Families are the strength behind the uniform and must be engaged in the transition process from the very start, especially when it's a psychological injury. Families can request assistance from the military family resource centres, and there is a family liaison officer, who is a social worker, located in the integrated personnel support centres who can provide assistance to the family.
The first step in helping members leave the military is the transition interview. All releasing Canadian Armed Forces members, regular and reserve force, are entitled to a transition interview. For ill and injured members, we strongly recommend that it be mandatory for family members to be in attendance. We recommend that transition interviews be conducted early in the release process to help members and their families identify any needs they may have well ahead of time.
Our benevolent assistance program provides financial grants to meet the essential needs of veterans and their families who have limited financial means. The program is available at all levels of the Legion and is accessible to veterans, including still-serving members, and their families. We also assist allied veterans living in North America with obtaining benevolent assistance from a variety of resources. Our network of service officers at all levels of the Legion from coast to coast coordinate grants with other agencies, including the Canadian Forces military families fund, to ensure that the veterans' needs are met.
The Legion continues to be concerned with the lack of a formal capability or program that proactively reaches out to reserve units and their members to ensure these veterans are being looked after regarding access to disability benefits from Veterans Affairs Canada. With this in mind, the Legion sent a letter to every reserve unit in Canada offering a briefing on our service bureau network and the assistance available from the Royal Canadian Legion. To date, we have briefed more than 500 reservists on our services, but more important, these reserve units have been informed of our services.
The Legion also maintains an extensive outreach program to inform all veterans and their families about health promotion, independent living, community resources, and healthy lifestyles. We present at second career assistance network seminars on all bases and wings to inform members of our services. The Legion also has a presence at most of the Canadian Forces integrated personnel support centres on each base to assist veterans and their families as part of the transition process.