It doesn't concern me personally anymore because my spouse is with the old system. He's going to be the one receiving $600 for me. I won't have access to anything. I am represented by an amount, but he will receive it for me.
What's fantastic with the $1,000 is that it's given directly to the caregiver. When I say it's going to be a game-changer, it could be, because when people are not doing well and they have all the financial power, many spouses are left with nothing. When things go bad and he decides that he's going to buy an RV or whatever, sometimes the end of the month is very tough. This will make a difference not only in terms of dignity but also in terms of identity.
Now, what will be the criteria for accessing it? This is the core of the war. Everything is related to physical injuries. Listen, if your spouse is in bed with no arms and no legs, or they can't walk, can't talk, or can't eat—no problem: you will have that money, if it's enough. However, if he has PTSD, depression, social anxiety....
Teresa mentioned—and she was right—that the problem is with the diagnosis, of course, but also the criteria. This system does not recognize a mental wound. How can I justify to a system that I am needed when he has both his hands and to you it looks as though he can cook his supper? I know he can't do it. If I don't do it, he won't eat. If I don't clean the house, he won't clean it, because the depression, the pills, the medication—you name it—is keeping him sitting on the bench. He won't do anything. He can't.
Therefore, I feel that accessing this money will be a challenge, not to mention that I am certain that this country doesn't even know how many caregivers Veterans Affairs is taking care of. We don't know the numbers. With 200,000 clients with Veterans Canada, I say there are 200,000 caregivers. Can we afford to pay each caregiver who lives at home, who deserves that money? Can we afford it? I don't think so.