Paul Smith's Story

Unfortunately, it's all about saving money. To me it spoke volumes that yesterday when Jim Prentice was holding his press conference about their fiscal projections and how they are going to be spending 10 billion less this year than last, Blackburn was right there by his side. With the mission in Afghanistan almost to its end, the majority of injured and broken from this conflict have already been paid off with their lump sums. So combine the facts that fewer disability awards will have to be paid out and that VAC offers no continuing financial support for the majority of their clients, their spending will be considerably lower compared to the first 4 years with the NVC. We've been saying it for years that the NVC is only a cost cutting measure and now we will be proven right.

I had a problem with them as well. I have a neck and lower spine injury, both are deteriorating discs where they end decision was 20%. However after a few years passed it started to go into my extremeties. Sharp pains going down the arm and tingling in legs and arms. On one occassion my wife had to take me into the hospital. The doctor at the hospital mention to me that I should go a seek out an appointment for a nerve conducting test. So I did. I got an appointment for a nerve conducting test in which the nurse or assistant to the specialist was sort of shocked that I was missing signals. It now has put me off work as the longer I sat there the worse it got. With this in hand I reapplied to veterans affairs for an increase. The lawyer for veterans when looking at the table of disabilities mentioned that I should be at 37% to the board. My wife was with me as well describing the problems she was helping me with daily. I was denied even with the evidence in front of them. I appealed the decision and was denied again. I still feel that it is now based on how much can be saved.