Veterans Affairs committee  That's no problem. As I was saying, the majority leaving the reserves would already have civilian employment. The unemployment rate for veterans is equal to the general Canadian rate—8%. The unemployment rate for veterans released due to injuries is about 15%. Employment issues generally cluster around certain groups of veterans: younger veterans, those with fewer years of service, those in the lower ranks, and those who are medically released or involuntarily released.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon. My name is Charlotte Bastien. I am the Director General of Field Operations at the Department of Veterans Affairs. I'm here today with my colleagues Elizabeth Douglas and Sandra Lambe. Thank you for the opportunity to be here today to speak about veterans employment.

Public Accounts committee  It is correct.

Public Accounts committee  Besides what was in the report, no. But I want to specify with the partnership we have right now with Service Canada they can receive and provide assistance on two programs, the disability award program and the veterans independence program. They can assist with the form and with the application.

Public Accounts committee  We do. We have a communication plan to promote My VAC Account by adding a message regarding My VAC Account to all reservists' pay stubs. The Royal Canadian Legion has been trained on My VAC Account and their service officers encourage members to sign up. Our website has recently been redesigned and there is a My VAC Account button on every page.

Public Accounts committee  Yes, they are individual users.

Public Accounts committee  The plan is to provide better functionality. Right now they are limited regarding certain programs to which veterans can apply. By expanding the number of program applications that can be done online, that will grow the number. As well, with the partnership with Service Canada at the moment, they can assist veterans with the application in person with only two programs, the veterans independence program, VIP, and the disability programs.

Public Accounts committee  Good afternoon and thank you. My name is Charlotte Bastien. I am the director general of field operations. I'm here with my colleague, Rick Christopher, who is the director of service delivery. We're pleased to have the opportunity this afternoon to speak to the findings of chapter 2 of the report of the Auditor General of Canada as they relate to Veterans Affairs Canada.

Veterans Affairs committee  The decision for the eight offices that are closing was made based on the current number of case-managed clients at the time and the forecast of case-managed clients in the coming years. The threshold was 160 case-managed clients. These offices had less than 160 at the time. What we have been seeing is that the number keeps diminishing at those offices.

Veterans Affairs committee  With regard to the records you're referring to, Library and Archives Canada was consulted and did approve the destruction of those documents, in accordance with the applicable criteria on preservation and time frames.

Veterans Affairs committee  For a disability decision, if for example a veteran does not agree with the decision of the department regarding a disability benefit, the veteran could enlist the assistance of the Bureau of Pensions Advocates, which provides free legal assistance to veterans to appeal disability benefit decisions.

Veterans Affairs committee  The act contains criteria used to determine which documents have to be kept and for how long. It's stipulated in the legislation. As for the department, it follows a framework governing how those documents are to be managed. It lays out what we have to keep in our files, how long we have to keep the documents and when they can be destroyed.

Veterans Affairs committee  From the data we had last June, there were more than 7,000 veterans being case managed across the country. The process can be through transition interviews. It could be through communication with the department. If there's an identification of a potential need or requirement for case management services, then the veteran and his family would be referred for case management.

Veterans Affairs committee  Whether war service veterans or Canadian Armed Forces veterans, the total number of veterans is decreasing. But, as compared with World War II veterans and Korean War veterans, the percentage of modern-day vets, meaning those who fought between 1945 and the present, is higher. The presentation includes a diagram—

Veterans Affairs committee  The documents that we would require to process applications for disability benefits are military medical records, and they are preserved and accessible through Library and Archives Canada.