Veterans Affairs committee  He's 22 years old.

Veterans Affairs committee  It's been money well spent. I live in Nova Scotia, and 80% to 90% of my patients are veterans or former military. The nearest OSI clinic is in Fredericton, New Brunswick, so in my time I have only managed to get one patient there. I have another one who came to see me, and through Veterans Affairs we have worked to get him there.

Veterans Affairs committee  We need more OSI clinics.

Veterans Affairs committee  Psychiatrists as well.

Veterans Affairs committee  Absolutely.

Veterans Affairs committee  Close to home.

Veterans Affairs committee  Well, yes. Bill is talking about Major Paterson. He's in the regular social system in Nova Scotia right now. He's been denied by the veterans hospital because he is not a post-Korean War veteran. He does not have the right to a veterans long-term care facility. So he is now like any other person who has an illness that puts them into a long-term care facility.

Veterans Affairs committee  He's been denied. We submitted the application, his wife submitted the application, and it has been denied.

Veterans Affairs committee  Do you want me to answer that?

Veterans Affairs committee  Okay. If a member of the Canadian Forces retires after so many years, when he reaches a Canadian Forces pension, then his medication is covered by the same plan that you would have, the public service health care plan. However, if he doesn't reach that time, if, say, he is wounded in Afghanistan, he is only pensioned for the disability related to his wounds, he's only given medication that's paid for--

Veterans Affairs committee  Keep them as they are. The veterans hospitals are already running. What a veterans hospital is now--take Camp Hill veterans hospital in Halifax--is a building that is actually owned by the province, but VAC pays for the care of the veterans in the hospital. They also own 10 beds in another hospital in another town.

Veterans Affairs committee  Right.

Veterans Affairs committee  Oui. First of all, Veterans Affairs Canada does not treat people medically. You must look at Veterans Affairs Canada as--

Veterans Affairs committee  --an insurance company. All Veterans Affairs Canada can do for patients is to get doctors like me to treat them. We're not paid by Veterans Affairs Canada; we're paid by the provincial government to treat them. So Veterans Affairs Canada does not pay any doctors to treat any patients.

Veterans Affairs committee  We can break that down into two parts. When people are released from the forces for medical reasons--or even other--they're usually put out without any medical follow-up. The door is closed and they're out. So it doesn't matter what has happened; once your release date is over, you're out.