So the Ombudsman has decided to throw in the towel in under 2 years...

Rubicon wrote:Thanks for that enlightening and factual background update Teentitan which proves my point. Put the right person in the job and things get done or at least exposed for all their faults. If I had my way I would prefer the Ombudsman's position be run by a Board of Veterans (say three to six in total) that could then look after various key issues wrt VAC shortcomings. In no particular order I would select for the top four criteria;

1. backlog of disability applications,
2. streamlining the application process (to include making a military medical release equal to $XX,000 lump sum (based upon the condition that prompted the release) immediately upon release) to be followed by whatever the bean counters determine to be a tax-free monthly disability pension, and
3. mental health (to include dependent care for those families affected by PTSD),
4. grievances in general whether it be about VAC disability application decisions or whatever.

I do not see how one individual can manage an Ombudsman role in this day and age without a large informed staff given all the shortcomings with VAC that are not going away and just seem to be growing exponentially. My guess is he burned out or just plain gave up. I would love to hear his honest reasoning for resigning. While change will never happen, veterans need to have better representation than the Legion and whatever stooge the government puts in as Ombudsman IMO.

Rubicon  

Dalton did/does not work “ alone”, l once submitted a complaint directly to his email, l was surprised to get a response from him within a week, since I had circumvented the ovo process of being assigned an “ agent”. He informed me that he was going to assign my case to one of his underlyings. I researched the assistant and influential people had good things to say about them, but in time ,regardless my complaint went no where and it was never dealt with, I wasn’t even kept in the loop, so it just left me wondering if the whole “ don’t worry my team is on it”, was all just lip service.

Thanks Rubicon.

I have to disagree with your 3-6 veterans running the office though. It's a good idea but where would we find 3-6 veterans who can put their "egos" aside and go with the best idea? Saw too many of those ego clashes while I served! Hell I am guilty of doing that in my military career!

Not to mention I saw too many ego clashes amongst veterans when I attended VAC Stakeholder meetings!! Each veteran organization thought they had the magic bullet to fix veteran problems in a day and refused to listen to each other not realizing (or just plain ignoring) that the government loves it when the veteran community is arguing with each other on who is the "Alpha Veteran Organization". The Feds know a bickering veteran community means the issues or topics affecting the veteran community is taking a backseat to a veteran organization pissing match of who is in charge.

The ONE thing I will give Dalton credit for is his interview where he said the Veterans Ombudsman should report to Parliament NOT the VAC Minister. He did the interview before the last election but he let his idea die the next day and never brought it up again. Imagine if he had of continued bringing this up during the election? The majority of veterans would have had his back and would have rallied around the idea and would have brought it up to EVERY political party in the election. Hell just look at the support Trudeau had from the veteran community during the ABC campaign against Harper! Trudeau drank the veteran kool-aid of love for him knowing he could never deliver what he promised veterans during the campaign.

Why then did Dalton drop his idea?

Well he was hired by Trudeau. The same guy who within a week of taking over the government in 2015 asked Parent to resign from his new OVO 5 year term contract approved by Harper.

Some people would say Dalton was a handpicked, make no noise and do what I tell you hire by Trudeau. I will admit I'm one of them who looked at Dalton this way. Like I stated 18 months on the job and all comms with veterans were bascally radio silent! With each passing month of nothing from the OVO how the hell could any of us believe anything Dalton would have said or done? He didn't really have a laid out plan that I could see during his time as the OVO. If his plan was just listening to veterans during his townhalls then he nailed it!!

Who would I like to hear from about Dalton's resignation? Sure as hell isn't him!! I'd like to hear from the staff of the OVO. I have met most of the OVO staff over the years and I know they ALL have their hearts into the job 100%.

That is why Parent was a good OVO he listened to his staff and trusted them and they delivered results which proved the government was screwing veterans over, and over and over! Why do you think Trudeau wanted Parent to resign? The OVO under Parent was a threat to Trudeau and all the promises he made to the veteran community.

One other thing I would like to know is which MP suggested to Dalton to put his resume in for the job 2 years ago? If I had to make a guess I would say it was the VAC Minister himself MacAulay. Dalton was working for the province of PEI at the time. We all know PEI is a small and tight province so they most likely know each other and MacAulay's thinking was Dalton was the right man for the job that Trudeau wanted in the OVO.

After reading MacAulay's statement about Dalton's resignation IMO it had a bit of an "acidic" tone to it. Like he had been betrayed by Dalton for quitting.

If Dalton's legacy as the OVO is his resignation made the Veterans Ombudsman an independent office where the Ombudsman reports to parliament and not the VAC Minister then I will give him a huge Bravo Zulu for falling on his sword to make the OVO a true Ombudsman, not a watered down version of an Ombudsman for veterans.

Teentitan wrote:He is the first one to quit.
Stogran, retired Col, finished his term and was not renewed.  He likes to make it look like he was fired when in reality his contract for the position was NOT renewed.  He was like a bull in a china shop when he talked to bureaucrats which is a catastrophic mistake in Ottawa and that is why he was not renewed.
Parent, a retired CWO, was hired for two terms.  Because he saw Stogran's bull in a china shop routine he went the other way and fought the bureaucracy using bureaucracies Kryptonite....paperwork.  Parent did an actuarial proving that the benefits under the NVC would turn 70% of veterans living below the poverty line when they turn 65 years old, hence all the benefits Harper created before losing to Trudeau in 2015.  He also contracted a legal firm to look at ALL veterans that had to go to their provincial supreme court to get their benefits.  The report proved roughly 6 in 10 veterans had no need to go to court as VRAB members did not use their own rules in decisions, hence the change in appeals process.  He also created a "Urgent Case" application process within VAC's HQ for vets who were expected to die within 6 - 12 months (my mentor from the military used it when he was diagnosed with cancer and died within 5 months, his wife was taken care of because his application did not die with him because the application was hand carried from department to department within VAC HQ)

So Dalton, a Col, is the FIRST (hopefully the last) to quit the position.  And by looking at his work over the last 18 months he has done......looks like nothing but hand out Ombudsman commendations and town halls.  His blog section has ONE blog, his twitter is tweetless and facebook posting literally mirrored VAC facebook postings.  So he was the perfect Trudeau appointment...look mature with a great beard and hide every opportunity you have.

you are not wrong about Dalton, on other sites I see people praising him, and I had to ask myself...for what.? What has he done other than admit the current set up is flawed, there was mention that the ovo would be better suited to report directly to parliament, but talking and walking are two different things.

Rubicon wrote:Perhaps he got tired of fighting the "DELAY, DENY AND HOPE THEY DIE" mentality at VAC. The Ombudsman's Office unfortunately reports directly to the MVA which is a political appointment. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that this is a failed Chain of Command. Kinda like a chicken complaining to the fox that keeps raiding the hen house. Have we ever had a former NCM in the position of ombudsman? I'm tired of these goddamned officers quitting when the going gets tough. Put a former CWO in there who wants the job and believes in the cause and isn't afraid to call a spade a spade behind doors as well as in the public in front of cameras. I hear they're hiring. Bueller, Bueller? It sure would be nice to hear a public response from him on why he quit the job but I'm not holding out hope on that.

Rubicon

media report says he’s moving on to a “ better” job, unless that job is totally outside the GoC, you’ll never get the real story. I hope he’s moving on to become a car salesman and gives the low down on the real reason he quit.

Thanks for that enlightening and factual background update Teentitan which proves my point. Put the right person in the job and things get done or at least exposed for all their faults. If I had my way I would prefer the Ombudsman's position be run by a Board of Veterans (say three to six in total) that could then look after various key issues wrt VAC shortcomings. In no particular order I would select for the top four criteria;

1. backlog of disability applications,
2. streamlining the application process (to include making a military medical release equal to $XX,000 lump sum (based upon the condition that prompted the release) immediately upon release) to be followed by whatever the bean counters determine to be a tax-free monthly disability pension, and
3. mental health (to include dependent care for those families affected by PTSD),
4. grievances in general whether it be about VAC disability application decisions or whatever.

I do not see how one individual can manage an Ombudsman role in this day and age without a large informed staff given all the shortcomings with VAC that are not going away and just seem to be growing exponentially. My guess is he burned out or just plain gave up. I would love to hear his honest reasoning for resigning. While change will never happen, veterans need to have better representation than the Legion and whatever stooge the government puts in as Ombudsman IMO.

Rubicon

He is the first one to quit.
Stogran, retired Col, finished his term and was not renewed.  He likes to make it look like he was fired when in reality his contract for the position was NOT renewed.  He was like a bull in a china shop when he talked to bureaucrats which is a catastrophic mistake in Ottawa and that is why he was not renewed.
Parent, a retired CWO, was hired for two terms.  Because he saw Stogran's bull in a china shop routine he went the other way and fought the bureaucracy using bureaucracies Kryptonite....paperwork.  Parent did an actuarial proving that the benefits under the NVC would turn 70% of veterans living below the poverty line when they turn 65 years old, hence all the benefits Harper created before losing to Trudeau in 2015.  He also contracted a legal firm to look at ALL veterans that had to go to their provincial supreme court to get their benefits.  The report proved roughly 6 in 10 veterans had no need to go to court as VRAB members did not use their own rules in decisions, hence the change in appeals process.  He also created a "Urgent Case" application process within VAC's HQ for vets who were expected to die within 6 - 12 months (my mentor from the military used it when he was diagnosed with cancer and died within 5 months, his wife was taken care of because his application did not die with him because the application was hand carried from department to department within VAC HQ)

So Dalton, a Col, is the FIRST (hopefully the last) to quit the position.  And by looking at his work over the last 18 months he has done......looks like nothing but hand out Ombudsman commendations and town halls.  His blog section has ONE blog, his twitter is tweetless and facebook posting literally mirrored VAC facebook postings.  So he was the perfect Trudeau appointment...look mature with a great beard and hide every opportunity you have.

Perhaps he got tired of fighting the "DELAY, DENY AND HOPE THEY DIE" mentality at VAC. The Ombudsman's Office unfortunately reports directly to the MVA which is a political appointment. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that this is a failed Chain of Command. Kinda like a chicken complaining to the fox that keeps raiding the hen house. Have we ever had a former NCM in the position of ombudsman? I'm tired of these goddamned officers quitting when the going gets tough. Put a former CWO in there who wants the job and believes in the cause and isn't afraid to call a spade a spade behind doors as well as in the public in front of cameras. I hear they're hiring. Bueller, Bueller? It sure would be nice to hear a public response from him on why he quit the job but I'm not holding out hope on that.

Rubicon

Could it be that he has realized the deck is stacked against veterans no matter what recommendations he makes to VAC, the office holds no power it cannot alter the course of anyone’s complaint.