Evidence of meeting #6 for Veterans Affairs in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was process.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:45 p.m.
Bloc
Luc Desilets Bloc Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Thank you.
I have another question for you.
Recruiting staff is challenging. As you said earlier, it takes time to fully train staff. Do you think it's possible to shorten that period and condense the training?
4:45 p.m.
National President, Union of Veterans' Affairs Employees
That would come down to the policies and the legislation put in place by the government and the processes that are in place in the department that follow the legislation that is in place. We have no control over how legislation is put in place.
4:50 p.m.
Bloc
Luc Desilets Bloc Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
I realize you have no control over that.
However, you are familiar with the job descriptions of those employees, so do you think the training period could be condensed to put them to work a bit sooner?
4:50 p.m.
National President, Union of Veterans' Affairs Employees
Okay.
Without negatively, potentially, impacting the service to the veterans, no.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
November 18th, 2020 / 4:50 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank everybody so much for the important testimony given today.
First of all, I want to start with all of the amazing Legion folks. I have 11 Legions in my riding, so it would take a lot of time to mention them all. I have been to them all and have called them during COVID. I just want to say what a pivotal role they play in our communities. As an MP who represents more rural and remote, sometimes the Legions are the very place the community frequently gets together. I appreciate the work you do and of course the Legions I have the joy to represent.
I want to say thank you as well. Your statements really reflect the concerns I have about how the backlog is impacting our veterans, their families and loved ones, and about the terrible impact it's having. I also have worked with a lot of veterans who are in dire straits financially and struggling. Unfortunately, one of the things that concerns me is that the minister keeps referring to the veterans emergency fund. In fact, he said in testimony, “if there's a veteran or anybody at all who hears [that] a veteran [is] in dire need, we have the emergency fund, which...certainly address[es] these issues.”
What I've heard from veterans is that of course this does not address the issue. I'm just wondering if you are encouraging people to access the emergency fund and if that is filling in the gap, as the minister is suggesting, for folks who are waiting for their disability pension.
Thank you.
4:50 p.m.
Director, Veterans Services, Dominion Command, Royal Canadian Legion
No, we're not encouraging people to apply for the veterans emergency fund. If their application is in the backlog and it's complete, that's one process. Under the Veterans Well-being Act, people can take treatment after April 1, 2019, on their own dime, and if their claim is favourable, then they will get that reimbursement. From what I'm hearing across the country, the veterans emergency fund is being utilized. It's being utilized more than ever because the approval has been downgraded, or downloaded to the area level. That's good to see.
We're still seeing an increase in benevolent funding from the east coast—not across Canada. As you know, we do a lot benevolent funding and it has not increased because of COVID or...any explanation for the backlog. There is a process in place, but unfortunately, as you had mentioned before, many of our veterans don't have the financial capability to pay for that treatment upfront.
There is a process called the “red zone” process. If a case comes to me on behalf of our service officers, I will take it to adjudication. That claim is normally done within seven to 14 days. There's a concern right now not only with the backlog, but also with reassessments and new first applications. We can't get medical questionnaires completed because of the medical community. They are not seeing people in-house, and neither are the VAC doctors. I just want to say one thing about the medical community. Now that they're reopening, they don't want to fill out Veterans Affairs medical questionnaires; they want to see the patients. The veterans are getting hit double-time here.
4:50 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Yes. I am concerned, as I'm sure you are, that this backlog that is already significant.... We're seeing this quiet period because of that very issue, and we're going to see an increase in the backlog. Thank you so much.
I would like to go to Ms. Vaillancourt. First of all, I just want to apologize. I imagine that was a bit stressful earlier on, and it's not necessarily how I would like to see committees run. I'm sorry that back and forth had to happen. You are focused so much on what veterans need, and I think we'll just focus on that.
One question I have for you is that you mentioned that veterans service agents are applying for new positions as disability adjudicators, potentially creating issues down the road when those files need to be managed and folks are not there anymore. Are there reasons that they want to leave these current positions?
4:55 p.m.
National President, Union of Veterans' Affairs Employees
We've been working, as I said, on surveys. As much as the department is saying they're bringing in 300 new employees to work on the backlog of the disabilities, some people who are being hired in those positions are coming from other areas within the department, which is going to leave a backlog in those areas and a depletion of those employees there. As I said, my concern is that it's a whack- a-mole problem. We're trying to fix one area, but instead we're creating additional problems in other areas there. I apologize, I'm still riled.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
One thing I wanted to clarify is that there seems to be an assumption that the role your folks play does not have anything to do with the backlog. Can you explain if that's the case or not?
4:55 p.m.
National President, Union of Veterans' Affairs Employees
No. We actually have employees, members, who work in the disability adjudication section, including in the administrative aspect, reviewing the applications when they first come in, as well as the payment process of those claims when they are done. Our members do in fact work very closely with other bargaining agents within Veterans Affairs.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you. I appreciate that clarification. I'm just wondering how the turnover rate for disability adjudicators compares with the veterans service agents or case managers.
4:55 p.m.
National President, Union of Veterans' Affairs Employees
I don't have the specifics on the turnover of the disability adjudicators, but I know for the VSAs and the case managers, there is quite a rollover. We had a bunch of people move over to the deck unit, and others are actively looking to leave the department and/or find other positions within.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
Thank you very much.
That ends round one of questions. Moving quickly on to round two, we have Mrs. Wagantall up for the first five minutes, please.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Cathay Wagantall Conservative Yorkton—Melville, SK
Thank you very much, Chair, and thank you all for being here.
I, too, want to express my concern and my colleague's concerns about the conversations you were involved in there, Ms. Vaillancourt. That's not why we're here, and we're certainly concerned about our veterans, so thank you for your part in being here today.
I also want to bring up the fact that we have an issue here, as my colleague John Brassard said, with processes. Unless we make wholesale changes, we are going to be in this circumstance, as Ms. Weatherbie said yesterday, on an ongoing basis. We need an efficiency business model here, I think, as you were saying, Mr. Maxwell. We can't function in this way and expect to improve or change anything.
I do want to quote Mr. Gary Walbourne, and I'm sure you've all heard this. He said:
The Canadian Armed Forces knows when, where, and how you have become ill or injured. The Canadian Armed Forces should tell Veterans Affairs Canada that the illness or injury is attributable to their service, and this determination be accepted.
Mr. Wagner, you talked a bit about the dynamics around empowering the front line. First of all, if we made this change—which we recommended as a committee—and the government did not agree with that recommendation, neither does VAC, neither does the Canadian Armed Forces. Here we are trying to improve things, but really, if that were taken care of right off the front end, what change would that make to the number of first applications and the time involved in veterans getting their care?
Mr. Wagner, do you want to comment on that?
4:55 p.m.
Provincial Executive Director, Saskatchewan Command, Royal Canadian Legion
I'm not sure—
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bryan May
If you move your microphone down on your head, I think we'll be able to hear you.
There you are.