Increased Disability Award & Retro

ya i was told today on the phone by VAC that we will find out what we are owed before the 1st of April and the payment will be sent for the end of April. As well i was looking at the numbers they set up for us on the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation for current to January 17,2017 last amended on October 1,2016 under 96-97 on page 67

It would be really hard to believe, that no calculations have been done at this late point in time,,lol. It's seems we all get a different answer on this subject. Just more of keeping us like mushrooms. Why tell us, we don't really need to know what's going on..That's this cranky old, disabled, Rad-Ops rant for tonight,, lol Johnny Out..VVV

Below is what i was sent today as a response to my question ref retro payment dates and calculations?


Thank you for using My VAC Account and our secure message services.

I can advise only that the new legislation will take effect April
1, 2017, and no calculations for individual Veterans have yet
been made. You will receive a letter and your payment will be
issued after April 1, 2017.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact
us again via My VAC Account or our toll-free number, 1-866-522-2122.

Sincerely,

Chris Brasher
National Contact Centre Analyst
Veterans Affairs Canada

even if they told us how much we will be getting.....Im sure they got to know by now

Our persistence pays off I guess.

I got this answer in My Vac Account this morning. So sounds like we will see retro by end Apr;

Thank you for using My VAC Account and our secure email services.

This is correct, Veterans Affairs is aiming to have payments
made by the end of April 2017.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact
us again via My VAC Account or our toll-free number, 1-866-522-2122.

Sincerely, Johnny, Out, VVV...

TBH, his electoral reform promise was one of the one things that he caught the most grief about, mainly from the Tories, because they said that other electoral processes would ensure the Liberals would remain in power. So they should be jumping for joy that he has changed his mind on that. Don't get me wrong, as I'm still pissed about certain aspects of how file, and how they have been handling it, but the changes that the Liberals have made so far, have been on the positive side. I haven't even heard a single one of the Torie leadership nominees even mention Veterans in any interview, including O'Toole. So I'm holding out hope that the Liberals are still our best hope of getting a monthly disability pension again.

slaket I like the finish .

id be demanding nothing less that a fully adjusted retro .

but since its the GOC we are dealing with id be expecting not one fracking dime .

propat

Even though VAC has released some bits of information when questioned by some CSAT members Im still not convinced that this will be a done deal.

We have seen over the last week the PM change and basically rewrite the Mandate direction WRT Electoral Reform..

Taking the route that his word means nothing, what is to say that he will not lay a different directive upon the current Minister...
Can you imagine what we will hear for the next 17 months if that happens..

"under my new mandate Veteran Affairs is working hard in the best interest of our Veterans.." over and over and over every time he is asked a question...

Friends ..dont spend her until she is sitting in your account...

Slaket

iceman yaaa that is the big question isn't it .

how about are they legally obligated to do so? so ya we all know their are two different COLA calculations used one based on CPI that applies to the tables and another they simply refer to in the act as interest that only applies to those that elect to take their payments over time witch seems to be more generous .

either way a form of COLA is applied to every part of the disability award . the annual table , the outstanding amount of a previously awarded amount not yet paid , appealed claims as to amount that get awarded get the adjusted increase to the current year and so on and so on .

everyone that gets an award or part of an award under this legislation gets paid the adjusted amount in all cases .

nothing I have found in the legislation old and new forgives the government from paying COLA on this part of your award .

soooo legally obligated to do so ? in my opinion yes frack yes .

now back the real question ya brought up buds . WILL THEY ???

hmmmm

hard to say they have done illegal crap before .

thing is I'm thinking if they didn't want to wouldn't they have added a little extra wording specifically precluding this from any adjustment saving not just money but a future legal battle .

that's kind of why I think they will .

but time will tell.

JMO

propat

In my opinion, whichever way the retro award is calculated, it is tax free funds going to Veterans. I think this is obviously good, any time funds are put in the hands of disabled Veterans is a good thing.
That said, I do not see this retro award to be a significant improvement on our file, yes of course it is welcomed, and some may say it's much better than what was coming from the previous government, this I would not argue with, I just don't see the ELB increase and the increase and retro to the disability award being something that would come close to being as good as the old tax free pension act, that's just my opinion, some are satisfied with these improvements, and some are not.
They still haven't come out with the lifelong pension, all that has happened thus far regarding our file from the Liberals to me is simply called bandage/gap fixing. But is anything really fixed? If it was all good, this should be the end of (major) fighting for more improvements, somehow I don't think that anything major has been fixed, and I'm certain the fighting will continue, continue for many years to come, this because of the way the NVC is set up, and the NVC itself.

JMO

In 2009 I applied for a disability going back to 1963. I was awarded 24% disability and given a lump sum.
I started a similar process as Bruce72 in Oct 2016. I received notice of my granted increase from 24% to 35% in January. I have agreed to a direct deposit so checking my account daily.
Overall I can't complain about the service other than if I had made the claim for this approved disability In 2005 and received the order of the day monthly pension amount would by now have doubled my lump sum award let alone what It would total at my last breath.
The $11000 adjustment coming in April doesn't come close to compensating for that.

bruce72 wrote:

I don't understand any of the things most of you guys are talking about, I just hope the government will be fair.  But I'm not holding my breath.

I feel the exact same way. I'm sitting at 55% with a reassessment on step 3, awaiting adjudication. I try to understand all the math, but I honestly don't.

Iceman I was awarded an additional 15% on top of the original 25% back at the end of September last year after a reassessment.  From the time VAC had all the necessary paperwork to a positive decision was 8 weeks July 25 to decision September 27th.  I originally started the claim April 1st 2016.

My retro calculation will be for

2008 awarded 10%
2009 awarded 15% (from original claim)

2016 awarded after reassessment 15% (total now 40%)

I don't understand any of the things most of you guys are talking about, I just hope the government will be fair.  But I'm not holding my breath.

The big question is whether the yearly adjusted base retro less the paid amount (supplemental) will have a cola adjustment to bring it to current value of the dollar.

On a side note, does anyone know if they are holding back new award decisions until this is all rectified?

I have a vac initiated reassessment from last year. My psychologist sent in her forms in November, and I know vac received and scanned in that paperwork in the beginning of December. it still shows step 1 on myvac.