Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, I have. It happens. I am a case manager who will advocate not to close it, but there are still times when I get directed that a file has been here long enough: “You're closing it.” That throws the veteran into crisis, in which case they come back within a month.

Veterans Affairs committee  I would argue no.

Veterans Affairs committee  We have many computer systems. One came in that was meant to replace a previous one, and the previous one never went away. We have probably three or four now. This will be a new system that will come in, and there's been no training on it whatsoever. The documentation they sent

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. Case managers have started to get calls from the rehab service specialists who are representing the contract—they're employed by the contractor—to begin facilitating this transition process. It has, quite frankly, been more confusing. I've had a number of case managers reac

Veterans Affairs committee  That's correct.

Veterans Affairs committee  If I may add to that, it also took a lot of time. Essentially, how these files were flagged, a report was pulled from one of the two main computer systems that identified files over, say, four years. You had to take the time to meet with the manager. Yes, you reviewed this file.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm going to say no; this is not the way to achieve that decrease in administrative burden. When we talked about administrative burden, we were referencing things like unnecessary documentation and duplication of documentation, which continues to be problematic. Those things are

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, I do think it will be a duplication of efforts. So far, all of these steps to decrease administrative burden have translated to an increase in administrative burden. It's a sort of not-funny joke that we have in our office.

Veterans Affairs committee  I would say it averages pretty much where we're at, and I'll let my colleagues chime in as well. We've been closing files. I'd like you to keep in mind that the 40 that I'm sitting at are after extensive efforts to conclude files, which I have been directed to do, but I think New

Veterans Affairs committee  Certainly. Yes, there was a lot of case prep ahead of time in terms of the transition over, but the main documentation was, as we call it, a 1700 form. It's six pages. The content of that, which they were requesting, was specifically things we have acquired throughout our rappor

Veterans Affairs committee  If we did have the ability to do it in-house, I don't think it would be a greater burden on case managers. I'm hesitant to answer this because I'm certainly not an expert. Some of the issues, in terms of the administrative burden we have, include being part of provider relati

Veterans Affairs committee  Certainly it's part of our role and mandate to connect veterans with the resources they require. I know that the department and the contractors certainly believe they can accomplish that. However, 9,000 providers across the country is actually not that big a number. We currently

Veterans Affairs committee  I wouldn't necessarily agree with that in terms of their being contracted out. Yes, the services were being provided. They contracted out the piece that we've been working under, which is specifically in relation to the vocational piece, and specifically to employment. Veterans w

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, the administrative burden has been an issue for a very long time. What we were asking for—and have been for a long time—is a reduction of the administrative burden. I do believe that with 25:1 and a streamlining of some processes, particularly the elimination of duplication

Veterans Affairs committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today in support of my colleagues and my veterans. I've been a case manager just shy of six years. Prior to coming to VAC, I was in a case management role with another federal government department. A key fa