Madam Speaker, I am pleased to participate today, and I am resubmitting a question I asked on November 17 during question period.
I speak for veterans, their families and their caregivers when I say that the backlog of disability benefit claims at Veterans Affairs Canada is entirely unacceptable. The backlog now stands at nearly 50,000. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the backlog has grown from just under 21,000 in March 2017 to 49,000 as of March 2020, and 22,000 of these applications were only waiting for a decision from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The Parliamentary Budget Officer has also highlighted a significant decline in service standards. Only 37% of applications are processed within the 16-week time frame, which fails to meet the 80% standard.
Shawn Dean is an example of those only waiting for a decision from the department. He completed 28.5 proud years of service and applied for his pension over a year ago. He completed all paperwork in October 2019. He was informed that his application is now in the decision phase. Well, that decision phase will take up to 64 more weeks to process, a grand total of over two years since his paperwork was completed.
In the past two federal elections, this Prime Minister promised that he would expedite veterans' cases. I do not think it would be responsible to place blame for the backlog on any of the hard-working front-line public servants. I know that the vast majority pour their hearts out in making a positive impact on our veterans' lives. On the contrary, I continue to believe that the problem stems from an entrenched status quo that resists change. As a result, veterans are finding it increasingly hard to navigate the process of securing the assistance they need, and it is very demoralizing.
I am not alone in my thinking. Certainly many veterans and veterans service experts back up my claim. Their bravery in coming forward with their stories is commendable in itself.
At a disability rate of 93%, veteran Charles Scott was left to navigate the VAC system on his own. At the veterans affairs committee, Mr. Scott provided a frank assessment. He said:
The onus has always been placed on the injured and ill to advocate for themselves and to navigate a gauntlet of processes for these applications.
The processes are extreme. They subject the veterans and their families to sanctuary trauma by having them prove that they are actually ill and injured, when the documentation, for the most part, is there in the file.
Mr. Scott believes that the current service delivery system is broken and worsens veterans' injuries. Three benefits regimes and ever-changing polices, coupled with this backlog, prevent veterans from accessing benefits and services. Mr. Scott has told us that, in some cases, it leads veterans to abandon their claims altogether.
Doreen Weatherbie, consultation president for The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, believes that the short-term hiring that is being suggested by this government will not solve the problem. It will only postpone the problem. She has called for proper resources to be in place so that cases can be resolved in a timely way.
The experience of Mr. Scott and Mr. Dean are only two of many personal testimonies that suggest the backlog and process are exacerbating the sanctuary trauma felt by our veterans. They have given all they had for Canada only to be faced with an entirely new battle with the government in obtaining the help they deserve.
Will the government do what needs to be done to make these changes happen for our veterans?