A Veteran with a VIP Grant contribution passed away, so the spouse moved in with their daughter. The spouse immediately informed VAC of the new living arrangement, and later sent several other letters to VAC informing them that the grounds of the new home no longer required assisted maintenance. VAC, however, continued to issue payments for several years.
Eventually, VAC demanded a repayment of several thousand dollars. The Veteran’s survivor was very upset. As far as the Veteran’s survivor knew, VAC was informed and had approved all the necessary benefits. The Veteran’s survivor had done everything correctly, and none of VAC’s communications throughout the years had led the Veteran’s survivor to believe that she would have to repay VAC.
When the survivor contacted our Office for help, we spoke to the daughter who told us, “We did everything VAC asked. We were very upset by these overpayment demands, and it’s unfair to expect us to repay that now.”
After reviewing the file, my Office requested that VAC write-off the overpayment. This request was initially met with resistance, but after contacting Kirkland Lake Finance with a chronological account of what happened and quoting relevant policy, we succeeded.
We were glad we could help!