Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for drawing the attention of the House to this question as well as that of the Prime Minister, who first provided her with a response. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the hon. member for her service in the Canadian Armed Forces.
We know that some female members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are released for medical reasons encounter delays in receiving the benefits to which they are entitled. There are men who also have to wait, as well. We agree with the ombudsman and the hon. member that the time it takes for veterans to receive their benefits is a problem that needs to be resolved. That is why we have hired nearly 470 new frontline officers to address this problem.
Is that perfect? No, we must continue to do more. We have to do better with our frontline officers, but we must also improve the delivery of services in French in the department. As a francophone, I will be a great advocate for this file to ensure that francophone men and women are properly served in French. The Canadian Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Canada are making significant progress in this regard, but there is still a lot of work to do.
Over the last three years, there has been a 32% increase in applications for disability benefits. This is a good thing. It means that more people are aware of the benefits available to them and are coming forward for the help they need.
We have invested more than $10 billion in new benefits, programs and services, including the new caregiver recognition benefit, the education and training benefit and the veterans emergency fund. These benefits will ensure that female veterans, and all veterans, receive the services they need to support their overall well-being and that of their families.
This is not just about processing a backlog of applications. To meet the increased demand, we have improved the services provided by our officers and reduced each officer's caseload. What I can say is that we want to further improve our services.
We have invested an additional $42.8 million as of this fiscal year to enhance capacity at Veterans Affairs Canada.
I think that answers the member's question about how we are going to address this problem.
Veterans Affairs and the Canadian Armed Forces have made significant progress in streamlining the process. They are working hard to modify the system and processes to gain efficiencies and to ensure that individuals coming forward receive the benefits and services they need.
The two departments have also developed a seamless transition plan that enables staff at Veterans Affairs Canada to tackle potential obstacles before military personnel are released from the Canadian Armed Forces.
Veterans Affairs has been triaging disability benefit claims so that veterans who are applying for mental health support get their applications adjudicated on a priority basis to make sure that they get access to treatment as quickly as possible. Applications are also expedited for those veterans and family members at medical risk, in financial distress or with unmet health needs.
No veteran should have to wait for the support and benefits they are entitled to. A two-tier program would be unacceptable. Our government—