Veterans Affairs committee  If you may, I might ask Jane and the commodore to weigh in on those two issues.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thanks very much for the question. Perhaps I can start. I would certainly invite my colleagues and Commodore Bouchard to offer some observations as well. With respect to homelessness, a veteran homelessness program has been announced. It's in development with our partners at In

Veterans Affairs committee  It's not my program specifically, but my understanding is that it will be within the next couple of months. It was announced and is under way in terms of the preparations to launch the program, so it should be launched in the next few months. That program will help by providing

Veterans Affairs committee  Good morning and thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for inviting us to appear today on the important topic of transition. I am Steven Harris. I'm the assistant deputy minister for service delivery, and I'm joined today by my colleagues Jane Hicks, director general, and

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm not aware of any specific examples. In general, we know that equipment can have different effects on female veterans. These are not necessary adjustments that female veterans would have made themselves, but consequences that equipment can have on them, such as different illn

Veterans Affairs committee  For the question on the financials, I would ask Ms. Lantz to respond.

Veterans Affairs committee  Perhaps I can offer some insight on the actual processing. I'm not trying to speak exactly to the impact in the way in which the question is framed but to earlier questioning and information shared related to how often something is approved or not approved, how difficult it is o

Veterans Affairs committee  We have a number of veterans who obviously have come forward. An emergency fund was set up through our new program about five years ago to be able to respond to veterans in crisis, in emergencies, who need short-term assistance on any number of things. It could be something relat

Veterans Affairs committee  The medical file of a particular Canadian Armed Forces serving member or released member is not a property of Veterans Affairs. What we ask for are relevant sections of a veteran's medical file to be provided to us to be able to adjudicate in cases—

Veterans Affairs committee  —where claims, be they disability or otherwise, are being made.

Veterans Affairs committee  Veterans can get access to their medical files, but it's not through Veterans Affairs Canada. They can make the request to be able to access their medical file—

Veterans Affairs committee  We would not have a veteran's entire medical file. We're not considered to have a need to have an entire veteran's medical file, from a privacy point of view and others.

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much. I would just try to explain the purpose for which Veterans Affairs obtains medical files in looking at a veteran's application for any number of programs, most specifically disability benefits. We do access information from the Canadian Armed Forces and the

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct. We just work with her in supporting her role from a Veterans Affairs point of view. That said, we do a lot of work with our Canadian Armed Forces colleagues at the ADM level and throughout many working groups as well, so we're in close contact with them. Her rol

Veterans Affairs committee  No, and I think that actually speaks to the seamless nature of it. The deputy minister works with his partner at DND—