Thanks very much for the question. It's an essential question. We've seen great progress on the backlog. We won't stop until we get to the service standard.
To be clear, the service standard is 16 weeks from application to payment in 80% of the cases. That's a standard that has been in place for several years, and one that we've sought to maintain. We've not maintained it over these past few years. Our objective is to get to that service standard.
In terms of ensuring that individuals can come forward, we want to make sure they feel confident that, when they come forward, they will get the information they need, that they will get the response that is required and that they will have an opportunity to be in contact with the department to get a sense of where their application is in the process.
We have more than 190,000 veterans who receive supports and services from Veterans Affairs Canada. It's important we treat each of them in terms of their individual circumstances. Our desire is to make sure they have a place to come, that they know they will get a response and that we're providing that response consistently to them.