Government vows to help veterans adapt
Faces criticism from auditor general
OTTAWA — The Conservative government has promised to take action after the auditor general found that some veterans, pushed out of the Canadian Forces due to illness or injury, are falling through the cracks as they try to re-enter civilian life.
Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney said the government had accepted all of Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s recommendations after the latter found a patchwork approach to helping those who served in uniform.
That system is rife with inconsistencies, poor or in- adequate service standards and other problems, which Blaney indicated would be addressed with a yet-to-bereleased veterans transition action plan.
The speed with which the minister came forward with his promise to act highlights the degree of sensitivity the Conservatives feel to any suggestion they are not supporting Canada’s military personnel.
“Veterans’ transition from Canadian Forces to civilian life is an issue of paramount importance for me and our government,” Blaney told reporters only a few hours after the report was made public.
“That is why we continue to bring new measures to make this transition more positive and easier for their families.”
But one veteran, who has experienced many of the problems highlighted by the auditor’s report as he has tried to re-enter civilian life, said he was skeptical that major fixes are on the way.
Master Seaman Greg Janes, who was deemed unfit for service because of chronic pain and PTSD, incurred over 18 years of service, said he has spent the past two years try- ing to obtain support and assistance.
“I am falling through the cracks,” Janes said by telephone from his home near Montreal. “I don’t know where my career is going. I don’t know what I’m going to do with my life.
“I feel there’s very little support for me. Very little has been done. And I don’t foresee things changing.”
The Canadian Forces and Veterans Affairs Canada share responsibility for helping military personnel obtain services and return to civilian life after sustaining an injury or illness that renders
“I feel there’s very little support for me. Very little has been done. And I don’t foresee things changing.”
MASTER SEAMAN GREG JANES
them unable to serve.
Ferguson’s report, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday morning, found that from 2006 to 2011, more than 8,000 Canadian Forces members were released for medical reasons. Many are Afghan vets.
Support for these Canadians totalled about $500 mil- lion in the 2010-11 fiscal year.
While many of these Canadian Forces members and veterans are receiving good care and support, Ferguson found the entire system plagued with problems that have left some struggling to get help.
The problems identified by Ferguson include a lack of clear information about programs and services, complex eligibility criteria and a dependence on paper-based information-sharing.
“We also found inconsistencies in how individual cases are managed, and problems sharing information between the two departments,” Ferguson said. “As a result, Forces members and veterans did not always receive services and benefits in a timely manner, or at all.”
The Veterans Affairs and Canadian Forces workers voiced their own concerns around constant changes in how they are supposed to do their jobs.
“They must deal with a large number of departmental policies and procedures, which often change,” the auditor’s report said. “As a result, employees find it increasingly difficult to understand the process and keep up to date.
“Some were concerned they might make decisions or provide advice on the basis of outdated information without having considered all relevant policies.”
While the government has promised to address the issues, concerns that the pledge will be all talk and no action may not be without merit: Ferguson’s report noted that a number of difficulties identified in previous departmental evaluations and reports remain unresolved.