Government of Canada launches service excellence plan for Veterans

Had my VIP review yesterday and asked a few questions to my CM at VAC. She told me that because us on the pension act are grandfathered that unless something drastic changes we shouldn't be hearing from VAC that much and nothing will change. Between her and me she said VAC believes anyone getting a pa monthly pension should be happy because of the grandfather clause we will always get that for life. The new benefits are almost solely intended for NVC to get those guys back to work and off VAC as much as possible. Oh and the RISB , has anyone asked if you receive PA , there is a survivor payment, now the question is will the survivors portion of the RISB be payable on top of the PA survivor if you quaify ? I was told an answer , ask , you might not like what you hear. There is nothing for PA pensioners in these benefits , the idea is eventually we will all fade away and the PA will be a memory. The Conservatives put Joesph Gobbels to shame, propaganda, pure and simple

That is a good read 6608, but I cannot see the Tories being open and honest with anyone anytime soon. Just like the original article in this thread, about hiring a bunch of case managers, because they all of a sudden care about Veterans, while leaving out the fact that staffing levels fell so low because the Tories fired so many of the existing Case Managers. They fired at least 5 just from the Halifax area, even though they had to take over the case load of the Sydney office, when it closed. So just in Nova Scotia, they probably cut more than 10 case manager positions in the last few years, and only God knows how many with just the 8 other office closures. And with regards to the announcements, the only one that will effect more than a handful of Veterans, is the extending full ELB benefits to injured reservists.

It would be interesting to see if the OVO does an actuarial on some of these benefits, especially the RISB, and shows Canadians just how woefully lacking it truly is for the majority of Veterans. Just the fact that it deducts 100% of PIA and PIAS, from the reduced 70% floor, further reduces the RISB payable by over 40% right off the bat, before it even looks at other sources, should tell you how limiting it truly is. And I'm sorry, but by saying that if you make more than 70% of your pre-65 income from other sources, including PIA, you cannot receive RISB, then the 70% mark becomes a ceiling, NOT a floor. To me, a floor means a base amount, and then more is added on. So make the RISB floor $30000, then if you have PIA as one wall, PIAS is another, CPP and OAS make up the other two walls, And if you get one, a CF pension can be the roof, thus making the Veteran complete.

Tx for sharing that link 6608. I thought it was a clear and well written article.
An "echo chamber" ? That's precisely what I meant by regurgitated yesterday.
pinger.

Here is some more reading.............link below
"The Harper government needs to be up front with veterans and Canadians and explain why it has chosen to take only half measures for a number of the recommendations"

http://mdlo.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/New-Veterans-Charter-April-13-20151.pdf



Cheer's

What has any veteran received for sure from all these announcements? These politicians can say and do all they want but until there are actual veterans that have received anything close to what O Toole has said I for one will be approaching this carefully. Not like any of them have told a lie before now.

cofferfit, I do not sense the day you speak of so strongly soon. My optimism is only 2 hairs higher since last Christmas.

Kind of ties in with the article you posted Teen. Found it sort of one-sided and pr regurgitated.
AHA! Lo and behold lol, it's just a mirror of a VAC news release today.

Let me run something by you good guys and good gals.

Leaving Harper out of the equation, call him John Doe of the xyz party of Canada. John's got ...VAC problems. Negative baggage. Lawsuits, protests left, right, and centre, suicides, and even more veterans.
John cut's loose a liability and gets a better box of O'Tooles. (Kinda like Cheerio's) All the while, John's thinking "I've gotta get re-elected!!!" So he tells his new buddy, "I gotta a whole new bunch of flavours! ,but you try them out first " (Announcements). To be continued...with the brass band.

Courtesy of pinger productions.
If it wasn't so tragic it would be hilarious.

Hi Ron .... Teentitan ,

           Is there any chance that you might have & could post here the  Contact Info ... for the Military Ombudsman & The Minister of National Def. ???

......... Whataya say we " Collectively "  start E-Mailing letters to Extend ... ELB & SISIP LTD past ... 65 yrs.

For All Veterans on Here & i'll post it on FaceBook as well !

For Country
Retired Army MasterSniper
Dave Fitzpatrick
Family of ........7........ Get r' Done Bye's !

OK gents need to direct you all into the correct lane when it comes to LTD for life....it's a policy that is held by the DND not VAC.

So if you want to send emails about reinstating LTD for life then contact the Military Ombudsman and the Minister of National Defence.

Yes Rex I hear you..............they better - or I hope they start introducing broader improvements, you know something major that affects the bulk of Veterans.

I'm not so sure that the increase notion of " just " improving targeted sectors of Veterans is the way to go, yes an improvement is an improvement, an it is more then we been getting it quite awhile, but I think they should also look at the bulk of Veterans, simply just improving sectors without taken into account the bulk could leave some scratching their heads wondering if they are being left behind, no disrespect towards some getting well deserved improvements, that's all good, and it certainly nice to see change, change that benefits Veterans, just saying it would be nice to hear the words Major improvement, I realize it's difficult to please all, but I feel somehow with what is transpiring is not good for us as a whole if the Veterans are being singled out into a whole lot of different categories, I would agree on improving benefits on two fronts, one being looking after improving the NVC by different groups of Veterans as what seems to be the case now, secondly improving benefits from both those on the NVC and those on the old pension act, not categorized , implementation as a whole, meaning one major improvement that benefits the bulk of disabled Veterans.
I realize that does not sound probable, but it would make a huge amount of Veterans happy - very happy I think.

I think SISIP for life ended in 95. I got out in summer 96 and it ends at 65 for me. What pisses me off is how we all paid into the plan. They should have grandfathered us in. Piss off that we get zip after sometime in 95 but there are those that might have had a release date one day prior to you - and they get SISIP for life and u get zip at 65.

Trooper, with the introduction of the RISB, there is no hope in H E double hockey sticks, that they will extend ELB for life. The best we can hope for is that they increase the percentage, or make it tax free, as per the recommendations.

Recon,

I agree with that, and sense pretty well all of the latest benefits are geared towards those on the NVC, and whatever happens to changes with the ELB in keeping the momentum of improvements, change the ELB for life an  SISIP will follow suit, staying within the scope of improving the NVC an improving the SISIP benefits at the same time for those on the old pension act.

Killing two birds with one stone if you will.

@ recon031 Forward your concern via emails to Minister Otoole, to the ombudsman and even comment to Mike Blais ( he is Ottawa this week I think)

Recon .... Think this situation will be resolved it only makes sense ...I would ask for a ruling from the minister or request the ombudsman get involved ....its a valid concern with merit....

The RISB will benefit some ....... & there are those that will Continue to receive their ... SISIP LTD for Life ...

..... BUT !  for "  All  Veterans "  past 1998 ?   there will be  ... "" NO  SISIP LTD ""

The New Announcements will Benefit Troops under the NVC .....

Veterans who started on SISIP past a certain year "  WILL LOSE IT @  65  yrs. of age

...... WHY CAN'T THE MINISTER ENSURE THAT " ALL VETERANS "  MEDICALLY DISCHARGED , go on to receive SISIP LTD .... FOR LIFE ... One Standard Maybe Sir ??????

..... YES !  I  WILL  lose mine @ 65  with a family of ... 7 ... to Support .

This way Veterans on the ""  OLD PENSION ACT ""  will have Peace of Mind @ 65 yrs.  Sir !

....... UNLESS we see this CHANGE , how can we "" VOTE "" for CONSERVATIVES , in the FALL ????


For Country
Retired Army MasterSniper
Dave Fitzpatrick
Family of .......7....... Get r' Done Bye's !