I would agree with you in the sense that most veterans.... Here's something I heard from the RCMP Veterans' Association that applies to military veterans. We have served, and we expect that to go a long way to explaining when we tell you that we're broken. We don't do very well at complaining. We don't go to seek health care. So many of us grew up in the Canadian Forces with this credo—and you'll have to forgive a touch of crassness, but that's the soldier in me: “Suck it up, Buttercup.” We don't complain. We push through the pain. We put service above self, and when we are released from the CAF and we come to the department and say, “I served and I am broken,” we expect that to go a very long way to explaining what the problem is, and then to being heard and understood.
Some of the complaints I've heard from veterans are, “If I could just speak to somebody....” or “If I didn't have to fill out these forms....” or “I don't even understand these forms.” I would agree with you, from my personal perspective, that that human connection will always be valued and will make a difference.
At the same time, I believe this would be a recommendation I would make to the department: Consider how this can be done. Consider how you could provide a better service if we understood the mentality of veterans, and that it should be enough for me to tell you that I served and I'm broken.