Honourable Chair and members of the parliamentary Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, it is a pleasure to appear before you in person on behalf of our 250,000 members and their families. I thank you for this opportunity to speak with you again.
The Legion is the largest veterans organization. I'm the director of veterans services at the national headquarters. I've been assisting many veterans—including serving members and those who have retired—and their families for about 16 years in my role with the Legion and prior to leaving service.
Since 1926, our professional government security-cleared command service officers have provided free assistance with disability claims to Veterans Affairs and appeals to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board for thousands of veterans, their families and survivors each year.
I began working at the Legion in January 2011. Since that time, I have seen an increase in the number of women veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP applying for disability benefits. In recent years, there has been a dramatic rise in claims and appeals for those who have experienced sexual trauma, but we are also seeing more women veterans come forward with other conditions, such as musculoskeletal and mental health injuries, sexual dysfunction and many others.
Women have been serving in all military occupations with the exception of submarines since 1989. They wanted to be treated equally and to demonstrate that they could perform all the required occupational tasks of their trade and physical fitness activities of their male comrades-in-arms. They have done so proudly and with honour. However, in a largely male-dominant institution, there has been very little consideration of the physical, mental or other effects on women and their overall short- and long-term health care. Military health care, based on the average male soldier, has allowed and produced research gaps and systemic biases for many years. Physical and mental health injuries are still being caused today by equipment designed for men, and have resulted in a lower quality of life for women.
One previous witness asked, “Where is the feedback loop inside VAC for decisions that have been overturned by the VRAB?” Our command service officers help with many entitlement reviews and appeals to the board each year and are extremely successful in having VAC decisions overturned for both men and women. Why is VAC denying disability benefits that will only be later approved by the board? Why are they not on the same page, especially with the policies and procedures that are in place? The backlog of disability decisions is one gross injustice. The other part to this is the additional wait time, as they now have to fight for benefits at the next level.
We see that many favourable claims for the average male are being denied for women simply because they may not have served in a combat arms occupation, as one example. No consideration is being provided by VAC for the equipment that does not fit, or for the fact that women may weigh less, have a smaller stature and have perhaps served their entire career posted to physically active bases and units, no matter what the occupation is. One size fits all may be equal, but is it equitable? We ask VAC to adjudicate more fairly in consideration of what happened in their service, the equipment they used, where they served and how the armed forces and the RCMP take or took care of the occupational health and well-being of their women members.
VAC must also better collaborate with the CAF for the benefits and services that women veterans will require as they transition from service and as they age. Policies and research, such as the entitlement eligibility guidelines and the table of disabilities, must be reviewed and updated without delay to better identify the damages to women's physical and mental health. Benefits and programs must be funded appropriately to achieve the desired equitable outcomes.
Finally, although more research is necessary, let's not allow for any further delay. The Canadian government, the CAF and VAC have an opportunity right now to demonstrate leadership by strategically planning on how best to enable and optimize the well-being of women veterans. For those who serve and who have served honourably and proudly, this is the least we can do.
Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to make this presentation. I'm happy to take any questions at a later time.
Thank you.