Thank you for your testimony.
I've recently read reports in the media, namely the Toronto Star, to be specific, that there's a backlog of 29,000 disabled members who are in transition from active duty in the Canadian Armed Forces to receiving services through Veterans Affairs and are without benefits or coverage through that process. The report also states that this represents a 50% increase in the number of disabled service members in transition without benefits in just eight months. Sometimes these men and women are suffering from serious mental and physical health issues. They can be experiencing extremely debilitating health challenges for which urgent care and treatment are required.
Can someone on the panel—panellists can jump in and weigh in—confirm the number of disabled members who are currently in transition without benefits and if, in fact, the wait times for nearly 50% of those in transition still exceed 16 weeks without benefits?