Injured veterans’ pension question left unanswered

OTTAWA • The Liberals checked off many of their remaining promises to veterans in Wednesday’s federal budget, but left one big priority marked incomplete: giving injured former soldiers pensions for life.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s new fiscal plan calls for $725 million in additional benefits for injured veterans and their families over five years, which will be doled out in a variety of ways.

They include up to $80,000 to long-serving veterans who leave the military and want to go back to school, as well as a new program that will offer job coaching and other assistance to obtain a civilian job.

The budget expands financial benefits available to family members and others caring for disabled veterans, while making it easier for them to access career training and counselling services.

Funding is also being set aside for organizations that do research on veterans issues, and for the creation of an emergency fund for the veterans affairs minister to dole out in urgent cases.

Yet as welcome as the new money will be, the big question for many veterans will be how the government plans to bring back life-long pensions as an option for those injured in uniform.

While the budget says progress has been made, and further details will be announced by the end of the year, it also sends a strong signal that the old pension system won’t be coming back.

Officials insisted no decision has been made, but the budget suggests that the lump-sum payment, known as the disability award, could simply end up being spread out through monthly payments for life.

The lump-sum’s value varies depending on the extent of a veteran’s disability, with the maximum amount being $360,000, plus additional income replacement for those who can’t work. That is less than the compensation offered by such other countries as the United Kingdom, where the amount is closer to $1 million.