Status Update on OVO Priorities & ACVA Recommendations

I know that losing the 9 DO's was wrong. If there is a silver lining in this is the fact that the new CM hires numbers are way higher then the ones we lost and finally VAC/GoC opened their damned eyes and saw the backlog of applications. Here's the breakdown of the new hires per region

Maritimes: 34 CM's 52 Claim processors
Ontario: 52 CM's 31 Claim processors
Quebec: 20 CM's 10 Claim processors
West: 35 CM's 8 Claim processors

Now by the end of March 2016 claim wait times and more face to face meetings with CM's better be in full gear with no more excuses!

Dannypaj: Excellent points.
100% agree with you.
It is funny that first they fire the people at VAC and now they make it a big deal for hiring few back to look after the backlog.
MVO: not nice saying that only the few difficult cases get the press and the rest of vets is treated superbly well (my reading of it).

Okay it wasn't only me who was baffled reading the OVO statements. The article which the Veterans Ombudsman states Canadians confused about how former soldiers are treated,
I have called the 1-800-ombudman's number and filed a complaint, but when I waited a few months to see what actions were taking and what we had discussed did not happen, I am left wondering how closely knit this department is to VAC.  
Oh yes, it is also nice when the agent on the other line is bragging about her financial security in regards to having a federal job.
And also the questions that I asked were answered with the same resources I could access.  Meaning the real questions I asked couldn't be answered.

I read Lee Berthiaume’s article in the Ottawa Citizen. Anger took its toll.

I needed to walk away, I needed to breathe, I needed to do something positive, I did not need to drive to Ottawa and face down the Ombudsman. So I washed the dishes, washed the Jeep, washed the front and then the entire exterior of the house, and then washed the garage. Now that the premises are sparkling and I have “positively” ridded myself of anger I can ask for the Ombudsman to resign.

Dear Ombudsman – please resign! You have failed!


Only a fool would be so crass as to state that some veteran organizations overstate their concerns. Veteran Organizations state their position out of genuine concern for other veterans and those that follow us – the serving members. The role of veteran advocacy groups is to advocate on behalf of veterans!


The Minister and the Ombudsman need a few hours to quietly sit, read, and consider A Dirty Little Skirmish where Harold Leduc and I point out that veterans’ have grave difficulty accessing established benefits. The denial of access to benefits runs deep throughout Veteran Affairs Canada(VAC) and Veteran Review & Appeal Board(VRAB).

To add insult to injury, the Minister has reappointed one of the key problem children within VRAB – Brent Taylor. You’ll have to read the book to understand the depth of my astonishment that this man has been reappointed. Chapter three is the key.

So back to the Ombudsman …

Misinformation is being spread … by your political leanings. You have the audacity to complain about the politicization of veteran issues but fail to step away from politics and take a strong, clear stand in defense of veterans. You have demonstrated your political leanings by making comment in favour of the current government at this time.

Dear Ombudsman – please resign! You have failed!

Sincerely,

Veteran Watch

I am sure the mud slinging and "he said she said" has only started. As Teen said, dirt can be found on everyone, for me it's when they lie about it. Look at Ford or Clinton......people can accept a lot of peoples shortcomings as we are all human, just own it and admit it. People respect honesty.

Riddick

That whole NDP office fiasco is pure mud slinging. They proved that the parliamentary staff, merely shared office space with the constituency office, that was paid for by the Party, not Taxpayers. It is the exact same as placing dedicated VAC staff in a Service Canada office, so that they don't have to charge any money from the VAC budget to maintain a VAC presence in that city. The VAC staff aren't processing EI claims, or updating passports, or whatever else they do at Service Canada. So how hard is it to believe that staff in those offices, weren't also maintaining a strict separation of duties? This was merely the only thing that they could find to try to really smear the NDP with. But it's not like they closed down an existing office, just to move into a building owned my an MP's brother in law, so that he could collect the lucrative rental income. No, that was the Tories that did that.

Harper is not human! What person, who has any sense of humanity , that sees how veterans are suffering can Not in his position give more to those that have served. But the minute he gets spooked and sees the Orange tidal wave coming crashing toward him, he throws out improved Canada pension plan contributions and cutting the GST by 1 percent. This guy will do anything to save his job, his benefits and his pension!

True, true. But let's face it every politician has dirt that is so easily dug up it's at times hilarious, enraging and shameful.

Like last night they talked about the senate investigation so just for the cherry on the WTFSundae they brought up the NDP office's in Montreal the party paid for by dipping into their treasury fund.

It's a sad day in democracy that it's a beauty pagent election instead of a political ideal election.

Yes, but people don't like him because he is perfect. Harper never misspeaks, and people know it is because he hasn't had an impromptu moment since he entered politics. Heck, he probably has speech writers for his dirty talk with his wife. So, some of JT's thoughts aren't fully thought out, but at least he isn't spouting racial or homophobic slurs, calling Veterans communists, or joking about Canadians dying, like Torie MP's have done.

True it is a tax break for the people who can afford to max their TFSA annually.

But if young adults start to contribute $50 a week or month like we used to with RRSP's think of the interest that is going to accumulate.

Then as they progress in their career's they continue to contribute more money....man free interest, no taxes, great source of money to invest in a house for the first time and not be penalized if they do not return the money like when they were allowed to use their RRSP's for a downpayment.

I just found it a stupid remark from Trudeau about increasing the TFSA. Sometimes he needs to think before he speaks. He's not his old man who could get away with it because there wasn't 24 hour news channels that report damn near every word.

teen, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the TFSA, because there are plenty of Canadians who can use it. But like I said, if only a small percentage of them were able to max out at $5000, the kids you are talking about, with $50 bucks, aren't going to benefit from increasing the max amount to $10000. But Harper and his buddies are. So they have created 2 ways to reduce their tax burden on $20000 annually, which is more than many Canadians earn in a year.

Danny, what the Ombudsmen is talking about, in that article, is likely the legislation and budget, that includes the CIB, RISB, and the caregiver relief money, and the actual regulations that will accompany the benefits. The regulations will have more information about the benefits than the actual legislation, which will be made public until after the legislation is passed, but I doubt that it will include anything substantial that hasn't been discussed previously. I also doubt we will see any mention of additional changes to the NVC from the Torie camp, unless in the form of a campaign promise. But we all know that promises made during an election hold very little weight in Ottawa.

Thanks for the link Dannypaj.

Although I find Mr. Harper too arrogant for his own good, I do believe he is not over confident about winning the upcoming election. He knows the military/veteran/RCMP community spreads out quite far when you consider families and friends and people in general who know us and support us. Harper also knows he has not done enough damage control. Words like "intent", "positive", "in sync", "expanded", "introduced" etc., does not inspire any confidence in me what so ever. Actions speak louder than words and I can't hear or see anything worth listening to.

I agree with you teentitan and Bigrex, TFSA are a good thing but again typical of the Cons .....as Bigrex says ....it only affects a small number and that is what the Cons are all about. The smoke and mirrors .......they want us to see more than what there truly is. They need to stop throwing crumbs and pretending it is something big and wonderful.

Not sure if people are familiar with the term "6 degrees of separation"? My understanding is that within every 6 strangers around the world, there is one person in common. My guess that within Canada that probably goes to 3 degrees of separation of people knowing someone in our veteran community.........Think about how big that is! Now think if we were all on the same page! whoa.........we could decide who is the next GoC no problem.

After 9 years of the Cons at the helm and very little done to noticeably improve what the veterans have been screaming for, would certainly be enough to make anyone second guess their position. Mr. Harper wears glasses, but even he can't be that blind!

Riddick

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/watchdog-reports-some-progress-on-veterans-issue-1.2391577

"But there's also a lot waiting in the queue, including legislation yet to be passed and regulations yet to be unveiled".

Not sure what this means!  Maybe good news!

What else is in the queue?

Never ever let the government know how much money you have. These financial plans are just another way of the powers that be keep an eye on you, keep your money in gold and under the mattress but with the way this government is going with veterans benefits most veterans won't have any money to save anyway. Invest in the orange crush wave coming to a conservative riding near you. That's the only way while see anything