Ottawa ON
Canada
The Veterans Ombudsman’s Annual Report for the period of April 2014 to March 2015 was tabled in the House of Commons today. It covers a busy year of activity by Veterans Ombudsman Guy Parent and his team.
“I want to thank the Veterans’ community from coast-to-coast-to-coast for its continued support in the past year,” said Mr. Parent. “The dedication of Veterans’ organizations and advocates to the goal of achieving fairness for Veterans and their families is what inspires me every day and keeps me energized and focused.
The Ombudsman believes that evidence-based analysis plus teamwork is the key to change: “The preparatory evidence-based work that was done by my Office prior to 2014, following a broad consultation with Veterans’ groups and advocates from across the country, helped to focus the discussion on the future of Veterans’ benefits in recent years. When I reflect today on what has been accomplished since then, both through our efforts and in collaboration with Veterans’ organization and advocates, I am encouraged by their commitment and dedication to achieve change.”
In 2014-2015, the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman released the following Reviews and Reports:
- Veterans' Long-Term Care Needs: A Review of Assisted Living Options for Veterans was the third review in a series on Veterans’ healthcare;
- Supporting Severely Impaired Veterans: A Report on the New Veterans Charter Permanent Impairment Allowance and Permanent Impairment Allowance Supplement was the fourth report in the NVC series; and
- Veterans Right to Fair Adjudication: The Follow-Up Report evaluated the implementation of recommendations put forward in 2012 to improve disability benefit adjudication.
Also, the year highlighted the importance of innovation through collaboration. In August 2014, the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman launched a Joint Transition Project in partnership with the National Defence and Canadian Forces Ombudsman – the first of its kind. “The goal of the joint effort is to identify recommended ways to streamline administrative processes and support services to the benefit of transitioning members and their families. The team has mapped the process for medically-releasing members and identified core issues that should be addressed. We will share our findings in the coming months.”
“My team and I will continue to work our hardest each day to ensure that the improvements made meet the needs of Veterans and their families, and that further improvements continue to help us towards the end goal of fairness for all.”