Veterans Affairs Committee on Feb. 6th, 2018

[Cmdre Sean Cantelon]

Okay. I will start at the very macro level. I will also recommend to my colleague when Brigadier-General Misener comes that perhaps he can submit an actual graphic through the clerk.

It would show that, which will help everybody to understand.

Very quickly, they are going to find out. You have a problem, you go to the doctor. I will use myself, because we can't breach my confidentiality if I use it. I'm bicycling home. I have an accident. I break my collarbone. I have to go to the medical clinic because I now have a broken collarbone. This immediately results in a restriction on my ability to do activities. I would go through that process of physiotherapy or all the normal things anyone would go through.

If I'm okay, then I'm returned to full duties. If it turns out I've had a complication, then I would go from a temporary medical category to a potential review for what we call a permanent medical category.

That is the policy decision that says this medical category may put you in breach of universality of service. You're not even necessarily at the JPSU yet. You may be there because of your circumstance, or you may not be.

Once that permanent medical category decision is made, you're then on track for a medical release. I will let Brigadier-General Misener speak to that process because that's the core transition piece, but at the end of the day you are certainly engaged both by SISIP and by Veterans Affairs prior to your medical release.

For comment on the offsets of incomes—because the income aspect is complex—I will let Manulife speak to that.

[Kathleen McIlwham]

Generally we would contact a person a year before, not at six months, to start talking with them and getting them to understand what's going to come so that we can also think about getting them ready six months prior for some sort of vocational rehabilitation.

When they come to us, we are the first payer. Some things could be offsets from our being first payer, which would be traditional LTD types of things. One of them would be if they applied for the disability CPP if they were determined to be permanently disabled. That doesn't change their income. It potentially enhances their benefits because if they have dependents, they can then get additional income, which isn't an offset, or it also starts giving them service-attributable years to their CPP if they are on disability CPP. It's in their benefit without changing their income. We have some of that, but generally we're first payer.

The first two years while we're paying their benefits are our focus time to get them what we call work ready, but in the event that at the end of the two years they don't qualify as work ready, they can stay on our income replacement right through to age 65.

[Cmdre Sean Cantelon]

Then there's the top-up part and the different veterans programs. SISIP LTD covers the 75%, no matter the injury or source, service-related or non-service-related. Fifteen per cent top-up then comes through Veterans Affairs.

I think it's best now if I turn to Veterans Affairs, because although I live this lifestyle, it is their domain of expertise.

[Elizabeth Douglas]

Thank you for that.

With regard to our rehabilitation program, we have 120 days right now when a medical releasing member who becomes a veteran can get into a rehabilitation program. However, as has been noted, SISIP is the first payer. We then primarily deal with service-related injuries.

As you know, on October 1, 2016, we updated our earnings loss benefit to 90%, for the most part, of the pre-release salary of a senior private.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Thank you for clarifying that. As I said, I'm very visual, so if Brigadier-General Misener could bring that flow chart, I think it would be helpful for all committee members to take a look at it.

You mentioned the VAC seamless transition task force. We've heard about the CAF VAC enhanced transition services, and then “Strong, Secure, Engaged”. We heard about the transition group with funding for, I think, 1,200 positions to help in that. Does one replace the other, or is this a duplication of service? I would like to get clarity on that. Is it transition group now, or is it JPSU, or is it VAC enhanced transition services?

[Cmdre Sean Cantelon]

Again, without stealing too much from my colleagues, that's the entire point: to set it up under the command of a general with all the formation capacity. Inside that group, which Brigadier-General Misener will be able to speak to, is the joint personnel support unit, casualty support management, a new director of transition services, and a series of other activities.

Speaking to the question of where Veterans Affairs is, that individual co-chairs a working group with their Veterans Affairs colleagues, and those organizations report through oversight through the chief of military personnel, the chief of the defence staff, and the deputy minister of Veteran Affairs to make these two ministries provide a service that to the individual is seamless.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

My last question is about outreach.

I know my colleagues and I, in our constituency offices, often help citizens in our ridings with federal services. What efforts have been made to reach out to members of Parliament to equip them in their respective offices in their ridings to respond to questions from military members or veterans and to be able to help in terms of case management?

When I say “case management”, I'm not referring to the same kind of case management you're talking about, but in terms of helping them by asking if they have opened up a My VAC Account or if they are aware that this exists.

Have you made efforts to reach out to the 338 members of Parliament?

[Elizabeth Douglas]

There are MP kits, and I will certainly go back to ensure that My VAC Account and other pieces are involved in and are alluded to in the MP kit.

We also have a new fund for outreach and communications that is going to help us more successfully speak to our programs. Communications is heading that up. We would be more than pleased to parse the elements included in that outreach agenda and that strategy. We can get that to you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

Thank you.

On behalf of the committee, I want to thank all of you for your testimony today. I know there were some questions that you wanted to elaborate on. If you could get any of those answers back to the clerk, she will get them out to the committee. I believe there were some papers that Mr. Kitchen asked for from Ms. Douglas, so if you could get them to the clerk....

Go ahead, Ms. Wagantall.

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

I'd just like to clarify. My colleague had asked for an indication of how many of the 33 veterans employed now with VAC are case managers. Could we ask for a breakdown of the various roles for all 33?

With the reports, I believe we were referring to....

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

I wrote it down here—

[Cathay Wagantall, Conservative, Yorkton—Melville, SK]

It was the LASS studies. Basically, it was about benefits and outcomes of those services, and exactly what was studied there.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Neil Ellis]

We also ask for links to the MP kit and any other information that would help any of us in our roles.

Again, thank you for being here today and for all that you are currently doing for the men and women who have done a great service for our country.

The meeting is adjourned.