All for one and one for all!

I will agree that many of the front line workers at VAC are good and will try to help, but there are a few that I've come across that are rude and dismissive, and one such VAC employee is one too many. But most of our complaints have to deal with the senior bureaucrats and decision makers that as a Veteran, I cannot even talk to.

Prime example is applying for disability awards. If you are injured, and it isn't a black and white case, like losing a leg to a landmine, you are left putting how you feel the disability was caused by service on a piece of paper and submitting it. Then you are left out of the loop until the decision comes down several months later. But according to the Veterans' Bill of Rights, I should be able to have a say in any decision affecting me, so why are Veterans not able to sit down and speak with the adjudicator before he makes the decision that greatly affect them and their families, more often than not, in a negative way.

It was also the bureaucrats the designed the NVC as a cost cutting measure, and even spelled it out in a report prior to the NVC being adopted, about the growing economic burden because of the war in Afghanistan if the Pension Act remained in force.

Scott: Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Every once in awhile you read something that really moves you and tugs at your heart strings. These comments by the Ombudsman are one of those statements that tug very hard at my heart of hearts. I think it speaks to courage which all Veterans have demonstrated whether disabled or not. I must admit that at times I am a bit of a coward that has some difficulty in speaking my mind when it is different than some of the Veterans Groups or Organizations. However this may be due to my age and an old … read more »way of finding solutions. When I soul search I find myself asking why I tend to shut-up and not speak out when people do a good job. An example; over the last 45 years I have had many many injustices done and have had a lot of rejections by Veteran's Affairs. My hopes and dreams were dashed by VAC and an accident that changed my direction in life. The point is in my heart of hearts I believe VAC does a good job with what they have to work with. Yes there are many set backs and poor treatment directed towards Veterans but there are equally if not more good things that VAC does as well. I have met some wonderful people in VAC and even the Ombudsman's Office. In the last 45 years I have never experienced so many people reaching out to help Veterans as there is now. There are many injustices that all Veterans experience and some of them terrible. However I have also seen the good people at VAC being attacked for trying to help those of us in need. Today as opposed to the days gone by I see some Veterans trying to get change by speaking louder than VAC and hopeing that by speaking louder they will get their own way. Are the days of trying to work through issues gone? I honestly don't know. The one thing I do know is that VAC does a lot of good with what they have to work with. For the first time in many many years I feel safe that I can express my views. I don't think I will see the change in my days but I will keep praying that all Veterans will get equal treatment with respect and care. Murray Scott Edmonton Alberta

D. D. : Wednesday, August 24, 2011

With respect I appreciate your comments and insights. That is until I read the last paragraph. While a laudable goal to purport that we are not distinguished by our service this flies in the face of all existing, past VAC legislation and the lived reality of deceased and those still serving veterans. Legislatively, simple review of the regulatory websites shows clearly that the legacy of programs and supports designed to address needs based upon our service records including status as a WW II … read more »veteran, Korea Veteran, Canada Service Veteran, Overseas Veteran, Regular Force Veteran and the various subset which include Special Duty Area Service and other "special cases." Having reviewed the justice webpages I take note of the repealed sections of DVA legislation, updated sections of Pension Act and New Veterans Charter to know that our needs can only be addressed by on the nature or location or timing of our service or a benevolent and creative Case Manager. Therefore with respect to your last comment, I respectfully disagree. Legislatively we are not treated as equals and as a modern day veterans I dare say although I might have a need for stable housing and academic upgrading it is doubtful I will live to see a veterans land grant or funding for university education anytime soon?

When I left the Forces in 2002, I was looking to join a Veterans organization so that I could continue experiencing the camaraderie that is so strong in the military culture and to have the feeling that I belonged to an organization that cared. Other than joining my occupation’s association, I never joined any other organization, but I accomplished my aim by maintaining a tie with my military comrades and the system, first by working with the National Defence Ombudsman and now as the Veterans Ombudsman. But I do remember that at that time, there were very few organizations other than the traditional ones.

Today, there are many choices, and many voices. Is this a bad thing? It should not be, because the concerns of Veterans have to be heard. However what is said and how it is presented is important. I also believe that an important role for these diverse Veterans groups is to provide opportunities for their members to carry on with friendships and camaraderie that originated in a specific area of war or operation, and to commemorate mission-related events and battle honours .

Many organizations have taken on a public voice that, when factual and informed, is a valuable source of information for our Veterans. It is easy to make statements about how badly Veterans are treated but I believe that such statements are much more effective when they are supported with facts and recommendations to fix the problems. That takes objectivity, research and analysis.

When organizations or individuals who should support and assist attempt to demean each other or vie for the honour of bashing the existing government, each individual Veteran loses, as does the Veteran community at large.

To denigrate the value of certain programs in public because they do not meet one’s own personal needs based on exceptional circumstances is a cultural shift for members who once accepted service with unlimited liability and without questions. In addition, the proliferation of personal information related to circumstances of specific cases makes a mockery of our Privacy Act, when the same message contains complaints about invasion of their privacy by staff of Veterans Affairs Canada accessing information in order to identify individual need.

A while ago, the Canadian Navy, Army, and Air Force integrated into one service as the Canadian Forces. Although there were challenges at first, the newly assimilated culture seems to be functioning very well. Yes there was some inter-service and inter-unit rivalry but it became more constructive as a result of the integration, and when conducting operations, we fought for each other, side by side, with a common aim. The effectiveness of the Canadian Forces has always hinged on our unwavering belief that we will support and protect each other and those we are assigned to care for no matter what is thrown at us. I believe that the Veterans community would also benefit from some form of integration , an ‘amalgamation` of minds’ that is, where all Veterans organizations would speak as one on some critical issues that have been researched and documented, with recommendations to Veterans Affairs Canada to rectify problems. In fact, the knowledge, experience and energy in the Veterans population, should and can be very powerful instruments to effect change if well focussed.

The role of an Ombudsman is to be a neutral and impartial agent. While I cannot personally endorse any particular representative or advocacy group, as the only government-mandated voice for Veterans, I can play an important role in bringing Veterans’ concerns to the attention of the Minister and other decision makers through regular informal discussions and by, for example, preparing a yearly compendium of issues of concerns identified by all organizations and Veterans who embrace the vision that “All Canadian Veterans will be treated fairly and in accordance with the Veterans Bill of Rights”. My dual role as Veterans Ombudsman and special advisor to the Minister also gives me the opportunity to provide a Veterans’ perspective on issues that are brought to his attention by the Department, to apprise him of issues that he might not otherwise hear about, and to make recommendations to correct unfair situations.

In addition, my Office can intervene at any time with the Department if someone identifies a case with compelling circumstances; this is why we review carefully all e-mails received and all comments posted on our Facebook page.

I know how much time many of you have invested and the incredible value-added that you have brought to the discussion that has raised the awareness of Veterans issues. Despite our collective differences on some issues, I commend the passion and energy that you have shown in trying to care for our Veterans and their families.

All this to say that just as we were in the service, we are all in this together; we are not distinguished by where and when we served but united by the fact that we served without questions. Our goal should be the same: to ensure that those who serve have access to the services and opportunities they need, in recognition of their service and of the individual sacrifices they and their families have made.

http://www.ombudsman-veterans.gc.ca/blog-blogue/post-eng.cfm?108