Close Ties With Valcartier Over the Years

The dramatic increase in the number of pension applications from current and former members of the Canadian Forces over the last few years has led Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and the Department of National Defence (DND) to put in place a partnership agreement. This agreement is designed to help people who have sustained a permanent disability as a result of their service abroad or those who have left the Canadian Forces (CF) for medical reasons.

In the mid 1980's, the District Office and the Bureau of Pension Advocates (BPA) in the Quebec City area took the lead in educating current and former members of the Forces from the Valcartier and Bagotville Bases by taking part in various information sessions. Last year, Valcartier officials, sensitized to the needs of CF members, formed a working group to identify opportunities for establishing a closer relationship and to improve processing procedures for First Applications and Appeals.

The new working group developed a procedure under which the Valcartier Base Personnel Selection Officer would meet with all CF members with a medical release and refer them to the appropriate people, such as a Pension Officer in the Quebec District Office. This Pension Officer now has an office in the Personnel Selection Officer's section at the Valcartier Base and can work there as needed.

The group's discussions also led to the clarification of individual roles and responsibilities and the establishment of networks that would allow the Department's Area Counsellors, in cooperation with military officials, to prepare care plans even before members leave their jobs. This proactive approach will help ensure continuity in services and reintegration in the community as harmoniously as possible.

In addition, an agreement on cooperation and the sharing of labour costs related to file duplication has been concluded between the parties. Given the fact that military medical files are often very voluminous and the staff assigned to file control is limited, getting copies often involves delays that significantly increase the time required to process First Applications and review decisions.

"We have to coordinate our efforts and avoid the duplication of services if we want to promote the social reintegration of these members who have to leave the CF for health reasons. By means of this initiative, we are first and foremost seeking to protect the interests of our clients, who, in this case, are members and former members of the Canadian Forces," stressed Pierre St-Onge, the Director of the Quebec District Office.

"There is no doubt in my mind that this new approach is of great benefit to us," declared Major Pierre Beauséjour, the Deputy Chief of Personnel Support for Valcartier. According to him, this mandate could even be extended in the coming years considering the relatively significant number of CF members leaving for medical reasons.

For this reason, action has been taken to familiarize Quebec District Office staff with military realities and enable them to be more effective in working with this growing segment of our clientele. For example, during National Public Service Week in June, the Quebec District Office held an Open House for representatives from the Valcartier Personnel Selection Office and the Family Care Resource Centre. This was an opportunity for office staff to talk with military representatives and learn about military structure and terminology as well as the services offered by the two main providers of support services to CF personnel. Furthermore, in late September, a dozen District Office and BPA employees attended artillery, tank and infantry unit training in Gagetown as observers. A tour of the Valcartier Family Resource Centre is also scheduled for the fall.

A similar approach to that used to establish a closer liaison with Valcartier will also be applied at the Longue-Pointe and Saint-Jean Bases, two support units that report to Valcartier, and other sector land militia units. Since Naval Reserve Headquarters for all of Canada is located in Quebec City, a similar initiative will be launched shortly with Reserve authorities.