Vets kept in the dark over medical records and claim applications: ombudsman

By Murray Brewster - Monday, February 4, 2013 at 2:10 PM - 0 Comments

OTTAWA – The veterans ombudsman says ex-soldiers and members of the RCMP should no longer be at the mercy of government institutions when it comes to submitting their disability applications.

Guy Parent’s new report calls on the federal government to stop keeping veterans in the dark over the medical records used to decide on compensation claims.

Under the current system, when a claim is filed the applicant’s medical records are requested from either the military, the RCMP or Library and Archives Canada, if the documents date back decades.

Federal bureaucrats also cherry-pick the records that are deemed relevant, a process known as flagging, before they are sent on to an adjudicator for review. Continue…

On-site audit of veterans facility sparked by neglect complaints complete

By Colin Perkel - Friday, December 21, 2012 at 2:53 PM - 0 Comments

TORONTO – Federal government auditors have completed an on-site inspection of Canada’s largest veterans facility prompted by complaints about substandard treatment and neglect of its most frail residents.

The three-person audit team, which included two nursing professionals, is now analyzing resident charts and other data provided by the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre, home to about 500 Second World War and Korean War vets.

According to multiple sources, the auditors from Veterans Affairs Canada spent much of last week at the centre — its first inspection by any level of government in more than seven years.

Auditors interviewed or heard from more than 100 relatives or residents either privately or in groups. Continue…

Veterans board given mild rebuke by Commons committee

By Murray Brewster - Tuesday, December 11, 2012 at 12:43 PM - 0 Comments

OTTAWA – A House of Commons committee has issued a mild rebuke of a controversial agency that hears the benefits complaints of ex-soldiers.

The all-party veterans committee told the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB) on Tuesday that it needs to reassess the way it does business when it comes to the independence of those hearing the cases and the evidence rules on which decisions are based.

“While the committee recognizes the need for veterans to provide evidence to substantiate their cases, which in turn ensures consistency in VRAB’s decision making, witness testimony suggests that the burden of proof on veterans may have become too high,” said the report.

The agency has been at the centre of an on-again-off-again political storm with veterans, veterans organizations and even former members of the board complaining that ex-soldiers face demeaning treatment, and unreasonable demands to prove their disabilities are related to their time in the military. Continue…

Veterans shelve medals in protest on Remembrance Day

By Murray Brewster - Friday, November 9, 2012 at 7:57 AM - 0 Comments

OTTAWA – Tom Hoppe earned the Medal of Bravery and the affectionate nickname “Dances With Bullets” for his heroic August 1994 sprint into sniper fire to rescue three children pinned down in the civil war fury of Visoko, Bosnia.

That medal along with others the former army sergeant earned, including the Meritorious Service Cross will sit on a shelf this Remembrance Day in a quiet but symbolic protest against the Harper government.

The fact one of Canada’s most decorated soldiers, and a respected voice in the peacekeeping community, chose to remove his medals a decision some troops consider sacrilege speaks volumes about the level of frustration and disillusionment among ex-soldiers and their families.

“It’s very, very hard choice for me to do this … but I don’t know what else to do,” Hoppe said Thursday in an interview with The Canadian Press.

“As long as people understand there’s no disrespect to veterans whatsoever. It’s just a choice I’ve made because I can’t sit on the sidelines and do nothing anymore. And I’ve tried everything I can. I’ve tried to work with Veterans Affairs and the government, but every time we go to Veterans Affairs with ideas and stuff it’s a confrontational approach.”

The protest is also a way to show supports for ex-soldiers who have launched court challenge against the government’s marquee legislation, the New Veterans Charter approved by all parties, enacted by the Conservatives in 2006 and defended by the government ever since.

Hoppe also said the government has failed to completely atone for a privacy scandal.

It has settled out of court with advocate Sean Bruyea, but others have yet to receive an apology including Hoppe, whose privacy records show his medical information was sought by officials after he expressed concern about the veterans charter in 2006.

Another veteran, former warrant officer Harold Leduc, chose two weeks ago not to wear his medals in protest over his own privacy breaches.

The growing discontent, at times, mystifies and exasperates Conservatives who’ve introduced a series of changes and improvements meant to take the sting out of veterans complaints.

Both Hoppe and outspoken critic Mike Blais of Canadian Veterans Advocacy say the amendments don’t address the central issue.

The New Veterans Charter overhauled the way ex-soldiers are compensated and moved away from a pension-for-life system into a workers compensation-style lump-sum payment.

No matter how the government dresses it up, said Blais, the system has created two classes of veterans those on the old system and those on the new system who often get less and face a variety of caveats.

“We believe in one veteran, and one standard,” Blais said.

“Justice is what those veterans (involved in the class-action lawsuit) are seeking,. They do not want anything more than those that served at Juno Beach were accorded. They do not want anything more than those that fought at Dieppe, at Kayong, at Vimy.”

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney said the government has been transforming the system, pointing to a recent $177 million injection of cash to halt a long-term disability clawback.

“We are just a phone call away” for help, Blaney said.

That didn’t stop disabled veterans and military widows from unleashing a broadside of frustration Thursday on Parliament Hill, complaining of bureaucratic indifference and red tape that flies in the face of Blaney’s reassurances.

Few of the government’s touted programs meant to help combat veterans find civilian jobs actually help the disabled, said retired master corporal Dave Desjardins, who suffers from an extreme lower back injury.

Desjardins said he was proud to serve his country.

“What I’m not proud of, however, is how our government officials and senior military leadership can look directly into the camera (and) speak to the Canadian public about honouring our veterans at this time of year with implied conviction when they’ve clearly turned their back on us and continue to demonstrate (that) on a daily basis,” said Desjardins.

He challenged Blaney to look him in the eye “and tell me you really care.”

The government recently threw its weight behind a so-called “helmets-to-hardhats” program, which aids ex-soldiers get into the construction industry a wonderful resource for someone without physical limitations, said Desjardins.

A number of officials “in expensive suits” are on the record as saying there are a number of opportunities for disabled veterans, but Desjardins said many of the head hunters discriminate in favour of officers, leaving non-commissioned members out in the cold.

“I’m here to ask those suits one simple question: Show me. Show me where those opportunities and jobs are and I’m not just asking for myself, Im also asking for the hundreds of other disabled veterans across Canada.”

Tracy Kerr, wife of a triple amputee who fought in Afghanistan, said she and her family have battled for years to get basic needs, such as a lift to get her husband in and out of the bathtub.

“I’ve travelled seven hours to speak to the public about how we’re struggling,” said Kerr, from Sudbury, Ont., her eyes filling with tears as she spoke.

“I just want a quality of life, happiness for my family and when we make requests for his needs, to get them.”

Jackie Girouard, whose husband was killed by a roadside bomb in Kandahar in 2006, said the families of many soldiers are denied access to the veterans independence program, which helps with yard work and light housekeeping.

She said policies which set time limits on accepting assistance, such as two years for education and job retraining, are insensitive and unrealistic.

“I was with my husband for 31 years, and I make no apologies for how long it took to me to get this far without my husband,” she said.

“They could’ve said to me: ‘Jackie, take your time and when you’re ready come see us and we’ll work together to help you achieve you and your family’s goals.’ Those words alone would have demonstrated to me that you care.”

NDP introduces bill to scrap oft-maligned veterans review and appeal board

By Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press - Wednesday, October 3, 2012 at 3:36 PM - 0 Comments

OTTAWA – New Democrats have introduced a private member’s bill to scrap an oft-maligned board where ex-soldiers can appeal the denial of benefits by the federal government.

MP Peter Stoffer, the party’s veterans critic, says the review agency is the No. 1 problem facing individual veterans — and is seen as a place where they have to plead for what is rightfully theirs.

“The problem that many, many veterans face is when they appear before this politically appointed, non-accountable board is that they feel like they’re begging for something,” Stoffer said Wednesday.

“They feel they’re coming cap in hand.”

The Veterans Review and Appeal Board has been at the centre of complaints — even from one of its own members — that it disrespects and sometimes belittles veterans who appear before it.

Last winter, several former members of the military described how they’d faced snide, often disrespectful comments from board members who sat in judgment of their claims. The agency was also at the centre of a scandal, where one of its members said his private medical information was spread around to discredit him because he too often sided with veterans.

One ex-soldier, George Villeneuve, says two of his friends committed suicide after being turned down for help.

“A lot of people appearing before a board like that are already pretty ill and they don’t have the strength to continue and that’s their last resort,” said Villeneuve, a 20-year veteran.

“And when they’re being denied and turned back, what other resort do they have? Some of them do eventually commit suicide. I know of two personally.”

Stoffer said he wouldn’t go as far as directly blaming the review board for suicides, but he said he believes that some of the negative decisions have contributed to homelessness among young veterans who spiral out of control when they don’t get support.

Villeneuve, who appeared with Stoffer on Parliament Hill, says his claim of post-traumatic stress was turned down at the first stage of the board’s review process, even though he says he had all of the appropriate letters from doctors.

He was forced to bring his doctor to the appeal hearing in order to win his case.

The NDP says the board’s $11-million annual budget could be plowed back into benefits for ex-soldiers, and that challenges to the initial applications for benefits can be handled through an internal peer-review process.

Earlier this week, the chairman of the review board was before a House of Commons committee defending his use of taxpayers’ money for two trips to a lecture series in Britain — $7,285.97 that John Larlee repaid, even though he told MPs it was “worthwhile” and of benefit to him as head of the board.

A spokesman for Veteran Affairs Minister Steven Blaney accused the NDP of wanting to cut direct services to veterans by abolishing the board.

“We are one of the only countries in the world to provide this independent review mechanism for veterans and we are proud to be the only country that also pays the legal fees for veterans who choose to use this review process,” Niklaus Schwenker said in an email.

“Our government is determined to protect this independent forum for veterans and we will continue to stand up for veterans by protecting and improving the important benefits they deserve.”

Before coming to office in 2006, the Conservatives campaigned to abolish the board.

Stoffer says his private member’s bill has the support of veterans groups.

Feds spent over $750,000 in five-year court battle against vets’ pension claim

By Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press - Sunday, September 23, 2012 at 8:10 AM - 0 Comments

OTTAWA – The Harper government spent $750,462 in legal fees fighting veterans over the clawback of military pensions, documents tabled in Parliament show.

Federal Liberals have been demanding to see a breakdown of Ottawa’s legal costs in the class-action lawsuit launched by veterans advocate Dennis Manuge, of Halifax.

The response was tabled in Parliament last week, but Justice Minister Rob Nicholson refused to release an itemized count, invoking solicitor-client privilege.

Instead, he released a global amount for the lawsuit, which has been dragging its way through the courts since March 2007.

Liberal veterans critic Sean Casey described the legal bill as an “obscene waste of taxpayers’ money.”

In abandoning the legal fight, the government appointed Stephen Toope, the president of the University of British Columbia, to lead negotiations with Manuge’s legal team to arrive at a settlement, including retroactive payments.

The settlement could run as high as $600 million, depending upon how many years back the federal compensation plan will go, say internal government estimates.

Casey said that given the amount of money at stake, he could see the government fighting it tooth and nail — if it had a strong case.

“The court didn’t see any merit; the court didn’t equivocate. The court slammed them,” he said.

“They had a weak case from the get-go and it was absolutely irresponsible. The responsible thing for them to do was not to force litigation, but to sit down when this problem reared its ugly head and come to a negotiated settlement.”

In siding with veterans last May, Judge Robert Barnes “unreservedly” rejected the government’s arguments.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney announced in June the government would not appeal a Federal Court of Canada ruling that rejected clawbacks from the pensions of disabled veterans.

The class-action lawsuit involved Manuge and 4,500 other disabled veterans whose long-term disability benefits were reduced by the amount of the monthly Veterans Affairs disability pension they receive.

The ex-soldiers argued it was unfair and unjust to treat pain and suffering awards as income.

MacKay ordered the clawback to end in July, but there are still some veterans who face the deduction.

Ex-soldiers whose additional awards and payments exceed the limit of 75 per cent of their military salary — often those who were most severely injured — say they’re still not being treated fairly.

Those veterans with the most grievous injuries are entitled to receive the maximum benefit, particularly since many can’t work, advocates have said.

What’s getting cut

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, April 13, 2012 at 4:08 PM - 0 Comments

Sarah Schmidt tries to figure out what the cuts will mean to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The Customs and Immigration Union says border services cuts mean it will be harder to intercept “hardened criminals such as sexual predators.” A letter from aboriginal leaders seems to justify the elimination of the National Aboriginal Health Organization, but ITK leader Mary Simon quibbles. And in addition to the humans who will be laid off, dogs are also being put out of work.

Nineteen of the 72 dogs used by the Canadian Border Services Agency across the country, which are trained to sniff out guns, cash and drugs, were given their pink slips and will be put up for adoption, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews’ office confirmed Friday. “We expect the CBSA to use the most effective tools for each job. Detector dogs are a great tool in the right circumstances, but they will no longer be used when there is a better tool available. To be clear, all drug detector dogs at land border crossings will remain in place,” Toews’ press secretary Julie Carmichael told the Star.

According to reports from across the country, CBSA dog handlers had tears in their eyes when they got the news that their four-legged partners were being shown the door. Jason McMichael, first national vice-president of the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU), told the Star that the decision has serious consequences. “Taking away tools such as the detector dog service will make smuggling easier. It will result in more guns and drugs on our street,” McMichael said, noting that Ottawa is also throwing away the money it cost to train these dogs.

To all of this week’s revelations, the NDP responded with a series of news releases, lamenting cuts to science, Veterans Affairs, border security, food inspection and the CBC.

Veterans Affairs won’t be exempt

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 9:20 AM - 0 Comments

With the Conservatives voting against, the House defeated the NDP’s motion on veterans affairs by a count of 147-122 last night.

Nycole Turmel subsequently pronounced shame.

To cut or not to cut Veterans Affairs

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 11:55 AM - 0 Comments

The House will vote this evening on an NDP motion to exempt Veterans Affairs from budget cuts.

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should: (a) honour the service of Canadian military and RCMP veterans and their families by committing to not cut Veterans Affairs Canada in the upcoming budget; and (b) provide programs and services to all military and RCMP veterans and their families in a timely and comprehensive manner.

Yesterday’s debate on the motion starts here. Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney’s speech in response is here.

Update 1:41pm. The government side has proposed amending the motion so that it reads as follows:

That, in the opinion of this House, the government should: a) honour the service of Canadian military and RCMP veterans and their families by committing to maintain Veterans’ benefit and b) provide programs and services to all military and RCMP veterans and their families in a timely and comprehensive manner.

Supporting the veterans

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, November 11, 2011 at 1:12 PM - 1 Comment

The former veterans ombudsman is scathing in his criticism of Veterans Affairs and veterans advocates are worried about cuts. The current ombudsman suggests the department should be exempt from budget cuts.

“If the government ensures us that they will not achieve their economies on the back of veterans, then that means that the 5 or 10 per cent will have to come from the other portion of the budget, which is the salary of people and operations expenses,” Mr. Parent said in a telephone interview.

“Any reduction in people would certainly have a negative impact on accessing programs and administering programs, so we are concerned.”

The quiet cuts

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, October 21, 2011 at 4:43 PM - 9 Comments

The government is eliminating 42 jobs with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

The Department of Fisheries will have its budget cut by $56.8 million.

And Veterans Affairs will be cutting somewhere between 500 and 800 jobs.

The quiet cuts

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, October 14, 2011 at 6:35 PM - 18 Comments

Veterans Affairs is planning to trim its budget by $226 million.

Environment Canada has cancelled a $547,000 per year agreement with the Canadian Environmental Network.

And a subscription to a leading journal on criminology and justice policy has not been renewed.

Veterans Affairs bureaucrats penalized for violating critic's privacy

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at 1:58 PM - 3 Comments

The 54 Veterans Affairs bureaucrats who accessed the personal files of VA critic Sean Bruyea and used the confidential information to smear him as unstable have been issued reprimands and suspended for three days. An outraged Bruyea called the penalties a “slap on the wrist,” saying he received guarantees from Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn that people would be fired over the matter. The revelations about VA bureaucrats improperly handling Bruyea’s personal file first surfaced last fall, when the federal privacy commissioner’s ruled that privacy laws had been violated. The government settled out-of-court- for $400,000 and an apology to Bruyea. Minister Blackburn defended the punishment, saying VA bureaucrats have learned their lesson. “I don’t want to excuse what happened,” said Blackburn, “but it was part of the reality of the department at the time.”

The Globe and Mail

Supporting the troops

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 10:14 AM - 0 Comments

CP reports on what seems a particularly dark turn in the discussion about how we care for veterans of armed conflict.

Confidential medical and financial information belonging to an outspoken critic of Veterans Affairs, including part of a psychiatrist’s report, found its way into the briefing notes of a cabinet minister.

Highly personal information about Sean Bruyea was contained in a 13-page briefing note prepared by bureaucrats in 2006 for then minister Greg Thompson, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press. The note, with two annexes of detailed information, laid out in detail Bruyea’s medical and psychological condition.

The Commons: Supporting the troops

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 6:34 PM - 0 Comments

Colonel Pat Stogran sat in a suit and tie at the front of the National Press Gallery, somewhat hunched over his notes, his hands placed on the table in front of him. Every so often, as he read in precisely the sort of impatient, unapologetic, grinding tone one would expect from a colonel, he would glance up from beneath an impressive brow.

To his immediate left sat a man in a wheelchair, a former member of the Canadian Forces now suffering from ALS. To Col. Stogran’s far right and far left sat men with medals pinned just below the right shoulders of their suit jackets. A half dozen other veterans sat in the gallery.

Col. Stogran explained first what he was not here to talk about—the government’s decision not to renew his term as veterans ombudsman. He has held the title since November 2007 and he will relinquish his post in three months.

“What I am here to do,” he said, “is to expose to Canadians what I perceive as a system that for a long time has denied veterans not just what they deserve, but what they earned with their blood and sacrifice.”

If he is to leave his post, he seems intent on doing so unquietly. Indeed, deviating from his initial statement, he speculated that perhaps he had surprised the government that appointed him. That he had been too outspoken, too aggressive. If so, he seemed unrepentant, perhaps even emboldened. Continue…