National Defence committee  What I would say is that there is a misunderstanding on the pension issue. When somebody is released for medical reasons, when they do reach the 10-year point, the annuity about which you're speaking is their Canadian Forces superannuation. For a member with 10 years' service, th

National Defence committee  If I may, if they were released for post-traumatic stress, which is definitely related to military service, they would absolutely be eligible for Veterans Affairs benefits.

National Defence committee  Well, I can speak about it on two fronts. The first is with the program that we're discussing today, the operational stress injury social support program, it is a joint program between Veterans Affairs and DND. If someone is receiving peer support from OSISS when they leave the

National Defence committee  Well, there could be, because the one important factor in this is that the individual has to want help. So if the individual moves or changes location and doesn't seek assistance in the new location or doesn't inform anyone, then at that point, there could be a problem.

National Defence committee  They absolutely do. Any member of the armed forces, or any veteran for that matter, has access to OSISS, as do their families. For those special service forces members who have participated in operations that have a high security classification, if there's any issue with benefi

National Defence committee  Very positively, I'm happy to say. As the officer responsible overall for the OSISS program, it's one of the components of casualty support, and I speak very, very frequently with the director of mental health in health services. Any conflict that there used to be in that relatio

National Defence committee  That is probably the one area into which OSISS has not really spread yet, because it would be.... Obviously, for peer support, if you need the training, etc., it is more difficult, depending on the age of the children, to train them. The family peers are there to deal with the fa

National Defence committee  Yes, not just throughout the campaign, but over time, as with any other program. In its initial stages, it was a program that was on a pilot basis and, of course, the robust funding was not there. The program is now fully funded for both the staff and for their operational needs.

National Defence committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, it's a pleasure to appear before you once again to discuss the operational stress injury social support program, or OSISS as it's commonly known. OSISS, which is now a mature 13-year-old program, is a partnersh

National Defence committee  The staff of OSISS is comprised of peer support coordinators on an almost 50-50 basis. They provide support to the individual suffering from the OSI. The other half are family peer support coordinators who provide support to family members. We have members of families who have li

National Defence committee  Absolutely. When the program began, as with any program, of course, there was a learning curve. The program actually began in a waiting room where two individuals who were seeking treatment began speaking to each other and realized how therapeutic that could be. Since that time,

National Defence committee  No, I cannot because the mental health care professionals work for the surgeon general.

National Defence committee  He would be in a position—

National Defence committee  There are also service providers because the JPSU, the military staff, exercise the leadership function because that's what soldiers know. When they go to the unit, you still want to have that chain of command, you're comfortable with that, you know that. But all the programs and

National Defence committee  Again, unfortunately, the medical care is the surgeon general's responsibility and he is the one who would answer that for you, Mr. Chairman.