National Defence committee  Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, good afternoon. I am the director of the Centre for the Support of Injured and Retired Members and their Families, commonly referred to as the Centre, which is a joint effort of the Department of National Defence and Veterans Affairs Cana

National Defence committee  Approximately six months ago, we brought in a measure that helps families a great deal. Thirty days or so after the burial has taken place, a designated officer meets with the family, along with the officer in charge of the detachment, a chaplain from the Pastoral Outreach Progra

National Defence committee  Absolutely.

National Defence committee  Veterans Affairs Canada is largely responsible for this area. I cannot get into issues that come under their jurisdiction. However, if a person has a problem, he can get in touch with us. The Centre is also staffed by people from Veterans Affairs Canada. Along with VAC personnel,

National Defence committee  The Commander of the Expeditionary Force is the person in charge of that area.

National Defence committee  Perhaps I could clarify the issue a little from an administrative standpoint. Currently there is a program in place to help injured members reintegrate into the workplace. We make every effort to reintegrate them into the workplace as quickly as possible, whether it be in their p

National Defence committee  The detachments are very mobile, and they have a region, not just a small area of responsibility. They will ensure that they maintain contact with these individuals. Through that contact, they will also be in contact with the member's case manager and ensure that the person has t

National Defence committee  From an administrative point of view, there are now, in 11 areas of the country, detachments of my organization, the centre. They are there to look after regular forces and reservists. We are working right now at expanding the detachments to have more staff, and they are going to

National Defence committee  As a component of the operational stress injury social support program there is a speakers bureau. These are folks who have lived through either post-traumatic stress or a form of operational stress injury, and they now speak at all leadership courses to ensure that people are aw

National Defence committee  Absolutely.

National Defence committee  I would be happy to answer any other questions you may have. From a non-clinical standpoint, I can be of some assistance. When the member returns to Canada, a designated officer is assigned to him.

National Defence committee  We have the capacity to deal with them but at this time, a great deal of support is provided by the member's unit. However, that may not necessarily be the best place to get the support needed. Therefore, if we develop a centre of expertise to deal solely with injured soldiers, w

National Defence committee  Regardless of the injury. The designated officer acts as a guide, so to speak, for the injured member. First of all, he helps the member find his way through the administrative system. He also helps the member get to his appointments. If the member has problems with his chain of

National Defence committee  Health Services personnel are the only ones who can make that diagnosis.

National Defence committee  As a rule, the member must be diagnosed first as having a problem.