Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'll pass it on to Rich for a second. I don't know if we have a specific process outlined for these types of situations. As situations are raised to the divisional level, they're looked at on their own merit. As I explained, these processes are very complex when you start dealing with pension annuities, disability, and CPP.

Veterans Affairs committee  Approximately, yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  Oh, sorry. Yes, that's the top level.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes.

Veterans Affairs committee  I noticed.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, from that perspective.

Veterans Affairs committee  In all of the work that we did, the analysis, it was decided that we would stay and not take part in the new veterans charter.

Veterans Affairs committee  There are ongoing discussions and there's work involving the RCMP and Veterans Affairs Canada to examine the benefits provided to the members. Because of the ongoing discussions and the work being done on that topic, I'm not at liberty to expand on this, but there is work taking place.

Veterans Affairs committee  I appreciate hearing about these cases. I think they may warrant more discussion. But as far as this case goes, it's very hard to comment on it based on just the information you provided. As you know, these types of situations are very complex when dealing with the pension and dealing with what they're getting for disability, especially with the CPP and its reduction.

Veterans Affairs committee  Currently, the minimum base pay at the RCMP, as soon as officers enter the force, is higher than that of the Canadian Forces. I do not have the figures, but typically in the RCMP, for someone starting at the first level, the officer level, the annual starting pay is around $77,000.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. Also, one of the key advantages is that if the member dies, the person surviving them continues to receive a certain percentage of the compensation. What all this means at the end of the day is that it was important for us to keep the program we have now. At that time—we are talking about 2006—it was important not to join the New Veterans Charter.

Veterans Affairs committee  I will say a few things on that. When you talk about post-traumatic stress syndrome, you have to go back in time two or three years. That is when we really started getting a sense of how big the problem was, recognizing the signs and ways of perceiving the problem. As I mentioned in my opening statement, we now have a joint program with Canadian Forces.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'll provide a quick overview, then I'll turn it over to Inspector Boughen to provide more details. Back in about 2005-06, the RCMP conducted a thorough analysis of the new veterans charter to try to determine if we should adopt it and work with it. The conclusion that came out of the analysis, which was done in conjunction with the work done with the OSFI, was that the system and benefits we presently have meet the needs of RCMP members.