# Veterans Ombudsman on the NVC



## The Bread Guy (21 Nov 2012)

From the 'Budman's blog:


> .... I want to assure you that the concept of fairness will continue to be central in my discussions with the Minister of Veterans Affairs, other parliamentarians and the Veterans community as my Office prepares for the parliamentary review of the changes to the New Veterans Charter brought about by Bill C-55.
> 
> In my opinion, this review, which should be initiated by October 2013, should not be limited only to an examination of the enhancements brought about by Bill C-55. In coming months, I will encourage the Minister and other parliamentarians to broaden the scope of the review to cover critical areas for the successful transition of Canadian Forces members from military to civilian life, namely, financial support, career transition support, and support to families – areas where there are documented deficiencies in terms of adequacy, sufficiency, and accessibility. Rest assured that I will keep you informed and will provide you with more information about the review as we firm up our plans ....


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## The Bread Guy (29 Jul 2013)

The latest from the Veterans Ombudsman on the office's review of the New Veterans Charter:


> .... my office last year began a comprehensive examination of the New Veterans Charter in preparation for the upcoming parliamentary committee hearings this fall on the 2011 enhancements to the Charter .... The first result was the April 2013 release of _Improving the New Veterans Charter: The Parliamentary Review_ .... The report focuses on three key transition issues: financial instability and decreased standard of living caused by reduced post-release income and insufficient financial support after age 65; limitations in vocational rehabilitation and assistance support, which can affect second career aspirations and employment options; and difficult family environment situations due to insufficient family support.  I placed focus on these issues because after analyzing over 200 recommendations for improvements to the New Veterans Charter proposed in various reports since 2006; I found that 145 of them concentrated on these three key transition issues. I believe that they need to be addressed urgently because they affect a Veteran throughout his or her life.  The recommendations needed to address these issues are now being finalized by my office. They will appear in an upcoming report to be released at the end of the summer ....


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## The Bread Guy (9 Mar 2014)

..... on the ongoing "review" of the New Veterans Charter:


> .... we now have almost eight years of study and testimony concerning the changes needed to the New Veterans Charter with numerous published reports with recommendations. This information has been widely disseminated and distributed throughout the Veterans’ community, so where are we now?
> 
> After 15 meetings in this Session of Parliament, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs is continuing its study of the New Veterans Charter by consulting widely with Veterans, Veterans’ organizations and departmental personnel.  In and of itself, this is a good thing, but given all of the evidence that is available and all of the work that has been done before, I would suggest that it’s time for the Committee to focus singularly and squarely on the solutions to New Veterans Charter problems.
> 
> ...


Here's the Committee's home page, and here's a list of Committee members.

More "No Action, Talk Only"?


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## Tibbson (9 Mar 2014)

I'm from the government and I'm here to help.


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## Nemo888 (9 Mar 2014)

I thought I was covered if anything happened while in uniform. That has obviously changed. You are not covered so protect your health and safety. Do not take risks as there is no longer a contract of unlimited liability. You and your family will be screwed.  Command better be understanding when they get push back over safety and health concerns.


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## McG (27 Mar 2014)

In short, the news is that there has been no progress.



> *Veterans pensions still under review*
> Ottawa Citizen
> Murray Brewster, The Canadian Press
> 27 March 2014
> ...


 http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Veterans+pensions+still+under+review/9667121/story.html


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## Teager (27 Mar 2014)

More "studies" and "analysis" in other words lets come back in another decade and see if this is still an issue. If it is we will continue to "monitor" the problem. Honestly I'm tired of studies. Veterans are probably one group that has been analyzed and studied more than any other group. (Don't know if that's true just feels that way).


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## Fishbone Jones (27 Mar 2014)

VAC Motto

"Delay, Deny, Die"


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## Rifleman62 (28 Mar 2014)

Actually, VAC adopted Air Canada's motto: Were Not Happy, Until Your Unhappy!


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## Teager (2 Jun 2014)

> The federal Conservative government’s promises to help hurt and disabled veterans will be under the spotlight Tuesday when a parliamentary committee rolls out a highly-anticipated report on recent changes introduced to the veterans’ support system.
> 
> The question will be whether the government responds to the committee’s recommendations, and how quickly, or whether it stands by the current system, which has become a lightning rod for veterans’ anger.
> 
> ...



http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/report-on-veterans-charter-to-urge-improvements


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## The Bread Guy (20 Sep 2016)

Bumped with the latest from the Vets Ombudsman - here's what should be done (executive summary of full report) -- highlights mine:


> VAC provides two types of financial benefits to compensate for the effects of service-related disability or death: economic benefits and non-economic benefits. These benefits have different purposes and achieve different outcomes. Economic benefits are designed to compensate for the monetary impacts of illness, injury or death, such as loss of salary, loss of earning capacity and various expenses. Economic benefits provided by VAC include the Earnings Loss Benefit (ELB) and the Permanent Impairment Allowance (PIA), among others. These types of economic benefits have been reviewed by the Veterans Ombudsman in the past, and are not discussed in this report.
> 
> Non-economic benefits, which are the subject of this report, are non-taxable, lump-sum or periodic payments that compensate for the non-monetary impacts of illness, injury or death, such as loss of or diminished body function, pain and suffering, emotional distress, limitations on daily activities, impact on quality of life, and loss of companionship and guidance. In civil litigation cases involving personal injury, this type of compensation is referred to as non-pecuniary or general damages – money awarded to a plaintiff to provide reasonable solace for his or her intangible losses.
> 
> ...


OK, Team Red -- let's see what happens next ... op:


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