Veterans Affairs committee  That would be physical health. The department does not make any distinction between mental or physical impairment. If you jump from a tank or your hearing aids were a problem or mental health, the level of disability is what makes them deal with your situation.

Veterans Affairs committee  The committee has looked at everything. But mental health has been an issue in the media; it's been discussed. It was an area where the department needed to modernize itself, so it's been discussed more during the last few years, but no report was tabled.

Veterans Affairs committee  They are already a veteran. As soon as they are released from the forces, they get SISIP, which is the insurance program from National Defence, for two years. After two years, there is a reassessment if they are permanently impaired.

Veterans Affairs committee  If they are, they will get the 75% until they reach age 65. This income doesn't give you access to retirement income. You cannot buy RRSPs based on that 75%, for example. So there's no retirement income that can be accumulated based on this. There is a small benefit that replaces that, but it's not as much.

Veterans Affairs committee  It is certainly a current issue. For the other aspects of the transition, the more administrative, the Department of National Defence and the Department of Veterans Affairs, a lot of work has been done by this committee in previous years, in the last couple of years. I know that both departments are working very hard to make sure that their programs are aligned and all that.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's very difficult. We don't know. The biggest hypothesis is that the transition itself—

Veterans Affairs committee  — is a very high stress factor. When they become veterans, the only real cause that has been identified for suicide later on has been previous long-term depression and exposure to very tragic events.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's good to be working for the committee again. I know most of you now. Depending on which group, which expert, or which stakeholder you will be speaking to, there are some issues that have been coming back over and over since 2006. Many of these issues are recurring. There was a stakeholders group.