8.1 Veterans Affairs Canada

General Information and Contacts

Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) services and benefits include: disability pensions, War Veterans Allowance, home care services, long-term care, treatment benefits, counselling, personalized case planning, medical needs assessment, advice, information and referral,
legal help with pension or allowance matters, help with the cost of funerals and burials, and commemoration of those who gave their lives. Many of these services are described below.

For more information on these services and benefits, contact the Veterans Affairs Canada district office nearest you listed in the Blue Pages of your telephone book under the keyword “Veterans”, or contact:

Veterans Affairs Canada
Regional Office
145 Government Rd. W.
Kirkland Lake ON P2N 2E8

Mailing Address:
Bag Service 4000
Kirkland Lake ON P2N 3P4
Toll-free: 1-866-522-2122
Website: www.vac-acc.gc.ca
Seniors Canada Online Website: www.seniors.gc.ca

Health Care Benefits

Eligible veterans and other qualified clients can get health care benefits under the Veterans Health Care Regulations. These benefits include: medical, surgical and dental care, prosthetic devices, home adaptations, supplementary benefits such as travel costs for examinations or treatment, and other community health care services and benefits. Disability pensioners can get treatment benefits, such as prescription drugs that are for their pensioned conditions. Treatment benefits may also be provided to clients for non-pensioned conditions that are not covered by a provincial health plan if the VAC client is getting services under the Veterans Independence Program, or if the veteran or eligible civilian has a limited income as set out by the War Veterans Allowance Act.

Long-Term Care Facilities

The long-term care program at VAC provides eligible veterans with access to a bed in a long-term care facility at no cost to them. To be eligible for this program, veterans must have been assessed as requiring long-term care, and must meet certain requirements with respect to war service, pensioned disability and income. VAC has contracts with the province of Ontario for priority access beds for veterans in long-term care facilities. Eligible veterans may also access beds in community facilities through the Veterans Independence Program.

Veterans Independence Programs

The Veterans Independence Program (VIP) together with other government programs, helps veterans to stay healthy and living in their own homes and communities as long as possible. VIP offers eligible veterans home care and community-based long-term care, including professional health care, help with preparing meals, housekeeping, yard work, home adaptation, transportation and day care facilities.

War Veterans Allowance

Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy and qualified civilians may apply for the War Veterans Allowance (WVA). This program offers financial help. Eligibility is based on wartime service, age, income and residence. Applicants must live in Canada when they apply. Veterans of Commonwealth or Allied forces must have been living in Canada at the time they joined that force. Surviving spouses, surviving common-law partners and orphans can also get the allowance if the deceased veteran or civilian had the required war-related status.

Male applicants must be at least 60 years of age and female applicants must be 55 years old. Applicants who are unable to support themselves fully may apply at an earlier age. The allowance is income tested, which means the applicants must prove need. Program administrators take all sources of income into account to make their decision on eligibility.

Health Services

Health Services are designed to provide for a continuum of care to enhance the quality of life of VAC clients, promote independence, as well as to ensure that health professionals and multi-disciplinary delivery teams are available to develop care plans and respond to client needs. Services include referral, information services, assessment, counselling, follow-up and monitoring.

Assistance Fund

The Assistance Fund (AF) gives funding to people who get War Veterans Allowance and live in Canada, to meet emergency needs that threaten their health and/or safety. If such recipients have no other resources, they may qualify for grants for emergencies that affect shelter, clothing and health, or for the repair or replacement of appliances and furnishings.

Disability Pensions

Wartime veterans, still-serving and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as well as former members of the Merchant Navy may receive pensions for service-related disabilities. Prisoner of War (POW) compensation is paid to qualified former POWs.

Special Allowances are paid to disability pensioners and POWs who need attendants, have special clothing needs, or are very disabled.

Civilians whose jobs during the Second World War were related to the war effort may also qualify for pensions for disability or death. Those civilians include members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment and Auxiliary Services personnel.

Funerals, Burials and Grave Markers

Veterans Affairs Canada offers assistance through the Last Post Fund to help pay for the funeral, burial and grave marking of eligible veterans and some civilians. This includes the cost of: preparing the remains, a standard departmental casket, public viewing, transporting the remains locally, an earthen burial plot, care of the plot (perpetual care), and a military style grave marker.

For more information or to locate the Branch office in your area, contact:
The Last Post Fund National Office, Ontario Branch
Veterans Affairs Canada
55 St. Clair Ave., E., Ste. 905
Toronto ON M4T 1M2

Toll-free: 1-800-563-2508
Phone: 416-923-1608
Fax: 416-923-3695
E-mail: lpfon@bellnet.ca
Website: www.lastpostfund.ca

Bureau of Pension

Advocates Within Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), the Bureau of Pension Advocates provides free legal assistance to clients in the form of counselling, case preparation and representation on disability pension review and appeals where a client is dissatisfied with a pension decision made by VAC. To locate the Bureau of Pension Advocates office in your area, consult the Blue Pages of your telephone book under the keyword “Veterans”, or call 1-877-228-2250.

8.2 Soldiers’ Aid Commission of Ontario

The Soldier’s Aid Commission of Ontario is one of the sources of financial assistance for veterans of World Wars I and II, and the Korean War, and their surviving dependents living in Ontario.
Ontario Soldiers’ Aid Commission
2 Bloor St. W., 24th Floor
Toronto ON M7A 1E9

Phone: 416-327-4674
Fax: 416-327-4379

8.3 The Royal Canadian Legion, Ontario Command

The Ontario Command of The Royal Canadian Legion comprises over 400 branches throughout Ontario.

It focuses on remembering those who gave their lives for freedom and looking after the needs of veterans, their dependents, and those still serving in the Canadian Forces.

In addition, Legions throughout the Ontario Command are also contributing to the well-being of their neighbours by sponsoring community programs.

8.4 Benevolent Funds

There are a number of Benevolent Funds which provide assistance to veterans, ex-service personnel and their dependents. Applications for Benevolent  Fund assistance are made through a Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) counselor or your Royal Canadian Legion Provincial Service Officer.

The purpose of these funds is to provide emergency assistance, not otherwise available. Requests for assistance usually relate to the basic needs of food, shelter and medical care. The assistance is designed to be on a one-time basis.

Before requesting assistance, it is important to ensure that assistance is not otherwise available through existing programs (e.g., Veterans Affairs Canada, Assistive Devices Program).

For more information on the Royal Canadian Legion and its programs, contact your local district office listed in the White Pages of your telephone book or contact the Ontario Provincial Command head office at:
The Royal Canadian Legion
Ontario Provincial Command
89 Industrial Pkwy. N.
Aurora ON L4G 4C4

Phone: 905-841-7999
Fax: 905-841-9992
E-mail: info@on.legion.ca
Website: www.on.legion.ca

8.5 The Memory Project

The Memory Project is an educational partnership initiative of the Dominion Institute and the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat to bring veterans of World War II, the Korean War and peacekeeping missions together with students in classrooms and over the Internet across the province.

Do you have a story to tell? Join the Speakers' Bureau, and the Dominion Institute will co-ordinate classroom visits for you to share your story with students at local schools. As a Memory Project speaker, you will receive a Visiting Veterans' Preparation Kit geared to your conflict and theatre, and the opportunity to attend a speakers' preparation workshop.

Share your story on The Memory Project Website at www.thememoryproject.com or send it to the Dominion Institute to post in the online archive and ensure the service and sacrifice of Canada's veterans, both men and women, lives on in the minds of Canadian youth.
The Dominion Institute
183 Bathurst St., Ste. 401
Toronto ON M5T 2R7

Toll-free: 1-866-701-1867
Phone: 416-368-9627
E-mail: memory@dominion.ca
Website: www.thememoryproject.com

8.6 Veterans’

Commemorative Park and Veterans’ Memorial Highway

The Royal Canadian Legion, Ontario Command District G, the Ministry of Transportation and the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat pooled resources to develop a site to commemorate the contributions made by Ontario’s veterans.

Officially opened in 2000, the park is located on Highway 416, the Veteran’s Memorial Highway, just outside of Kemptville, Ontario. The park, which features monuments and gardens, will be used for Remembrance Day commemorations as well as other Legion activities.

The site is wheelchair accessible and parking is available adjacent to the park.