada pension plan disability. The unfortunate part is whatever they receive from Canada pension plan disability is deducted from whatever superannuation they receive. That offset is still happening. That's not affecting too many of them, but it is still affecting some of them.
Are you in discussions with the department and Treasury Board and others regarding the offsets and what can be done to continue this program? Anything that can be done to eliminate that offset of Canada pension plan disability from military and RCMP individuals would go a long way to helping those individuals.
I leave that as a general comment.
Conservative
Eve Adams Conservative Mississauga—Brampton South, ON
Thank you very much.
When the members of the Canadian armed forces serve overseas for us, we ask them to stand in harm's way. We invest in them at the same time as they move through their career. Canadians are well known for investing in the careers of the members of the armed forces.
When they choose to leave we're spending quite a bit of our resources assisting them in that transition.
Can you speak a little about that transition from military to civilian life?
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
Certainly.
As the minister mentioned, there are a number of initiatives in this area, helmets to hardhats probably being the most well known. That's the process whereby unions in both the construction and the skilled trades sectors make jobs known to and available to veterans, there being a very obvious skill match there.
There are a number of others. One the minister didn't get an opportunity to mention is the work the department is doing with the Public Service Commission to try to make it simpler for veterans to move from a military career into a career in the public service.
As you may know, there are veterans who medically release from the military. For a certain period of time they are considered priorities in terms of hiring. We're working with the public service to see if we can extend that period of time.
Moreover there are veterans who have never ever in their career, since the point at which they enlisted, attended an interview, written an exam, prepared a CV, or searched for jobs. So with partners we have a number of other initiatives to help them in those kind of job-seeking activities to ensure the transition is successful.
Conservative
Eve Adams Conservative Mississauga—Brampton South, ON
I have a final question for you, please. When the current government took office in 2006, the budget at Veterans Affairs was under $3 billion. It has now grown substantially.
Can you give us a quick overview on where those investments have been made? For instance I certainly think the establishment of the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman is a brand new expenditure this government undertook. What are some of the other key items that have led to the dramatic increase in spending at Veterans Affairs?
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
I'll give you the high points, and then I'll ask Charlotte to fill in the gaps.
Certainly the enhancements to the new Veterans Charter, Bill C-55 account for a significant portion of that increase.
Conservative
Eve Adams Conservative Mississauga—Brampton South, ON
Are these added benefits that go directly to our veterans, our most seriously injured and ill veterans?
Deputy Minister, Department of Veterans Affairs
Precisely.
They include things like the guaranteed income of about $40,000 per veteran and the permanent impairment allowance supplement of $1,000 per month for those who are very seriously injured and cannot secure gainful employment. Of course there's the disability award. The other feature of Bill C-55 was the option to secure or obtain the disability award in installments versus a lump sum. Then the final piece, a fourth piece, is the expansion of the VIP to a broader number of veterans and other recipients to ensure we work hard to keep those veterans, be they young or old, who wish to stay in their homes, in a position to do that. That would be a large component of the most recent increases.
The other increases you see in the estimates over time have to do with demographic shifts. As the numbers go up in certain areas of programming, as Charlotte said, earnings loss being one of them, the quasi- statutory increases are required to support that.
Further back in time there was what was known as the legacy of care. I'm going to let Charlotte comment on those elements.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
If you could hand that to us in writing in the future, it would be great. We're just out of time right now.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
On behalf of the committee, we want to thank the two of you, Madam Chaput and Madam Charlotte Stewart, for being with us today and helping us along with our discussion of the estimates. On behalf of the committee and Mr. Kerr, who can't be here, thank you and your officials very much for coming today.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
We will suspend for 30 seconds. We'll come right back and do the votes.
Thank you both very much.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
We're voting on the supplementary estimates (C). Pursuant to Standing Order 81(5), the supplementary estimates (C) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, vote 5c under Veterans Affairs was deemed referred to the standing committee on February 25, 2013.
A quorum of seven is required. We have that.
VETERANS AFFAIRS
Department
Vote 5c—The grants listed in the Estimates and contributions..........$44,755,000
(Vote 5c agreed to)
NDP
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Peter Stoffer
Thank you very much.
We're voting on the main estimates. Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), the main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, votes 1, 5, and 10 under Veterans Affairs were deemed referred to the standing committee on February 25, 2013.
A quorum of seven is required, which we have.
VETERANS AFFAIRS
Department
Vote 1—Operating expenditures..........$871,509,739
Vote 5—The grants listed in the Estimates and contributions..........$2,726,718,500
Veterans Review and Appeal Board
Vote 10—Program expenditures..........$9,995,067
(Votes 1, 5, and 10 agreed to)
Shall I report the main estimates to the House?