I'm a huge believer that returning to work is key to veterans' success and mental well-being. At the same time, the way the new Veterans Charter is set up, for many people there is no benefit to going back to work because there is a clawback for every dollar they make. So these guys are deciding if they want to risk that security of having that government cheque coming in, by going back to work, when it could fail and then, just as that gentleman was saying, they could wait months and months and months to get back onto programs.
What I am seeing a lot of is that there is no benefit to getting better. Guys aren't getting better because as soon as they get “healthy”, they lose their ability to make an income with the programs that are set up. If they go out and get jobs and start being more productive, then their pension is clawed back, where is the incentive to go back to work? I think it's a really flawed system.
Personally I am not being financially compensated for my injuries. If I decided not to work, then I would be, and I just think that's so unfair. I have a lot of employees and they are mostly veterans and they go to work because that's who they are. As a soldier, you're a hard-working person and you go there—a lazy soldier is not going to make it through training. So these guys need to get back to work, but they also need that security and benefit to go back.