ANAF: Proposed changes for Veterans Affairs Canada

ANAF: Ongoing support for Sunnybrook

Tuesday, November 8, 2016 11:48:08 EST AM



BELLEVILLE - In sick bay this week — actually they have been indisposed for some time now — are Glenn Wylie and Gail Ryan. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and we hope to see you soon.
ANAVETS continues to support our troops with a recent donation to the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre which is the largest veterans’ care facility in Canada. It works in close partnership with Veterans Affairs Canada, and offers long term and complex hospital care to 475 veterans from the Second World War and Korean War. Residents live as independently as possible in Kilgour wing, and in the George Hees wing within a supportive environment, when their needs can no longer be met in the community.
Sunnybrook officially opened as a war veteran’s hospital in 1948. They are proud and consider it an honour to care for Canada’s veterans, the courageous men and women who served our country in the name of peace and freedom. ANAVETS will be funding one year’s subscription to two copies each of the Toronto Star and The Toronto Sun.
In 2011, the Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans in Canada supported the creation of Newspaper Central in Warriors Hall. Each weekday morning a loyal following of veterans gather for coffee, comradeship and to catch up on recent news. The papers are stored and viewed by multiple veterans throughout the day.
One of the most popular programs offered in the Veterans Centre is ANAVETS bingo. This year we are funding the purchase of an Apple iPad which will provide the recreation therapists with a means of enhancing their interactions with the veterans in their one-to-one programming as well as in the group program setting. Different applications are available to purchase, which are specialized and unique to the veterans’ particular interests. Some of these applications can provide mental stimulation, offer topics for reminiscence, travel, etc. The iPad the recreation therapists are purchasing hasa fast download speed and is very lightweight, making it easy for the veterans to handle. In addition, there is an anti-reflective coating on the screen to reduce glare for those who may have some vision challenges.
The residents on one of the locked cognitive units enjoy playing the air hockey game located in the games room beside Warriors’ Hall. The residents have expressed the desire to have more opportunities to play air hockey. It is hoped having an air hockey table accessible to them will bring hours of enjoyment and could be an activity families and visitors could participate in with their loved one while visiting them on the unit.
Lastly, we are funding the purchase of more movies for the enjoyment of the veterans. Total value of this funding is more than $4,000.
On the entertainment front, Big Black Smoke performs at 1900 hours on Saturday, Nov. 19.
The Belleville Veterans’ Council is again organizing the annual Remembrance Day parade this Friday. All are welcome to join the parade, but please remember this is a commemoration and there should be no chatter in the ranks during the parade. For safety reasons, motorized transportation is not allowed in the parade. Fall-in for the parade is at 1000 hours at the Belleville Armouries and will depart at 1030 hours. Receptions will be held at Branch 99 of the Royal Canadian Legion and at The Duke of Edinburgh Unit 201 of the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada after the parade. Eric Baragar will perform at Unit 201, 187 Front St. beginning at 1500 hours.
Support our Troops, purchase a poppy(ies), wear red on Friday and attend the service on Nov. 11 at 1100 hours at the Belleville Cenotaph.

http://www.intelligencer.ca/2016/11/08/anaf-ongoing-support-for-sunnybrook

ANAF: Campaign to make veterans feel at home.

August 16, 2016

BELLEVILLE - As mentioned in my last column, ANAVETS Ontario Provincial Command has been able to partially fund a project at The Perley & Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre in Ottawa. They have five dining room revitalization projects in veteran-occupied locations. The dining rooms are used regularly for breakfast, lunch and dinner. After 20 years, the floors need more than just a good waxing, they need to be re-surfaced. The furniture is showing the wear and tear of 20 years of usage, as well as being quite a mismatch of furniture.
The dining rooms represent a special place in the everyday living of veterans, often triggering fond memories of family and friends together at a meal. The dining rooms are a place where veterans reconnect, where new friends are made and where families or staff often host birthdays and special occasions. Like your kitchen at home, the dining rooms should be as homey and comfortable as possible, with the smell of a home-made meal. The dining rooms remain functional but are in dire need of revitalization to bring back that home-like atmosphere.
This is not about a life-saving piece of equipment, this is about a life-giving need that will bring joy, comfort and smiles to our veterans as they enjoy daily meals in a refreshed setting. To date this year, they have been able to address two veteran-occupied dining rooms by pooling donations from three Royal Canadian Legion branches and support from the Support Our Troops organization.
ANAVETS’ Ontario Command has stepped up and provided $15,000 to help revitalize one of the remaining five dining rooms. Total revitalization costs are: 10 adjustable height tables at $1,000 each ($10K); 40 chairs with arms at $250 each ($10K); window blinds $5K and flooring at $5K. As you can see, much more is required. If you or your group wish to contribute to this very worthy cause, you can contact Daniel G. Clapin, Executive Director of The Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre Foundation at 1750 Russell Rd., Ottawa, ON K1G 5Z6, Tel: 613-526-7194, Fax: 613-526-7202, Email: dclapin@prvhc.com.
Three members of your executive have just returned from our 53rd biennial Dominion Convention in Winnipeg. The Advocacy Committee, of which I am a member, heard a presentation by a representative of the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB). It was very informative and they expressed the opinion that they are doing all they can to expedite appeals. The assembled delegates also heard a report from a representative for the Invictus Games which are coming to Toronto September 24~30, 2017. The games were initiated by Prince Harry in 2014 to allow recovering Veterans to participate in an Olympic-styled competition. For further information or to donate your time or money, the website is invictusgames2017.com. Lastly, on behalf of the Unit 201 delegates, I wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Winnipeg and North-Western Ontario Provincial Command, Assiniboia Unit 283, John Osborn VC Unit #1, Rockwood Unit #303 and Syd Stamper who coordinated all of the good things that made it a truly memorable and enjoyable experience.
Remember, Saturday, Aug. 27, starting with a BBQ at noon, Unit 201 will host our annual Members Appreciation Day. Come on down and enjoy the comradeship, President’s Games and music by The Shadowz starting at 1700 hours.

http://www.intelligencer.ca/2016/08/16/anaf-campaign-to-make-veterans-feel-at-home

Wow! After reading this the oldest veterans organization in Canada is not the "true" voice of veterans because??????

ANAF: Proposed changes for Veterans Affairs Canada.

July 19, 2016 10:52:48 EDT AM

BELLEVILLE - The Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada is preparing to assemble in Winnipeg in about three weeks for our biannual convention. Aside from fellowship, the agenda will be full of proposals to be presented to Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) in an effort to improve the lot of Veterans and their families.
In an effort to highlight the work of ANAVETS, several of the proposed resolutions are herewith presented:
A) Currently, a surviving spouse is entitled to rehabilitation services and vocational assistance if their spouse’s death is attributed to a service related injury or a non-service related injury that was aggravated by service and they apply within one year after the death of the veteran. ANAVETS’ potential resolution is to remove the time limit for access to this service.
B) At present, the families of veterans who have suffered an Operational Stress Injury (OSI) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are not entitled to counselling unless their situation affects the veterans’ care plan. ANAVETS’ proposed resolution would remove this criterion and allow families to receive counselling as necessary.
C) Right now, an attendant fee is payable only to non-family and family members who do not live with the veteran. It is being proposed that this limitation be removed so that immediate family can be in attendance at sessions involving their loved-ones.
D) Currently, veterans receiving a lump sum payment are encouraged to seek professional financial advice, and Veterans Affairs Canada will currently reimburse up to $500 for the services of a financial advisor. In many cases, the cost of obtaining these services is higher. ANAVETS’ potential proposal is that the maximum amount payable should be increased to $2500.
E) Currently, members of the Canadian Armed Forces who are posted to another province are required to wait three months before they are granted “residency”. Several factors come into play when this happens: 1) the posting season for the Canadian Armed Forces is usually July and most university and college programs start in September; 2) according to studies from the Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives, the trend in post-secondary education is to charge higher tuition fees to out-of-province students; 3) in demand programs often give preference to provincial residents; 4) financial aid is difficult to receive if you are not a resident of that province or have moved away from the province in which you have applied to go to post secondary school; 5) these policies adversely affect military families that are often stuck either paying out of province rates for tuition for their university-aged children to continue to live with them or their children have difficulty accessing financial aid to help pay for tuition and living costs. The potential proposed resolution from ANAVETS is that Military Family Services work with provincial education departments to waive residency requirements for children of Canadian Armed Forces personnel.
Some of these ideas may not get past the proposal stage to be forwarded to VAC but these are just a few of the ways ANAVETS is trying to assist our veterans and currently serving personnel and their families.
This coming Friday, July 22 features DA Lunacy at Unit 201 from 1900 to 2300 hours. This group dons the outfits of acts such as KISS over four segments and are a lot of fun. Don’t miss it.
Support our Troops, wear red on Friday.

http://www.intelligencer.ca/2016/07/19/anaf-proposed-changes-for-veterans-affairs-canada