Minister Hehr provides update on first 100 days

Hi Danny, just seen your post about Pats Stograns book. Just finished it last week. It was ok. More of his account on how he opened the OVO, and then went on describe how he ran it, then what led up too 2010 media blowout, where he laid all DVA's lies out. Pat tells it like it is.
I find it unfortunate that we have had probably hundreds of high ranking officers, from Col-Gen's retire and hardly any seem to speak out on how us Vets are treated in this country that we signed to die for. I quess that big pension is enough for them, or they are trying to work at DVA.. Just some thoughts from this older wounded warrior. VVV...

http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B019PIKNTK/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk

Anyone read Mr. Pat Stogran book?

16 Vets got PIA back when this was written. I wonder what that # is now? And I often am curious on how many Vets are TPI? Just curious this eve..lol. VVV...

Here's an older article from a few years back given a perspective of the difference between the NVC & PA

New Veterans Charter shortchanges our disabled soldiers

The decision not to reappoint the Veterans Ombudsman to a second term has put the spotlight on the New Veterans Charter, federal legislation that determines the programs and services available to veterans injured in the service of their country. Our financial analysis shows that the charter does not adequately meet the needs of veterans who are severely disabled.

The New Veterans Charter, which came into effect in 2006, was established by Veterans Affairs Canada to meet the needs of "new" veterans, especially those who have served in Afghanistan. The assumption is that these veterans have different needs from those who served in the Second World War and Korea or with United Nations peacekeeping missions. The charter provides an earnings loss benefit, a financial award and other allowances to veterans who have been assessed as having a service-related disability. It replaces the Pension Act, which provided these benefits to "traditional" veterans under a different legal structure. The single biggest difference is that the charter offers a one-time lump-sum disability award, whereas the Pension Act offered a monthly tax-free pension for life and a survivor benefit.

Our analysis compared financial programs offered under the charter with those offered under the Pension Act. We also determined the effects of factors such as degree of disability, rank and family status on the total financial benefits available under both plans.


We created and examined the case of a 40-year-old male army captain who is injured and discharged from the Canadian Forces. We assumed he has a disability assessment of 80 per cent, a classification given by Veterans Affairs based on severity of disability, either psychological or physical. This classifies him as "severely disabled" and depends not only on the diagnosis but also on how it affects his life. The financial benefits under both the charter and the Pension Act were totalled and compared. We also assumed that the captain was married with two children.

It was found that, in today's dollars, assuming this veteran lived to be 78 and that he was entitled to all financial benefits, he would have received a total of $1,479,854 under the Pension Act and $967,203 under the New Veterans Charter. This means that, under the charter, this officer would receive only 65 per cent of what he would have been entitled to had he been injured before 2006.

Additional analyses showed that the Pension Act is more sensitive to factors that may increase a veteran's financial need. If our captain's disability was assessed at 100 per cent, for example, the charter would award him only 58 per cent ($1,022,419) of what he would have received under the Pension Act ($1,755,187). The charter doesn't take into account marital status or number of children; so, under the Pension Act, a veteran's pension is higher still if he's married or has children. In addition, the Pension Act provides more money per year lived after 65 than does the charter. Finally, a higher military rank provides more money under the charter even if the severity of the injury to the captain and his higher ranked comrade are the same and might have resulted from the same incident. No such rank/entitlement discrimination exists in the Pension Act.

Our analysis included all programs under the New Veterans Charter. But some of the programs are very restrictive and not frequently awarded. For example, the permanently incapacitated allowance, a monthly amount paid to veterans permanently and severely impaired, has been awarded to only 16 people. This equates to 0.1 per cent of the 20,796 veterans receiving financial allowances under the charter. It's unlikely, therefore, that our captain would qualify for this allowance.

Our study demonstrates that veterans are financially disadvantaged under the New Veterans Charter. In addition, the compensation gap between the charter and the Pension Act widens if a veteran lives longer, has more children, has a higher disability assessment or is released at a lower rank. Changes need to be made to this charter if members of the Canadian Forces, and Canadians generally, are to be assured that severely disabled veterans receive compensation equivalent to that under the Pension Act.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/new-veterans-charter-shortchanges-our-disabled-soldiers/article1213169/

Nix the apologies trooper. My emphasis was only for not taking you out of context verbatim.
Respectfully.

Stay well everybody...

Sorry pinger my bad...what I meant to say an should of said was ;

No one ( FROM DVA ) was breathing down your neck pushing you to continue to work .. that was left up to the Veteran.

True enough trooper, true enough.

But re: " No one was breathing down your neck pushing you to continue to work .. that was left up to the Veteran. " Not taking you out of context, but the 5 or 10 percent PA never paid for the cost of my living. That's why I just lied to civie HR's to get hired, work, suffer, and pay my bills.

Ya gotta do, watcha gotta do but take my hindsight. Don't dig an early grave on account of getting injured while having served.

JMO pinger.

What I like about the PA pension is that it is tax free right across the board & for life.

If your released with a minimal condition you could apply for the pain an suffering which doesn't mean that you would be automatically approved ... but could appeal in a fair manner which gives the person time to evaluate with their civilian doctors.

If approved let's say at 5% .. that was a starting point in which for the rest of your life if the condition or conditions (Worsen) ..  you could apply for an increase...if there were (Consequential) you could also apply for an increase .. both up to 100% in total.

If you were to continue to work you would always have that 5% or whatever you were initially given...this to show their respect in signing that dotted line.
No one was breathing down your neck pushing you to continue to work .. that was left up to the Veteran.

Those more severe injuries would of course start off at a much higher percentage.

On top of all that if things get real bad there's the VIP an so on .. all tax free.

It was a fair system that protected an respected all Veterans right across the board.

One Veteran One Standard !!

Here is proof that the PA was such a fair system for all medically released Veterans ,

Ask any present or past serving member of the RCMP why they didn't accept the NVC ?

Show me one article where a medically released military Veteran who is at 100% PA or close to it who has come forward wanting to give away their grandfather clause in switching to the NVC ?

great stuff slaket a very fine example of how easy these things can be done . more to the point it will show them WE KNOW how easy these things can get done so we aint gonna buy into any of their BS about how long this will take .

propat

Slaket - Thanks, I like the words tax free mthly, and tax free lump sums. Unlike us where our ELB/EELB, PIA/PIAS are all taxed. VVV...

Our Minister seems to be having some difficulties figuring out how to fix the VAC pension/payout for medically released Veterans...So I am offering my services at no cost to his office or the GoC..

It was difficult.. But by using copy and paste I will provide what I would consider a relatively good starting point... Oh by the way it's copied directly from our Allies..the UK..!

I have converted British Pounds to Canadian Dollars to simplify it for his staff..
I would equate Their Maximum to our 100%..I believe they break it down to 15 Tarrifs..
And for the most severely injured they also receive a monthly pension (GIP) as well as their Service Pension..

Minister Hehr...It never took me 100 days...hell it never took me 100 minutes..To derive this solution..
Sir..please..no thanks are required..

""Type of awards

There are 2 main types of AFCS benefits:
•Lump sum payments

For injury or illness, AFCS provides a tax free lump sum payment for pain and suffering, the size of which reflects the severity of the injury/illness. Lump sum payments range from £1,200 to £570,000. If you sustain multiple injuries from the same incident then the scheme awards you some compensation for each injury, up to a maximum of £570,000. (1,145,700 Cdn $)
•

Guaranteed Income Payments (GIPs)

For those with the most serious injuries and illnesses, AFCS also provides an income stream known as the Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP). This is a tax free, index linked monthly payment which is paid from the day after service ends (where a claim is made whilst still in service) or from the date of claim (if you claim after discharge).

A number of factors are taken into consideration when calculating the GIP. These reflect the effect of an injury on future promotion prospects.""

Very good sense pinger...if they don't come through... ( ABL ) Anything But Liberal !!

That said I do believe there's a change in how medically released Veterans are now being viewed it terms of both ( PRIORITIES )

and ( TYPES OF BENEFITS BROUGHT FORWARD )

So in my view if this continues ...no party will perform well in improving things... in terms of the way it use to be.

I no longer see it as ...One Veteran ....One Standard.

Tx for posting that update 6608. What I am mindful first and foremost of is that Kent Hehr has law history as a background. Don't we gotta love lawyers? The very few statements he has made on our file to me are hollow and vague esp. on time frames and implementations. Same shyte different day and old news.

JMO but JT is like a maverick. With his dynamics that I voted for on our file.
Not any political party of flavour mind you, just bearing in mind our interests... FIRST AND FOREMOST.

Now then, with no positive info on a mandate letter let alone action, if this upcoming budget has baby carrots for us? Some one will be south... replaced.

They are supposed to do their job. MVA has not done this yet. He has FAILED in my honest view.

Hope I made sense. Pills are kicking. Bye BYE. jmo

I have a funny feeling he is giving the ADM's and senior bureaucrats free reign. Not good. But I would like to watch the fallout if he does cancel his account Sparrow.

Why would they not help us and how do they think they will  get away with not delivering on what they promised? It doesn't make any sense, not in this day and age with social media.