NATO Veterans Organization of Canada
Organisation canadienne des vétérans de l’OTAN
A Voice for today’s Veterans ~ Une voix pour les vétérans d’aujourd’hui
Press Release
Updated - September 09 2012
A Generation of Forgotten Veterans
Posted March 12, 2012
INTRODUCTION
The issue of health care is a constant topic and worry for many Canadians who are approaching retirement age. It is especially true for many in our veterans' community, particularly those classified as "Modern Day Veterans", all of who are members of the "Generation of Forgotten Veterans".
Unfortunately in Canada, we are faced with two classifications of veterans; "Traditional Veterans", those who have served in World War 2 and Korea; and "Modern Day Veterans", those who have served in the military during the Post Korea era.
BACKGROUND
To gain a degree of understanding of the complexity of the issues of veterans' health care benefits we need to understand the history of the evolution of veterans' benefits in Canada.
While World War 1 was raging in Europe the government decided to build hospitals to care for many of the critically wounded who were returning from overseas. The first of these hospitals was built in St. Anne de Bellevue just outside Montreal in 1917. Over the years an additional 15 hospitals were added and later, as World War 2 evolved, a total of 46 military hospitals were built to care for the veteran population. All veterans with overseas service were eligible for the full array of benefits.
1951 brought Canada's involvement in Korea with the 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade as part of the British Commonwealth Forces. At the same time the deployment of the 27th Infantry Brigade to Hanover, in Northwest Germany was initiated as part of Canada's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Concurrent with this the RCAF deployed 4 Fighter Wings, 2 to France and 2 to Germany with 1 Air Division Headquarters located at Metz, France. Both commitments were maintained until the early 1990's, although there was some relocation and reduction in numbers over the years.
While Canada's commitment to the Cold War continued until the early 1990's, our troops, many of whom had served in Europe, were also undertaking Peacekeeping Operations in many parts of the world, some of which continue today. Canadian troops have served in over 30 Peacekeeping missions.
In 1961 the government extended the WW 2 benefits package to all Korean War Veterans but not to the members of the forces who had served and were still serving in Europe or to any other members of the forces. Thus commenced the beginning of the differentiation between the "Traditional" and "Modern Day" veterans,
In 1963, in response to recommendations of the Glassco Commission, the responsibility for health care was transferred from the federal government to each of the provinces and territories. Today we are faced with 13 different health care systems, each driven by priorities peculiar to individual provinces or territories. At the same time the government began transferring the veterans' hospitals to provincial control. The only veterans' hospital remaining under federal control is St. Anne de Bellevue in Montreal but negotiations are underway for its transfer to provincial control.
In 2006 the Federal Government approved the much anticipated New Veterans Charter (NVC). The document did almost nothing to enhance the Long term Care situation for Modern Day Veterans and complicated many of the benefit provisions already in existence.
CURRENT SITUATION
Let us be perfectly clear that the NATO veterans Organization of Canada fully recognizes the sacrifices of World War 2 and Korean Veterans and staunchly supports all the benefits available to that outstanding generation of Canadian Servicemen and women. However, as outlined above, in 1961 the Federal Government deemed it appropriate to place the Post Korea members of the Canadian Forces in an inferior category. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of the so called "Modern Day Veterans" served this country in uniform much longer and under equally hazardous conditions as our predecessors; serving throughout the Cold War in Europe, as well as the Congo, Egypt, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, the Gulf War, Afghanistan, Libya and many other operational posts.
The rigors of military service have very few parallels in occupations in the civilian world, whether that service is in the Air, Sea or Land component. Many years of continuous days and hours in M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), Tanks, trucks, ships or aircraft, in many environments and countries take its toll on the human body. These ailments may not become evident until many years following release from the Canadian Forces but can be, and in many cases are, directly attributed to military service. There is also the long term impact on the families of those service personnel who were obliged to endure lengthy periods of absence of the spouse and children on foreign duty.
The fact remains that Modern Day Veterans are entitled to none of the provisions of Long Term Care unless they are in receipt of a pension for a service related injury.
The Armed Forces of Canada are now and have always been a federal government agency. Upon enrollment every member of the forces signed an unlimited liability contract for service anywhere at government discretion. By logical extension, veterans of the Armed Forces remain a federal government responsibility for the provision of care and administration. The 1963 Glassco Commission (which passed responsibility for health care to the provinces and territories) notwithstanding, the federal government has an inherent responsibility to provide efficient and detailed supervision over the provision of health care to all its veterans and to ensure a system of detailed accountability. Yet the following government policy direction appears to absolve VAC, the government's implementation body, from all aspects of the provision of health care.
"As the provision of long term care is a provincial responsibility, the majority of our Veterans are assessed and placed in approved long term care facilities by the relevant provincial agency. Facility licensing and monitoring are also provincial responsibilities and strict rules concerning safety exist and are provincially enforced."
The fact that "Veterans are assessed and placed in approved long term care facilities by the relevant provincial agency" removes VAC from any direct involvement with the veteran. Considering that we have at least 13 different health care systems in Canada, each with a different set of priorities, largely driven by provincial finances, does not bode well for a uniform system for treatment of veterans.
The following chart illustrates the extent of the burden with which provincial health care systems are facing.
| PROVINCE | PROV POP MARCH 2011 | NAT% | TOTAL VETS(1) | % OF VETS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFLD/LAB | 510.6 | 1.48% | 16,100 | 2.20% |
| NS | 945.4 | 2.74% | 45,000 | 6.17% |
| PEI | 145.9 | 0.42% | 4,700 | 0.64% |
| NB | 755.5 | 2.19% | 34,000 | 4.66% |
| QUE | 7,979.7 | 23.14% | 126,200 | 17.31% |
| ONT | 13,373.0 | 38.78% | 268,100 | 36.79% |
| MAN | 1,250.6 | 3.62% | 25,200 | 3.43% |
| SASK | 1,057.9 | 3.06% | 20,000 | 2.73% |
| ALTA | 3,779.4 | 10.96% | 75,800 | 10.40% |
| BC | 4,573.6 | 13.26% | 111,600 | 15.32% |
| TERR | 111.7 | 0.32% | 1,900 | 0.01% |
| CANADA | 34,482.8 | 99.97% | 728,700 | 99.66% |
| Note 1: Figures include Traditional and Modern Day Vets, Provided by VAC | ||||
SUMMARY
The system of Long Term Care for Modern Day Veterans is broken and must be fixed. Provincial health care systems are not equipped financially nor do they have the infrastructure available to provide a universal system of care to our veterans. Proposed cuts to federal/ provincial health care transfers will seriously damage existing systems and further jeopardize care to all veterans.
CONCLUSION
Dedicated facilities for veterans care must be maintained and benefits available to Traditional Veterans must be extended to Modern Day Veterans.
The current policies for provision of long term care to our Post Korea veterans, that is to say, "Modern Day Veterans" is totally inadequate to meet the needs of the almost 730,000 Veterans in the system. A reasonable estimate is that 1 in every 4 Veterans will at some point require long term care.
The NATO Veterans Organization of Canada fully appreciates that the Canadian taxpayer can't afford to support a series of stand-alone veterans' hospitals and their associated infrastructure to support the probable influx of 200,000 Modern Day veterans. Additionally, no veteran wants to go into a LTC hospital to die alone in an isolated wing or in a veterans hospital far from his/her loved ones. There are some anomalies where this may not be an option especially if the veteran is suffering from dementia, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
While there are substantial variations among provincial health care systems, there are a number of good systems in operation through provincial social services which provide extended care facilities for both the husband and wife at a nominal cost, depending on income and location. These need to be standardized throughout the country and be individually augmented by federal funding as the need arises.
Most importantly, there is the Veterans Independence Program (VIP) which allows the Veteran to live in his/her home and social environment as long as possible and to die with dignity in his/her own bed. What is needed is for the system to pay for "in home care" and to facilitate "house calls" by a doctor. Less stringent access for all veterans to the VIP Program must be implemented. There are also the back-up emergency systems such as the Ambulance and the Fire Fighters who are first responders on call 24hrs a day. A provision of a federal funding arrangement, where a relative can be paid for providing in home care, is currently available but must be more accessible to needy veterans.
To conclude, we need to see a "blended system" of existing health care options developed to support the majority of the 25% of our veterans who will need LTC. Those wounded and disabled who fall outside the 25% must be given the very best of care that can be offered, to be accessible and fully funded by the Federal Government thus restoring the covenant made by the federal government in the beginning.
Last modified
September 09 2012