Celebrating Three Years at the Centre

In April 2002, the DND-VAC Centre for the Support of Injured Members and their Families celebrated its third anniversary. For the two dozen people who staff this unique office, affectionately called "the Centre", the anniversary was briefly marked -- they were much too busy helping still-serving and retired Canadian Forces members who have been injured in the Forces.

"Each month, the Centre handles more than 1,000 telephone inquiries. Some are simple, some are not, but the approach is always the same: to help members and their families, invest in them, and give them confidence in the future," says LCol David Wrather, Director of the Centre.

Many injured CF members and their families have found the Centre to be a one-stop window for essential information about VAC or DND services and benefits to which they may be entitled. "It's like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders," says a CF member who has used the Centre for counselling, help in arranging medical transportation and guidance on how to apply for a VAC disability pension.

"The ability to help clients in a timely and proactive way is due, in large part, to the fact that VAC and DND staff are located in the same office. We work side by side, and in partnership with departmental staff in other districts and regions, to troubleshoot the concerns of our mutual clients," says Francine Cyr, Deputy Director of the Centre.

About 80% of calls are from people who need information about health and pension benefits or services that already exist within VAC or DND. In other instances, callers are seeking information about the status of their VAC disability pension application. When required, Centre staff may be called upon to locate documentation needed to confirm pension entitlement. Still-serving CF members, who have been injured and are in the process of releasing, also can turn to the Centre for guidance on how to access VAC programs and services to which they may be entitled.

The Centre also coordinates a database that tracks those who have been injured while serving. Centre staff use this information to seek out those who may be eligible for pensions or health benefits. They also:

• facilitate referrals to DND's Post Deployment Regional Health Centres and Operational Trauma and Stress Support Centres;
• administer several vocational and transitional services, such as the Transition Assistance Program, to help injured members seeking temporary or permanent placement in another job or skill, either within the military or on "civvy street"; and
• offer two programs that provide financial assistance to families. The first helps CF members and families who urgently need aids for daily living, such as a wheelchair; the second provides financial assistance to those who can't afford to travel to a relative who has been admitted to a hospital that is located far away from where they live.

How to Contact the Centre

Telephone(toll-free): 1-800-883-6094
Mon-Fri: 08h00 - 16h00 (EST)
Voice Mail is active at all other times.
Internet: www.dnd.ca/hr/thecentre