Evidence of meeting #44 for Veterans Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Mark Watson  Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence
Gérard Blais  Director, Casualty Support Management, Department of National Defence
Phil Marcus  Associate Vice-President, Operations Policy and Product Management, Department of National Defence

8:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Royal Galipeau

Good morning.

Good morning, Mr. Lemieux.

8:50 a.m.

Conservative

Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON

Good morning, Mr. Chair.

8:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Royal Galipeau

I told the committee two weeks ago that my calendar showed today would be Holy Thursday. Today is Holy Thursday. At the end of the meeting, if anybody wants to have his feet washed, I have the bowl.

This bowl was handmade by Lynda Chénier, who makes pottery in Orleans. The entire history of Orleans is depicted on it, starting with the St. Joseph's church tower from 1860.

Before we wash feet today, we have some business to do.

Today is meeting number 44 of the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Today, we are continuing our study on the continuum of transition services.

We will be hearing from some distinguished guests, including Commodore Mark Watson, Director General of Morale and Welfare Services at the Department of National Defence.

As well we have two of his colleagues, Colonel Gérard Blais, director of casualty support management, and Phil Marcus, associate vice-president of operations, policy and product management. They're with us to discuss the service income security insurance plan, and we're very pleased they could come today.

I also wanted to advise the committee that I've received a letter from the chairman of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, and I'd like to say a few words about that at the end of the meeting, before the washing of the feet.

Mr. Stoffer, you had a question. Do you want to ask it now?

8:50 a.m.

NDP

Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS

Yes, sir, if possible, very quickly.

8:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Royal Galipeau

Go ahead.

8:50 a.m.

NDP

Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS

I just want to ask the parliamentary secretary something. A while back we had asked if it was possible to invite the minister or the deputy minister to come before committee. I'm wondering if there's been a date set for that.

8:50 a.m.

Conservative

Pierre Lemieux Conservative Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON

Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair.

Certainly I note the request and I thank you for your patience.

We've had a couple of things. The first is that a number of meetings have been interrupted, as you know, by votes, so in a sense it was good that we had not booked an appearance then. Second, the minister has had a number of announcements. Those have required, of course, preparation as well as the announcements themselves. It's been a very busy time for him and his office. Third, we know the budget is coming up, so to my mind it would be appropriate for him to appear once the budget has been tabled.

8:50 a.m.

NDP

Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS

Thank you.

8:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Royal Galipeau

I also wanted to advise the committee that I have received a request from the ombudsman to appear. We're arranging for that to happen, probably as soon as we come back.

April 2nd, 2015 / 8:50 a.m.

Conservative

Wladyslaw Lizon Conservative Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON

Just quickly, Mr. Chair, on the first item, I would like to inform you that I've already taken my shoes off.

8:50 a.m.

Conservative

Ted Opitz Conservative Etobicoke Centre, ON

I can confirm, Mr. Chair, that he did that.

8:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Royal Galipeau

I had a whiff of that already.

I suppose, Commodore, you will start.

8:50 a.m.

Cmdre Mark Watson Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence

Yes, sir.

8:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Royal Galipeau

We're just waiting with bated breath.

8:50 a.m.

Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence

Cmdre Mark Watson

Thank you very much, sir.

Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, it's a great privilege to be here this morning.

I should explain that in the role of director general at morale and welfare services, I oversee an organization of over 5,000 people, made up mostly of non-publicly funded employees, followed by a limited number of public servants and military personnel.

In this role, I'm responsible for all the personnel support programs; our retail services, CANEX; our citizen financial services, better known as SISIP; casualty support management, or taking care of our wounded, ill, and injured; our military family services, or looking after our families; our support our troops program, which is all the various military charities; and as well, the Canadian Forces appreciation program.

I'm very pleased to have the opportunity to talk to you today about the transition programs and services provided by the Canadian Armed Forces to military personnel and their families as we help them successfully transition from the hands of the Canadian Armed Forces to their local communities and into the hands of Veterans Affairs.

Joining me today, as you mentioned, sir, are Colonel Gerry Blais, who is the director of casualty support management as well as the commanding officer of the joint personnel support unit, and Mr. Phil Marcus, assistant vice-president of operations at SISIP Financial.

When a Canadian Armed Forces member is seriously injured or suffers an illness to the extent that they cannot function in their regular duties, they are admitted into the care of our own program, consisting of three phases: recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration. Administered by the 24 integrated personnel support centres, or IPSCs, across the country, this program is compassionate, tailored to the member's needs, and has no set timeline, as recovery from an illness or injury doesn't have a schedule.

In some individual cases, the post-recovery road to transition is measured in months because the member requests that the process be expedited in order to take advantage of employment opportunities that await them outside the military. In these cases, the process takes as little as six months. More typically, however, the path to recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration is measured in years, from the point of injury to when our members no longer need our help.

We are extremely proud of the resilience and perseverance shown by our recovering personnel and how, through their will and determination, combined with the care and comfort we provide, they demonstrate that anyone can overcome their injury or illness and move on in their lives to do amazing things.

The reintegration phase of our Caring for Our Own program is a shared responsibility among the member, the medical staff, and the chain of command. As soon as a medical officer determines that the ill or injured person can begin to reintegrate, a return-to-duty plan is developed by the return-to-duty coordinator, in conjunction with the individual and their commanding officer. With the concurrence of the medical officer and the care team, the individual starts down the critical path of return to duty. The intensity and complexity of their assigned tasks increase as the member's condition continues to improve. The ultimate aim is to return the person to full duties.

This step is vital, as the individual gains therapeutic, psychological, and social benefits from their return and can actually recover more quickly. The purpose of reintegration is to reinstill confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of pride and self-worth, all key ingredients on the road to recovery.

Unfortunately, the medical limitations assigned to some of our ill and injured do not allow them to continue to pursue a military career, as they no longer meet the conditions of universality of service. For those who transition to civilian life, DND and Veterans Affairs Canada staff begin to work together six months prior to their transition in order to ensure that the process is as smooth and as seamless as possible.

For those leaving with complex transition needs, an integrated personnel plan is prepared with the full involvement of the member and all the potential partners who can contribute. This plan ensures that measures are in place to facilitate the transition to health, education, future employment, and VAC supports. The member is strongly encouraged to bring family members to these planning sessions, as their involvement is critical to a smooth transition. Once the process is complete, the member signs a plan indicating agreement or why they do not believe the plan adequately addresses their needs. It is rather rare that a member does not agree with the proposed plan. If that does occur, a review of the plan is completed in order to address the concerns raised by that member.

The focal point for this effort is the joint personnel support unit and its 24 integrated personnel support centres, employing 117 civilians and 199 military staff and housing family, spiritual, social, and financial support specialists, along with health services, care managers, and Veterans Affairs staff, all in one location. This cohesive and collaborative approach has greatly facilitated the comprehensive care for our members and families.

The JPSU and integrated personnel support centre staff members are extremely dedicated and compassionate, and they do everything possible to ensure a smooth transition for those leaving the Canadian Armed Forces. For those transitioning from our care into the hands of Veterans Affairs due to medical employment limitations, we offer an extensive variety of programs and services to meet their specific needs. All individuals leaving for health reasons have the opportunity to participate in the vocational rehabilitation program for service members in the form of on-the-job training and an education upgrade program.

The service income security insurance plan, known as SISIP, the Canadian Armed Forces long-term disability, is a form of income replacement protection for military personnel, whether they are released for medical reasons or depart voluntarily. SISIP LTD, or long-term disability, is the Canadian Armed Forces disability insurance program. It is similar to all other public service disability plans. Treasury Board is the benefit plan sponsor and is responsible for establishing and modifying the plans and developing policy. Each group benefit plan has a principal administrator, and SISIP is the administrator of the Canadian Armed Forces long-term disability plan.

The program offers the same benefits to all service-related and non-service-related disabled personnel. Personnel who leave the Canadian Armed Forces due to medical limitations receive income support for up to 24 months, or age 65 if unable to return to work. Those who leave of their own volition are eligible for the same benefit if they are deemed to be totally disabled.

A component of this program is SISIP's vocational rehabilitation program, which enables participants to restore or establish their vocational capacity to prepare them for suitable gainful employment in the civilian workforce. The vocational rehab program, or VRP, focuses on the veteran's abilities, interests, and medical limitations and on the potential economic viability of their chosen path to help establish their future. SISIP VRP support can start up to six months prior to release, and is often coordinated with the member and the Canadian Armed Forces VRP program to ensure continuity after release.

My organization is also the portal for third party agencies who wish to assist Canadian Armed Forces members with job opportunities. For example, our latest initiative is the military employment transition program, or MET, a three-partner initiative jointly pursued by the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans Affairs, and Canada Company. Through this endeavour, more than 200 employer partners are offering jobs to veterans through the “10,000 jobs in 10 years” campaign. Currently there are more jobs than applicants, but that's because we're in the early stages of this program.

We are also working diligently to provide post-service employment opportunities on a wide variety of fronts. For example, Prospect, another not-for-profit enterprise based in western Canada, has an 85% success rate in securing employment for ill and injured veterans in the Edmonton area. It offers follow-up coaching services to both the employer and the employee. This program will soon be piloted in other parts of the country.

Under the auspices of the Prince's Charities, one-week university-based training is available for those who wish to establish their own business. As well, ongoing follow-up assistance is available free of charge.

Helmets to Hardhats offers apprenticeship programs to achieve a journeyman qualification in the building and construction trades, as well as potential management opportunities in the industry. In addition, we continue to work to obtain Red Seal qualifications for as many of our trades as possible to facilitate direct post-military employment in similar civilian occupations.

We also continue to work with the Canadian Franchise Association to explore franchisee opportunities at favourable terms for those who would like to explore this second career avenue.

Regrettably, time does not allow me to describe to you in detail the breadth and depth of many of the transition programs we offer to all military personnel. We will continue to explore opportunities to ensure that members are provided with every possible opportunity to leave the Canadian Armed Forces with the knowledge that there's a wide array of opportunities available for them to launch their second careers.

I'm available, sir, to answer any questions at this time.

9 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Royal Galipeau

Thank you very much.

Mr. Blais and Mr. Marcus, would you like to comment?

Mr. Stoffer.

9 a.m.

NDP

Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank all of you very much for coming today.

Sir, in your opening statement you indicated that you had partial responsibility for military family services. Does that also include military family resource centres?

9 a.m.

Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence

Cmdre Mark Watson

Yes, sir. The director of military family services oversees the funding for the military family resource centres in Canada. We provide roughly 80% of their funding. We provide guidance to them, but as you know, each MFRC is independently monitored.

9 a.m.

NDP

Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS

Right. Exactly.

Now, recently the government made an announcement with three ministers in Halifax about an expansion of mental health services across the country over a certain period of time. One of the effects of that announcement was that for a veteran, obviously when you're in the service you can use military family resource centres, but you lose that ability when you leave the CAF. Part of that announcement was to allow veterans and their families access to military family resource centres as they leave the CAF in that regard.

From my conversations with some of the MFRCs, they haven't been given that initiative or directive yet. Do you know when those announcements may be coming so that MFRCs will be able to have the human and financial resources in order to assist those in the veteran community and their families as well?

9 a.m.

Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence

Cmdre Mark Watson

Yes, sir. We're working very closely with Veterans Affairs Canada to identify those resources. We've been working with them. We're giving the information, as it becomes known to us, to our military family resource centres. We hope to have all this in place by later on this year.

9 a.m.

NDP

Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS

Very good.

You talked about the rehabilitation program and the recovery program for the veteran. You ask them to include the family when they're leaving, but do you include the family as well when they go through the rehabilitation process?

9 a.m.

Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence

Cmdre Mark Watson

As much as possible.

9 a.m.

NDP

Peter Stoffer NDP Sackville—Eastern Shore, NS

Thank you.

Sir, it says here “the member signs the plan indicating his agreement” to the plan. Obviously the person signs on to the program and then they leave. But if a person is suffering from an OSI or PTSD, I would assume that they may not have the full mental capacity to fully understand what they're signing. Are there allowances for them to seek additional assistance or delay signing an agreement until they're fully capable of fully understanding what they're signing?

9 a.m.

Director General, Morale and Welfare Services, Department of National Defence

Cmdre Mark Watson

I'll ask Colonel Blais to respond. He is more detailed in that area.

9 a.m.

Col Gérard Blais Director, Casualty Support Management, Department of National Defence

Absolutely. When an individual is brought in to do their integrated transition plan, their medical case manager is actually at the table with them and is fully conversant with their medical situation. The individual is also encouraged to bring in his family, so his spouse would be with him as well.

If at any time there are changes in circumstances, and we've done this on a number of occasions, such as a change in a person's prognosis or in their situation, that plan can be revised at any time.