Veterans Affairs Committee on June 5th, 2017

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

It is a terrible problem. My uncle, now deceased, was a Second World War veteran—American aircraft carrier—and I'm wondering about the benefits that accrue to families and wives and so on. Tell me about the programs you have that assist health care givers, the people who are looking after a young veteran, perhaps, and the widows and so on. Can you give me a general overview of the American approach?

[Robert Reynolds]

You might have seen in the news, because there have been some heated questions on this, that we have a caregiver benefit. It's actually derived out of our health care side, but that is only for veterans who are from the Post-9/11 GI Bill generation. One of my good friends right now is a quadruple amputee. He has no limbs whatsoever. He was before the Post-9/11 GI Bill. His wife, who has provided caregiver services ever since he lost all his limbs, is not eligible for that benefit. There's a lot of discussion on Capitol Hill on how we make this inclusive for all eras, not just post-9/11.

On the disability comp side, if you are a veteran rated at 100% “permanent and total”, and you have that rating for 10 years or more before you pass away, your spouse will get DIC, dependency and indemnity compensation. If you pass away as a direct result of your service-connected disability in under 10 years, he or she will get that as well.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

I'm sorry to interrupt.

Just procedure-wise, the bells are ringing, and Mr. Bratina has two minutes left. I would need everyone's agreement for him to finish.

Is that okay with everybody? Okay.

You have two minutes, Mr. Bratina.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Okay.

Can you give me that again about the DIC?

[Robert Reynolds]

The last part is that if you're 100% permanent and total, we give an extra—an SMC, special monthly compensation. If you're severely disabled, you get extra for housebound care, for aid and attendants and that type of benefit. But you have to be rated as such.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

There was another thing that impressed me and I'm sure some of the others. That was the military cultural competency certification for young people, perhaps coming out of a social program in university, who need to know how to talk to veterans. Is that a prominent feature of your work?

[Robert Reynolds]

Yes. That's actually part of the transition assistance program, or TAP, where we also do the same with the service members. We try to educate them on how to interact with the civilian sector, too. It's across the board. We're working with employers to help them on why they need to hire vets but also with that service member who's going to become a veteran on how they need to interact with the employers and the community when they get out. It includes resumé writing, job searches, and all of that.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

We had the honour of visiting the Walter Reed army hospital. You say there are 1,700 facilities. Are there ones similar in scale to that one in other parts of the country?

[Robert Reynolds]

Yes. Walter Reed is an army hospital, or a joint one. It's a DOD hospital. If you went down the road for an hour and a half to Richmond, you'd see the McGuire VA Medical Center, one of our polytrauma hospitals. You saw the Pentagon. McGuire VA Medical Center is the second largest federal building in Virginia, meaning second to the Pentagon, just to give you an idea of its size and scale.

[Bob Bratina, Liberal, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Wow.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

Thank you.

It's unfortunate, Mr. Reynolds, that we have a vote in the House and we have to rush back. I'm sure you're familiar with that, with your background.

[Robert Reynolds]

Yes, absolutely.

[Colin Fraser, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Chair, just in fairness, we could probably agree to a couple of minutes for Ms. Mathyssen to get in at least one question, so each party would have—

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

It has to be everybody.

Do you agree to go for six minutes for Ms. Mathyssen? Can we keep going? Under the rules it has to be—

[Colin Fraser, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

I don't know about six minutes, but at least she could have a question, so each party could have one.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

I have to ask the whole committee, under the procedural rules.

Will everybody stay for another six minutes? I need to see your hands.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

At what time is the vote, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

The vote bells are ringing now. I'd say it's in about 25 minutes. I was going to ask if he could come back after for questioning, also.

[Colin Fraser, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

All right. I didn't know that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

Can we stay for six minutes? I need to see the hands. Hands up, everybody. I need to see them.

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

Okay, we're going to continue on.

Ms. Mathyssen, you have six minutes.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much, Mr. Reynolds. You began to say something in regard to expanding suicide prevention efforts. I wonder if you could finish that thought or explain that to us.

[Robert Reynolds]

Yes. We're trying to figure out how we can get to zero suicides, just as we took on homelessness. Really, I say it takes a community. We're looking at data as well. What are those triggering things—substance abuse or whatever—that have the potential for the individual to be subject to suicidal ideation? How do we become preventive and proactive in that instead of reactive? The medical scientists are looking at the data aspect, and we're looking at the community aspect. When you go into the military, you become a band of brothers, but then when you separate, that band of brothers is no more. You get into a community where, often, people can't relate or understand. For today's service members, everything's quick; everything's on their phones. They're not as connected to the groups and organizations, so how do we bring that all together to, hopefully, get to zero with suicide prevention?

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you very much.

It's my understanding that a disability compensation package is available to veterans with certain severe physical disabilities but not available to veterans with psychological injuries. I wonder if you could explain that to me. Why is that the case, if it is the case?