Mr. Speaker, Veterans Affairs Canada fully supports efforts to ensure that Veterans and their families have access and information to Veterans Affairs Canada’s programs, services, eligibility, and application processes.
When the parliamentary committee report entitled “Shared Experiences: Comparisons of Veterans Services Offered by Members of the Commonwealth and the G8” was received by Veterans Affairs Canada, consultations were held with the Canada Revenue Agency. These consultations resulted in Canada Revenue Agency’s confirmation that the focus of Canada Revenue Agency forms is on tax and benefit programs administered by the Canada Revenue Agency only.
In response to (a), the criteria used in the decision not to pursue the inclusion of a veteran identifier on tax forms were: privacy, legal authority, effectiveness, and sustainable development commitments.
In response to (b), he inclusion of non-tax questions, or requests for information not related to benefits administered by the Canada Revenue Agency, may result in breaches of privacy. Veterans Affairs Canada offers many services and benefits to veterans which are based on various eligibility criteria. While some benefits, including war veterans allowance and earnings loss benefits, are dependent upon an individual’s income, there are other eligibility criteria for these programs which would not be captured on tax forms, and are still required by Veterans Affairs Canada.
The majority of Veterans Affairs Canada benefits are not dependent upon income. To collect information about individuals where it is not required for an operational program may be a breach of the individual’s privacy.
In addition, the increase of information in Canada Revenue Agency forms and guides may result in larger documents, which run contrary to the paper burden reduction initiative, and other sustainable development commitments.
The identification of an individual as a veteran and information about income levels is not sufficient to meet the eligibility criteria for Veterans Affairs Canada programs and services. The Canada Revenue Agency web site currently links to the Veterans Affairs Canada web site to facilitate information sharing on benefits and services offered by Veterans Affairs Canada.
In response to (c), the identification alone of a veteran to Veterans Affairs Canada does not automatically result in the veteran’s eligibility for Veterans Affairs Canada programs and services. The department has outreach activities to provide information to Canadian Forces members, veterans and their families about the services and benefits available from the department. The outreach describes eligibility to all programs and services including the New Veterans Charter programs.
This outreach is accomplished in various ways including the distribution of printed materials, the publication of articles in periodicals, Veterans Affairs Canada’s own Salute! newsletter, briefings with Canadian Forces members, veterans, family members, and the general public. Outreach also includes the use of social networking sites on the internet, and Veterans Affairs Canada staff co-located with the Department of National Defence case managers on major bases in integrated personnel support units.
The department also partners with veterans organizations and other groups to provide information to individuals about benefits and application processes. An expanded outreach on the New Veterans Charter programs is currently under way.