I'm new to all of this and could use some guidance

Bigrex nice to have a CM that did her job. I had the same done for me by my CM. I wish they all took a personal interest in us like they did.

Saint John, your CM can definitely help you, even in ways you haven't even thought of. I contacted VAC when I got to the point where I couldn't physically get out of bed after working a shift, and had to quit. I was merely applying for the PIA, but my CM, on her first visit, applied for PIA, as well as TPI, for PIAS and ELB (even before the clawback ended). She also approved me VIP housekeeping, Attendance Allowance and Clothing Allowance.

Hi SaintJohn,
Just jumping in here😆
Today, I had my first meeting with my case manger. She explained her role as being an 'advocate for Veterans and their families' and that she was responsible for making sure her clients are receiving all 'their' entitled benefits and support. I am receiving SISIP LTD and I applied for the VAC top up which means I have to participate in VAC Rehab Program! My case manager is helping me with my applications for DEC, CIA, CIA Supplement, and VIP benefits. I did not know I was entitled to these benefits. She assured me I was...due to the severity of my disability. SaintJohn, you are NOT a burden on the system. You are a Veteran who served in the military and deserves everything your entitled to and so much more...so please don't quit your Rehab!
Stay Strong!
Cheers,
By the Bay

SaintJohn18182 - Prawnstar is bang on when he said most of us on the forum, have been on the rd where you look ahead and see forms, policy, appeals , denial, so on, so on. But never think you are a burden to the system. Is does not matter where in this world your injuries took place, numerous tours, afgan, swiss air, trg ex at home,
We have all done our time. Always keep it in your mind that we all once where young, and ready to give our lives for Canada, and now that we are busted physically or mentally or both, it is up to Canada to look after us until we walk into the sunset. Wow that last green stuff must be kicking in because I'm starting to make sense..Lol. Have a good day , Johnny Out,,VVV..

Yes, once I had left the Rehab program I was on, it took another claim/condition for them to
once again re-start the rehab program..

if it takes a year, or 2 years, as long as you and your case manager agree on trying to attain
certain goals, And as long as you keep going to medical appointments mine was happy with me.

And if by chance you are able to improve medically and that to do a course, then ya they can look at that
down the line, but 1st and foremost just make sure you work on the medical side 1st, cause if you are
unable to become well enough while on the medical rehab, and everything has been tried, maybe then your
CM might go, it's not working, and then talk to you about putting in a TPI (DEC) application, as nothing
is helping you. And you are not able to Obtain suiteful gainful employment.

No your not a huge Burden on the system, the system is there to help us recover from injuries we Obtained
while in service just as WCB (Workers Compensation Board) does for Civilians. Your not a Burden, so yes
it can feel overwhelming, but just take it one step at a time.

"This is all above my head as I have no idea whats going on and I feel like I'm just a huge burden to the system and I should just quit the rehab so someone who is worse off can make use of it
Hey SJ 18182 don't think like that. Trust me we all have thought the same way. We are not a burden to the system, the system is a burden to us. We are all entitled to benefits and it's normal to think there are others worse than me. Good luck with all your shyte.

Hi BinRat, read your posts numerous times before finally deciding to answer.

First and foremost, thank you for taking time out of your day to write what you did and it kind of clarified things for me.

Saying that, I hope things are going well for yourself, I can't believe you're on your 3rd Rehab, did they let you come back because you just applied or is it because you had a separate medical reason?

I applied and got accepted for CIA and now receiving $500/extra a month which is kind of cool.

My case worker actually cancelled last appointment and rescheduled for next week. I'm still very nervous to be meeting her and I hope all goes well. I kind of like how I've been accepted in February and only seeing her in Mid-May which means they're not in any rush to get me out of the Rehab program (I hate being rushed).

I'm going to suggest that I continue the Medical Rehabilitation as I'm currently already seeing a psychologist and a doctor for my condition, if for some reason both the psychologist and doctor says I'm magically cured and I can move on with life then I should apply to do the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and see where that brings me, then I'd try out for the Vocational Rehabilitation

See I don't know what kind of time line this all consists of, what if it takes a year to become alright medically and then 6 months to become psychosocially correct and then I need some kind of 4 year course to actually get a job that makes sense.

This is all above my head as I have no idea whats going on and I feel like I'm just a huge burden to the system and I should just quit the rehab so someone who is worse off can make use of it.

Hey SaintJohn..

Welcome, yes there are many on here who like yourself, me included have muddle through the system, sometimes good sometimes not, as some have said there's good CM and Not so good.

As some people also said, read, research and ask questions, on here there is no Dumb question(s)
And someone can chime in and help.

As for your ELB, you got that probably for a rehab program, now there are like 3 programs, and they should work with you to decide, again or should emphasize, YOUR REHAB so you are in the drivers seat, here is a list of the rehab programs available.

"Depending on your individual needs and goals, your rehabilitation plan may fund one or more of the following types of services:

Medical Rehabilitation. Health care experts work with you to stabilize and restore your health to the fullest extent possible.
Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Health or rehabilitation professionals help you develop skills to support independence and adjust to living with your health problem or disability. This can include life skills training, pain management strategies, and more.
Vocational Rehabilitation. Vocational professionals will work with you to help transfer your skills and education to build a rewarding civilian career. Vocational rehabilitation or vocational assistance may include:
help to identify a suitable job;
career finding services (such as résumé writing and interview skills);
financial support for training and related costs (such as tuition and books).

You will build your vocational rehabilitation plan with the direct assistance of our service provider Canadian Veterans Vocational Rehabilitation Services"

Myself, my CM and I talked cause This is my 3rd time on a Rehab program, the 1st 2 times, I ended up telling them to stuff the rehab program cause it wasn't working for me, this time my New CM, read my file, and went, Okay, your have medical problems that will interfere with Vocational, and psychological, so what we can do is get you on the medical rehab, and on this go to your Medical appointments, and stay in touch with me..

So for me this is the route that right now is working, it's less stressful for me, because now I can concentrate on getting better 1st, and if in time I do get healthier, we can switch it to one of the other plans.
If not, the Doctor and Psychologist can speak or write a report on actually how I am doing to my CM.

Also to note, you mentioned you have a mental health condition which you received an award for, with that in mind, you should apply for the PIA, Opps not PIA anymore, CIA.. the one item they will need though, would be a current report from your Psychologist, basically stating you have this Mental Health condition, if you previously had a report written, you can use it, as long as it is Less then 2 year's Old.

If it is more then 2 year's since the report, Ask to get a new assessment report. to add to your CIA application.

Yes if your Non-Compliant your CM can pull the plug on your ELB.

Hi all,

I just started to receive ELB and wow its nice to actually get paid once again, I 4c released and got approved for my disability award afterwards so the only revenue I have now Is Earning Loss Benefits.

I have my first meeting with my case manager in a couple weeks and I would really like to know how ELB works before I meet with her.

Say I go to school, and find a job but my mental disability (that I'm awarded for) comes back? And I lose my job or have to quit, what happens then?

What if I can only work part time for the rest of my life?

What if I cannot work anymore?

I'm currently seeing a doctor and psychologist and working on myself but I feel like I'm getting no wheres in improvements.

Anyways, I'm so nervous about meeting my Case Manager .

Hi Again all,

I have a meeting set with my CM, she is coming to my house.
I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to say to her but I am asking my spouse to stay home with me to help me. I am the absolute worse when trying to explain how I feel and etc that I will just say "I'm Fine". lol

I was thinking of writing a letter to my CM to explain how I feel and stuff but its not the Case Manager who decides how long I stay on ELB right?

Like Pinger said it doesn't hurt to get a CM to review your docs before you send them in. In my case everything I applied for I got because my CM actually did most of it for me. I couldn't deal with filling out the forms. One thing I learned was the wording in doctors/psyche reports is very important. Things like "might be able to work in the future". This is a guess and not helpful in obtaining the benefits YOU ARE ENTITLED TO. I have a service dog and delayed getting one cause I thought others needed one more than me. We all have the same entitlement to benefits regardless of what the circumstances are as long as they are caused by our military service. Good luck Saint John.

I just feel terrible for applying for anything, It literally took my wife 2 years after I released to convince me to apply for my disability benefit as she saw first hand what the military did to me.
I Voluntarily released as I wanted to get out as quick as possible especially since I wanted to kill myself.

Anyways, those days are behind me but I'm still suffering daily.
I am really appreciating the fact that now Bluecross / VAC is covering my psychology sessions as I wasn't able to go to them because they're too expensive.

I'll never feel as important as someone who actually put their life on the line at war or who has a very serious injury, its just who I am I guess but thank you for telling me that I am important and I shouldn't feel bad.

I'm currently waiting for ELB to get approved and I haven't heard from my case manager yet.
I guess its all a waiting game, which isn't fun for those with anxiety

I hope you're all having a good weekend and its a pleasure to meet you all!

Jayse,

It shouldn't hurt to get a cm's take on your claim before you submit it.
But validate it with as many med. eval's/reports as you can.
Something in your service/med files about it? Copy it and send that too.
Did some of your buddies know about your sit. back then? Mention their names.

SaintJohn wrote,

" I feel like I deserve nothing compared to individuals who actually went to war. "

That's how I always used to think too, but it never really helped me...
Those benefits are there for us to apply for and to HELP us.
And any notion of feeling unworthy of it...? That ain't gonna help.

Lotsa good advice on this thread.

My post was very depressing so I removed it. Bad day.

ya saint john what willie said . doesn't matter where you been . all that matters is what injuries you have and what benefits you are entitled to . apply for them all I say you deserve them .

apply apply apply

propat