You have one minute.
Evidence of meeting #15 for Veterans Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was jenkins.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #15 for Veterans Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was jenkins.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
Colin Fraser Liberal West Nova, NS
Mr. Jenkins, thank you very much, and for providing the different IDs as well. We'll circulate them around the table.
I agree completely and you made the point so well that a veteran is a veteran. We need to make sure that's clear in everyone's mind, that there should perhaps be some differences to make sure there are efficiencies and all of that, but a veteran is a veteran and they deserve our utmost compassion and support.
As for the different service levels across the country, I wonder if the recent announcement that there will be more money for more case managers to reduce the ratio of managers to clients from 40:1 to 25:1. Do you feel that will improve the service levels for veterans across the country, and also the different types of veterans, as you put it, that we would like to try to eliminate?
11:50 a.m.
President, Head Office, NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
If I understand the question, you're asking me if in the future this will help the veterans. The answer is yes, in the future. But there's always the theory and the practice.
11:50 a.m.
President, Head Office, NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
How long does it take to hire somebody in the public service of the calibre we're looking for? How many public servants are in the room? You have the appeal period. You have the “must require this”. We don't expect to see this for at least a year to a year and a half.
Right now, when I phone or Richard phones. I'm not sure who you phone....
11:50 a.m.
Executive Officer and Secretary, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Veterans' Association
They phone us.
11:50 a.m.
President, Head Office, NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
They phone you, right.
11:50 a.m.
Liberal
June 2nd, 2016 / 11:50 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you for your presentations. You've touched on so many things, and I want to follow up on some of them.
Mr. Burke, you talked about the fact that you received a denial letter with regard to dental work. Would it have been helpful and is it something that we should suggest or recommend that with these letters there's something from VAC that shows you the way to get the benefit, some support? I'm thinking of it saying something to the effect that you've filled in the form, that this or that was wrong, and you need to provide this extra proof. Would that make a difference?
11:50 a.m.
National Representative, Canadian Aboriginal Veterans and Serving Members Association
The dental one blindsided me. As I said, the cheque was already cashed, the teeth were already in my mouth. All of a sudden I go to the mailbox and there's the.... I suffer from Brown Syndrome. It sits there for three days before I can open it. But anyway.... And they don't explain it.
There are other instances: with regard to your right knee it's been denied because four years ago you said you were walking okay and now you're not walking okay. It's denied because you had three sprained ankles and your sprained ankle caused your knee injury. That is a very common thing to happen, by the way.
Or it's denied because, in the example of the teeth, they say they're no longer covering teeth for whatever it was. There was none of that in the letter, and none of the letters I have on my file state why. It just states “denied” and it's left up to me.
In the follow-up to that, the problems come from the fact that a lot of our veterans were dealt with by the medical services of the Canadian Armed Forces from start to finish. The one thing Veterans Affairs will ask for is more evidence. We have no control over our files. Veterans Affairs talks to medical services. Medical services has all the files. Where are they going to get more evidence?
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
As such, technically, you aren't entitled to long-term care at a veterans' facility.
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
This, of course, is something that has concerned me very much.
You talked about the fact that every province has a different protocol for these beds. One of the things that I have been fighting for is the availability of federal beds for every veteran, no matter what arena of service.
Is that something you think would help? Would you support that?
11:55 a.m.
President, Head Office, NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
What was it exactly? You would support federal....
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Long-term care for a veteran no matter what arena that veteran served in; so whether it's World War II or a modern-day vet they'd have access to that bed.
11:55 a.m.
President, Head Office, NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
You would go down as a heroine of seven or nine different veterans' organizations. This is my sixth year, my last presentation, I'm now retiring, and this has been number one, just what you described. If that happened, I could retire quite happily, so yes.
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
You said there was a Korean vet who was refused access. Could you explain that, because that's not supposed to happen?
11:55 a.m.
President, Head Office, NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
It was in the paper. I'm sorry, that's not a shot. It was in the media, shall we say. Nobody reads the paper now.
It was Lieutenant-General Belzile. He was the Chief of the Defence Staff. He applied because he had some medical difficulties where he could no longer stay in the home.
It was not the Korean War. It was called the Korean Conflict. It was never technically a war. The hard part was where we had 178 killed, probably the same as in Afghanistan, and then there was the peacekeeping part. He was there in the peacekeeping part. Therefore, since he was a peacekeeper, no, he was denied access to Perley Rideau, where I used to go to visit my Admiral Hennessy.
By the way, I was Admiral Hennessy's aide. When he died two days later, there was somebody, who happened to be a carpenter, put in the same room.
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
With regard to General Belzile, I seems that there was hairsplitting going on in the definition.
11:55 a.m.
National President, Canadian Aboriginal Veterans and Serving Members Association
It was after the armistice, madam; any service after the armistice, when the war ended, and the shooting ended—
11:55 a.m.
President, Head Office, NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
He became the same as me, a peacekeeper, and I'm entitled to nothing. What we're pushing for is for a VIP in the home right up until the last moment, right. That's how we can only get around it, because Veterans Affairs controls VIP. Long-term care, they gave to the provinces. It's gone.
11:55 a.m.
NDP
11:55 a.m.
President, Head Office, NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
Correct, and thank you. You've really hit the nail on the head. I am now your fan.