Veterans Affairs committee  I'll be very quick. All hospitals have to go through an accreditation program where they basically undergo a quality assurance evaluation. Veterans Affairs is in charge of funding and even providing medical treatment, assessment and so on, yet there's no quality assurance progra

Veterans Affairs committee  When is the last time Veterans Affairs ever underwent a full-on audit as far as effectiveness, etc.? Again, back in 2000, General Dallaire, I and other members of the committee recommended a quality assurance program so that all these programs and the people who are implementing

Veterans Affairs committee  I think it's important, because there is certainly a significant wait-list to even be engaged with a mental health professional who can provide appropriate assessment, treatment and support. That part is important. I'll tell you, though, I'd like to see a good chunk of that mone

Veterans Affairs committee  I could spend all day talking. As I said in my opening statement, in the late nineties up to probably about 2010, we had results of PTSD claims within literally six weeks. Please have the government and VAC tell me why, when you could do it back then, it now takes 18 months or lo

Veterans Affairs committee  Professionally, that's exactly what I've been trying to do over these last many decades. It's difficult because sometimes you will lose your sense of hope. Again, I come back to the idea of having a huge responsibility but not having the power to implement the changes. It is abso

Veterans Affairs committee  That's absolutely correct. It's not only on the caregiver allowance, but I've seen and I've been overruled with regard to a diagnosis of PTSD, the origin of the PTSD, and we've gone all the way up right through VRAB. In one case, we went to the court two times, and the court told

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely. It's devastating every time a veteran's turned down, because they've walked the walk, they've lived the life and they know what is true. Every time it's denied, it feels like they're being told that they're lying.

Veterans Affairs committee  And—

Veterans Affairs committee  It can be both. You can have one fairly significant traumatic event, or it can be an accumulation of a number of smaller events. In my experience, the soldiers, the men and women who develop PTSD in theatre—it doesn't have to be in theatre; it can be in Canada—are able to conti

Veterans Affairs committee  That's a difficult “brief”. With the research I showed that we did in Yugoslavia, we were running at 12% to 15% with PTSD. Out of Afghanistan, it was running at about 5% to 7% initially. It can go higher than that. The benefit of the doubt used to be given to the veteran. It i

Veterans Affairs committee  You can actually develop what's called vicarious PTSD as a result of being exposed over long periods of time to individuals who have untreated PTSD and are very symptomatic. Family members, that can be the kids, that can be the caregivers, etc., can actually develop their own men

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. I absolutely agree with that. The longer this takes, the more stress it creates for the veteran and family members—absolutely. I would add that this is not only a benefit for the caregivers. You have to realize that if the caregivers aren't there and veterans end up in long-

Veterans Affairs committee  That's a good question. Let me just say that there are some very good individuals with Veterans Affairs. I have to say that. I've had that experience. I've also had experiences with people that have been terrible. A lack of a quality assurance program and a lack of the ability f

Veterans Affairs committee  I just wanted to quickly address the whole issue of criteria. It seems that Veterans Affairs has gone towards the disability tax credit criteria. They've made it very difficult for individuals to actually be eligible for the criteria. It's interesting. In the U.S. they have wha

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. I deal almost exclusively with post-traumatic stress disorder, and about 49% of people with PTSD think about suicide; 19% actually act on it. I've been very fortunate. I think it's partly the therapeutic relationship and the bond I have as a fellow veteran. In all my years—