Veterans Affairs Canada's Responsibility to the Canadian Forces

(Backgrounder on VAC's Pension Process)

VAC is fully committed to serving CF members and their families and providing them with the pensions and other benefits to which they are entitled. VAC's approach to client service is comprehensive, providing disability pensions, health benefits, counselling and assessment as well as legal assistance with reviews and appeals.

Our responsibility to Canadian Forces (CF) members is to support them in applying for a disability pension. If a member was healthy when he or she was deployed to Croatia or any other Special Duty Area and returned home to Canada with a medical disability, he or she should make an application for a disability pension.

Facts About VAC Disability Pensions

The Insurance Principle

The Pension Act, which is administered by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), provides pension awards to those suffering from permanent disabilities related to military service, during peace or war time. Under the Pension Act, the Insurance Principle provides for pension coverage 24 hours a day to military personnel serving in a Special Duty Area (SDA) from the time of arrival to the time of departure, whether disability or death is the result of military action or any other factor or event.

Disability Pensions are tax free

Disability pensions granted by the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Veterans Review and Appeal Board are not subject to income tax. Entitlement to such pensions is based solely on the relationship between military service and a disability. The assessment of a disability relates to its level or extent and is based on VAC's Table of Disabilities - to ensure similar assessments are awarded for similar disabilities. The pensionable assessment, or the actual amount of pension paid, is determined by multiplying the degree of entitlement by the percentage of assessment. A 100% disability pension is set as the average wage of three different occupations in the Public Service of Canada. That calculation is adjusted annually to reflect either an increase in the wage rates, or an increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Disability pensions are not...

income-tested or based on rank. They are not to be confused with a CF member's superannuation pension. While the Pension Act provides some of what a Workers Compensation Plan would give to a non-military worker, and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) may also provide disability pensions, the backbone of CF members' protection is the Long Term Disability plan provided under the Service Income Security Insurance Plan (SISIP). SISIP Long Term Disability (LTD) and Reserve Long Term Disability (Res LTD) programmes provide income replacement insurance designed to provide a CF member with a monthly income in the event of total disability.

The Pension Process is Non-Adversarial

The Disability Pension process is designed in such a way as to encourage clients to submit claims, and to require Departmental staff and Veterans Review and Appeal Board members to consider all possible evidence to support an application. The Bureau of Pensions Advocates provides free legal assistance to any person who wants to appeal a decision before a review or appeal panel. The Bureau has offices across Canada staffed by experienced lawyers who have the responsibility to represent applicants before (VRAB) panels. Veterans organizations, such as the Royal Canadian Legion, also provide assistance, free of charge, in preparing appeals. Pension Officers and District Medical staff work closely with family practitioners and Pension Adjudicators to ensure that decisions are made on the most complete information possible. New evidence is always welcomed and the benefit of the doubt is always applied in favour of the client.

IMPORTANT - Release from the military on medical grounds may not constitute entitlement to a VAC disability pension. The medical condition resulting in the member's release may not be related to the member's service.

Making an application and determining eligibility - the pension process...

How to apply
VAC Pension Officers or representatives from the various veterans' organizations are available to assist applicants in the preparation of first applications. They can order and review a member's service documents, including medical documents from DND and Public Archives, search for evidence to support the application, e.g. a report of injuries (if applicable); and submit the claim to VAC Head Office for adjudication.

Where to apply
At a VAC District Office (visit - telephone - fax - mail); or a veterans' organization such as The Royal Canadian Legion.

Necessary documents
In addition to completing an application for pension, applicants are required to obtain a current medical diagnosis of the medical condition claimed and medical reports from civilian doctors, if applicable. An applicant may also provide a statement outlining what he or she perceives to be the cause of the disability and how it relates to military service. Once this information is gathered, it is forwarded to a VAC Pension Adjudicator, in our Head Office in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The Adjudicator reviews the application including the CF member's service records, and determines whether a relationship has been established between service and disability.

Making a decision
If it is determined that the claimed condition is connected to service and entitlement is established, VAC awards a pension based on the degree of disability (between 1%-100%) as determined from the medical information provided.

If additional medical information is required, a pension medical examination will be arranged with VAC physicians. The amount of pension payable (assessment) is a percentage determined by the extent to which a claimant is disabled by the pensioned condition.

Notifying the claimant
When the Department makes a pension decision, it is communicated directly to the claimant in a decision letter and the approved claim is processed for payment.

The Process is Quick and Efficient

Veterans Affairs Canada is committed to quick and efficient service. Once an application for disability pension is completed and all necessary medical and other information in support of that claim is submitted, the applicant will be given a decision within 18 weeks.

Other Benefits and Services

Once in receipt of a disability pension, a CF member may be eligible to receive other pension-related services and benefits including:

• Special allowances - attendance, clothing, exceptional incapacity, etc.;
• Survivor benefits;
• Counselling, assessment and referral services; legal assistance with appeals.

Health Care Benefits

To be eligible for health care benefits and services, a CF member must first be in receipt of a disability pension from VAC. Following the member's release from the service or if the member is in receipt of a SDA-related disability pension, he or she becomes eligible for VAC health care services and benefits required due to his or her pensioned condition(s).

These may include a number of medical, surgical and dental benefits and services as well as the Veterans Independence Program (VIP). If pensioned for an SDA-related disability, a CF member could be eligible to receive VIP services for needs related to that disability, including such things as Home Care, Ambulatory Health Care and Home Adaptations.

VAC Client Services

VAC's philosophy of Client Services is based on a client-centred approach where our staff identify and respond appropriately to the needs of the individual client. Our services include screening, referral, information, assessment, and monitoring. A CF member is eligible for some of these services both while awaiting a decision on his/her disability pension claim and after he or she is in receipt of a disability pension.

Improving Communications and New Initiatives

VAC recognizes that improvements need to be made to better respond to the needs of our CF clients. A number of initiatives to address communications and coordination between VAC and DND have already been undertaken.

A VAC/CF Project Team was formed to strengthen the working relationship between the two departments. The team identifies issues of mutual concern, facilitates action and monitors progress on improvements stemming from recommendations from VAC and DND's research as well as those from various other studies.

In April this year, the DND-VAC Centre for the Support of Injured and Retired Members and their Families opened for business in Ottawa. The Centre is a major part of an interdepartmental partnership between VAC and DND, and is intended to provide one-stop shopping for information, referrals and assistance to serving and released CF members and reservists, their families, and survivors. It is staffed by members of both DND and VAC resulting in shared information about each department's programs and processes enabling us to better serve current and former CF members. The toll-free number for The Centre is 1-800-883-6094.

Through their presence on major military bases in the country, VAC staff are able to provide information on VAC programs and services, monitor the progress of client applications for benefits to accelerate the process, and to network with clients, social workers and other health professionals.