Aug 19, 2014
A new report by Canada’s veterans watchdog says nearly half of the country’s most severely disabled ex-soldiers are not receiving a government allowance intended to compensate them for their physical and mental wounds.
Veterans ombudsman Guy Parent also concluded that those who are receiving the permanent impairment allowance, along with a recently introduced supplement, are only awarded the lowest grade of the benefit.
The criteria used by federal bureaucrats to evaluate disability do not match the intent of the allowance, and the guidelines are too restrictive, the report said.
It doesn’t make sense to set aside cash to deal with a problem and then not spend it, Parent said. “You can flood programs with money, but of you don’t broaden the access, then you haven’t accomplished anything.”
It’s a pattern with the current government, he said, noting how the Conservatives poured funding into the burial program for impoverished ex-soldiers in 2013, but took a year to ease the eligibility criteria so people could actually qualify.
“The evidence presented in the report clearly demonstrates that many severely impaired veterans are either not receiving these benefits or may be receiving them at a grade level that is too low,” the ombudsman said.
“This is unfair and needs to be corrected.”
Investigators could find no evidence that Veterans Affairs adjudicators consider the effect of an enduring injury on an individual’s long-term employment and career prospects, he added.
Findings under review
In a statement, Veteran Affairs Minister Julian Fantino said the findings of the ombudsman’s latest report will be considered as the government prepares its response to a Commons committee review, which has recommended a series of improvements to the legislation governing veterans benefits.
“I have asked officials at Veterans Affairs to ensure that they consider the recommendations found in the veterans ombudsman’s PIA report as well as consult his office in the development of solutions to improve the New Veterans Charter,” Fantino said.
In defending itself against criticism that veterans are being short-changed, the Harper government has been quick to point to the allowance and the supplement as a sign of its generosity.
Fantino told a House of Commons committee last spring that some permanently disabled soldiers receive more than $10,000 per month, but figures from his own department show that only four individuals in the entire country receive that much.
The department went a step further and released a chart at the end of July that shows the maximum benefits soldiers of different ranks could qualify for under existing legislation — a “misleading” display that could raise “false expectations” among veterans, Parent said.
The latest report also noted that when a veteran dies, the spouse automatically loses the allowance, creating financial hardship for the family. Under the old Pension Act system, the widow or widower continued to receive support.
The permanent impairment allowance is a taxable benefit awarded to disabled soldiers in three grade levels as compensation for lost future earnings. The Harper government introduced a supplement to the allowance in 2011.
In some respects, that supplement contributed to a dramatic increase in the number of applications.
According to figures released by Veterans Affairs in June, some 521 ex-soldiers are deemed to be the most critically injured, but the vast majority of them — 92 per cent — receive the lowest grade of allowance support.
The ombudsman’s report estimates Canada has a total of 1,911 severely wounded soldiers, 924 of whom receive no allowance at all.
Ron Cundell, of the web site VeteranVoice.info, said the latest review doesn’t tell ex-soldiers anything they don’t know already.
“It’s a shame,” Cundell said. “The (office of the veterans ombudsman) reports are proving what the veteran community has known for a long time. Veterans Affairs is not treating veterans fairly.”
One of the best comments.
This also applies to most countries not just Canada.
Strange world this western world, give a man a helmet and a rifle, send him to a strange country, feed him some army rations, pay him as little as possible, send him home and try to forget about him, healthy or wounded.
Give a man a helmet and a football, fly him all over your own country, put him up in luxury hotels, feed him steaks and champagne, pay him more then his agent asks for, put his name and picture on the front pages of everything from magazines to breakfast cereal box, if he gets hurt provide him with his own private doctor and full staff, retire him in a mansion with full compensation and staff and talk about him for years at every sports program.
Seems Harper has followed what the US does to it’s Veterans. As little as possible or nothing.
More times then not these young men and women are sent to wars that are fabricated so weapons manufactures, banks, oil companies etc make profit.
ISIS in Syria are freedom fighters, but in Iraq they are the bad guys.
John McCain happens to be friends of those ISIS terrorists.
ISIS brags about links to US Senator John McCain
The US and the Harper Regime also support the Ukrainian Government,
which is killing people in Eastern Ukraine,
Both also support Israel who is killing people in Gaza.
Both supported the killing of people in Libya.
Both support the killing of Syrians.
All of the above are fabricated, wars based on Lies.
Those so called freedom fighters in Libya, Syria are Terrorist funded by the US.
The US started the war in the Ukraine. That is typical of the US however, they have been starting wars for years.
The main stream media is a disgrace. They push the propaganda and lies produced by the Governments.
Like the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. All lies.
Those so called freedom fighter remind me of Death Squads.
Well we all know, who trains them, now don’t we?
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Easter Ukrainians also held a Referendum, as they also did not want to part of the so called new US/EU controlled Ukraine and now they are being slaughtered. NATO countries are supporting this slaughter. This is beyond imagination, but true.
Did You Know 
Canada spends @ 6 billion on foreign aid, a large portion of that goes to the terrorist nation of israel. I doubt that any foreign aid has ever made much difference to those who might need it because every country has its labyrinth of corruption to ease the good it might do out of existence.
Seniors in Canada got an increase that doesn’t even cover the increase for a package of 10 stamps. It would appear that those who served this country and the elderly who paid taxes all their lives are nothing but a bottomless pit to be ripped off till there is nothing left.
In the meantime, the government brings in immigrants of different ideologies who don’t mix and often want to change our way of life. Many come here with nothing but get government handouts for any and all of their needs.
The problem stems from the fact that people in government, many of them dishonest crooks, want for nothing. They are overpaid and produce nothing but hot air, pillaging the taxes of hard working citizens and never giving a thought for those who struggle to make ends meet.
This is the age of the psychopath, they charm their way into power with promises that are nothing but lies. These are the well fed who sit in their ivory towers plotting new ways to wring the last drop of blood out of those who trusted them.
You sure got that right. Even the UK is giving $1 billion to the Ukraine gov to kill even more Eastern Ukrainians, even though the poverty in the UK is horrific. We have a lot of leaders, who should be doing jail time, for mass murder. Anyone who helps is guilty. If you give money to anyone who is committing mass murder, then you are as guilty, as the murderers are.
Harper is not only giving them money he is a cheer leader, for the mass murders of those in the East Ukraine, as well as the deaths in Gaza.
I wonder if they ever think there will be a time when they have to account for the evil they do. The Rothschild’s et al are their masters and these gentile puppets may not have a place at the table when the toast of their victory is given.
I sent a letter to Cdn. gov. saying what I thought of Harper and the web he weaves with israel. The zionists are armed with nuclear weapons while those they savage have gunpowder in pipes and my taxes support this outrage. I didn’t curtail my accusations either. Why are they called public servants?
I love your articles, all well researched with a human touch that gets the message across and I learn more than I want to know!!!:)
Well we all need to be educated on the facts, instead of the propaganda we are all fed by the main stream media. One has to do a bit of hunting but it is out there if one takes the time to look for it.
As far as the accountability for those who perpetrate these crimes, they think they are all above the law. They will pay for their crimes, one way or the other. Karma has a way of giving a backlash, to those who think mass murder is OK. All their power or wealth cannot save them from Karma. They will get what they give. Nightmares are not something they can run from. They of course are of their own creation. As the truth unfolds, they will have to answer to all of us. There are billions of us who see the truth. So when all of us billions get angry. Lord help them. They will get not pity from me.
Yes my friend, pity is not in my repertoire of emotions for these morally bankrupt assassins, these malevolent shadows that infiltrate the natural laws of a world we once knew.
I am completely alone in my search for all the ugly truths that have taken over life on this planet. My two children consider me dangerous, and all those outside my family think I’m somewhat off balance.
It is hard for me to absorb the fact that fleeting pleasures dominate their thinking and that the constant disruptions of food, weather, wars, media lies, destruction of money, corrupt leadership, perversion and all the other ills that plague society are completely lost on so many.
Also, I have been banned from sites for comments I wrote trying to expose the truth.
It appears most are willing to accept the cancer that’s taking over, like the frog sitting in water that heats slowly till it is too late.
You may think you are alone in an attempt to find the truth but there are many others, who also search for the truth. The one thing you should not allow yourself to be is consumed by it.
One day at a time and one truth at a time. We cannot change the world in a day. We can change how others see things one person at a time however. Each time you educate another they go one and educate others. We who seek the truth also spread our words of truth. We do not always see the ones who have been affected by us but mark my words, they are out there. When you educate a single person, you may be educating hundreds, you never know about. One Voice can make a difference. With some people we fail and with some we succeed. Some people do not want to see the truth and prefer to live in their fantasy world and that is fine. Those are the ones you don’t waste a lot of time on. You will never change their minds. You just move on to those who are open to the truth. You may be surprised to learn eventually just how many people you have lead out of the darkness into the light of truth. You just might start running into like minded people, who have heard your words somewhere. There will always be those, who wish to remain blind so don’t beat yourself up over it. Just do what you you do best tell the truth and be thankful you are one of those people, who are blessed with knowledge and wisdom.
Either or can take years to acquire.
Thank you ! :)
Well I have to Thank you as well, as I have learned a few things from you as well.
You are that One Voice people will listen to.
You have never once ever said anything that I would not publish either.
So if anyone didn’t appreciate, what you had to say, then they were wrong.
You call it as you see it. You do it with honesty.
I appreciate your opinion and thoughts. You care about what is happening in our world and how it affects others. All I can say is, I wish there were more people like you.
We are the people, who make a difference.
As I write this I am thinking of some of the horrid things people have said in comments here. Those are the people, who never get published. That is why the site comments are now monitored. Of course with all the hate spewed out by them, never once did I ever stop doing what I do. Nor do I take it personally. There hateful attitude and ignorance, falls on deaf ears here. They of course are the few and we are the majority, so never let their words ever get you down. I don’t, simply because if all they have to offer is lack of knowledge, then they have nothing whatsoever to contribute, on any level. Then of course there are the paid trolls who go from site to site just destroy a good forum or site. Common Dreams recently did up a report on that very thing http://www.commondreams.org/hambaconeggs
What they do not seem to realize however that this type of thing has been going on for years and is more common then then they realize. I have come across hundreds of those trolls over the years. Those types in particular get paid to disrupt and chase away people like you or I from forums or sites. They have one purpose and one purpose only to destroy and misinform people with lies. They are just a bunch of virtual, thugs, who contribute nothing, but hate and lies. Israel pays students to just that and have for years. The US does it and have been since the Bush era and now I do believe Harper in Canada is doing the same thing. So when you come across one of those all they do is demonize, call you down to the lowest and spew nothing, but propaganda and lies.
They have invaded more places then I care to remember. Some even go after news sites or attempt to have sites shut down. They are of course attempting to keep the truth from being told. They are useless entities and anything they say is pure BS.
They will also complain that you may have said things they didn’t like and attempt to have you kicked off of a site or forum. Maybe they were responsible for you being removed from a place like forums or sites. They don’t want anyone telling the truth. So you see, you got their attention and that is a good thing. The truth is a scary thing to them.
So honesty scares them. Keep up your good works and never let the likes of them get you down. Ignore them and be proud of who you are. Thank you for being one of the scary, truth tellers. Now you can laugh at their foolishness. A little insight can go a long way.
This is how low some people will go. You can’t get lower then this. So now we all have to watch out for the same thing being done yet again.
What is interesting about the story below is not one main stream media around the world would touch this story.
Hundreds of us asked them to look into it. Now that is insight.
https://rainbowwarrior2005.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/us-charity-uses-little-palestinian-childs-photo-to-raise-money-for-israels-hungry/