Legion demands fairness for vets
Re: “Reservists not treated equally: ombudsman,” the Journal, Nov. 22. Much has been said about the endless effort and resources that Veterans Affairs Canada and Canadian Forces programs offer veterans and their families. But the reality is quite different.
For example, military ombudsman Pierre Daigle recently released a report on the government’s unfair treatment of injured reservists.
Reservists have proudly served alongside their regular forces counterparts and suffered the same injuries and permanent disabilities or been killed in action. But, according to the federal government, this is where the similarities end.
Reservists might or might not be cared for if they are injured. The ombudsman wrote about it in 2008 and, despite having accepted his recommendations, this government has yet to implement all of them.
All veterans and their families deserve to be treated with dignity and fairness. They are simply asking the government to show the same enthusiasm for them after they’ve been injured as when it sent them into harm’s way.
How can this government continue to differentiate between classes of veterans? For example:
Why are reservists who are injured, disabled or killed entitled to less than their regular forces counterparts?
Why are single Canadian Forces members whose deaths are linked to military service not eligible for death benefits while married or common-law veterans are?
Why does the government continue to clawback RCMP disability benefits when it has already been forced to stop this unfair practice for Canadian Forces veterans?
Why is the earnings-loss benefit for regular forces and full-time reservists set at $40,000 for those undergoing rehabilitation or those not able to return to work, but part-time reservists are entitled to only $24,300?
Why does the earningsloss benefit not reflect lifelong earnings projections and be for life? Stopping this income compensation at age 65 is a disadvantage to our seriously injured veterans and their families.
Why are funeral and burial benefits for low-income veterans still increasingly confusing to access and insufficient to meet today’s costs.
When the new veterans charter was introduced in 2006, it was heralded with much fanfare. While changes were introduced in 2010 to improve financial benefits, issues of dignity and fairness remain.
The Royal Canadian Legion asks the federal government to commit to reviewing the veterans charter in 2013. Actions speak louder than words.