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Record of Discussion - 14-15 June 2023

Wednesday, 14 June 2023 9:00 - 16:00
Thursday, 15 June 2023 9:00 - 14:00

In-person meeting
Ottawa, Ontario 66 Slater Street, Veterans Affairs Canada
Virtual via Microsoft Teams

Care and support advisory group members

  • Mary Boutette, The Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre (Member Co-Chair)
  • Alexa Pasha, Royal Canadian Legion
  • Captain (Retired) Rod Holowaty, Zone Commander Legion District 3 Zone 1
  • Lieutenant Navy (Retired) Sylvain Bouliane, VeteransCanada.ca
  • Major (Retired) Bruce Henwood, National Council of Veteran Associations
  • Major (Retired) Linda Lander
  • Marie Andrée Malette, Canadian Caregivers Brigade
  • Reverend Ken MacLaren
  • Second Lieutenant (Retired) Walter Callaghan, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto
  • Sergeant (Retired) Andrea Newton

Regrets

  • Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class (Retired) Debbie Eisan, Aboriginal Veterans Autochtones
  • Major (Retired) Jorma Hamalainen, NATO Vets

Veterans Affairs Canada officials

  • Jane Hicks, A/Director General, Service Delivery and Program Management (Veterans Affairs Canada Co-Chair)
  • Jeff Gallant, Manager, Engagements and Events, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • Amy MacDougald, Senior Advisor, Engagements and Events, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • Lisa Matte, Project Officer, Engagements and Events, Veterans Affairs Canada

Minister’s office

  • Daniel Jennings, Special Assistant, Special Assistant, Issues Management and Communications, Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs  
  • Jonathan Wiseman, Special Assistant, Ontario Desk, Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs 
  • Erika Lashbrook-Knutson, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs 

Observer

  • Kristen Johnson, Office of the Veterans Ombudsperson

Guest speaker

  • Ken MacKillop, Associate Deputy Minister, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • Steven Harris, Assistant Deputy Minister, Service Delivery, Veterans Affairs Canada

Presenters

  • Chantal Basque, Manager, Mental Health Benefits, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • David Keedwell, Director General of Interprovincial Programs, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • Debbie Barry, Acting Senior Director, Disability and Health Care Policy, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • Dr. Lisa Garland Baird, RN PhD, Senior Researcher, Policy & Research Division
  • Jamie Petrie, Policy and Program Analyst, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • Kendra Bonjokian, Senior Planning, Policy and Program Advisor, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • Kerri Wilkinson, National Rehabilitation Consultant, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • Kim Andrews, Senior Director, Health Care Programs, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • Lynne McCloskey, National Manager, LTC and VIP, Veterans Affairs Canada
  • Margaret Fry, CD RN MHS, National Nursing Officer, Health Professionals Division
  • Nigel Bruce, Acting Director General, Strategic Planning, Results and Canada
  • Philip Bain, National Manager, Rehabilitation Program, Veterans Affairs Canada

Welcome and opening remarks

  • The VAC Co-Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, including representatives from the Minister's and Ombudsperson’s offices. Participants were reminded of the meeting's purpose and the wide variety of Veterans Affairs Canada services and benefits that would be covered in the form of presentations.

Land acknowledgement

  • The VAC Co-Chair offered a land acknowledgement recognizing that we are all on sacred land, subject to numerous treaties.

Presentations

  • The two-day meeting consisted of a series of panel discussions on the diversity of services offered by Veterans Affairs, followed by a question and answer session and group discussions. The presentations included the following:

Homelessness strategy

  • Director General and Policy and Program Advisor provided an overview of the past year's accomplishments. The group’s primary focus and priority is to prevent and eliminate Veteran homelessness.
  • A project is currently underway with Infrastructure Canada on the Veterans Homeless Program, which was announced at the end of April. The funds will be distributed to third-party organizations and stakeholders across the country who will provide rent supplements and direct support to Veterans.
  • Members noted some concerns regarding isolation and access to reliable connectivity. Members agreed that there should always be multiple open lines of communication to bridge gaps in accessing housing services.

SISIP long term disability / VAC rehabilitation program

  • The National Manager and National Rehabilitation Consultant presented and discussed the differences between the Rehabilitation Services and Vocational Assistance Program (RSVP) and CAF Long Term Disability.
  • RSVP provides timely service with rehabilitation goals established early and accurately. Services are delivered in a streamlined fashion to support timely progression and may include: medical interventions (i.e. physiotherapy, occupational therapy, interdisciplinary assessments and programs, etc.), psychosocial services (i.e. psychological treatment, social work services, etc.) and vocational rehabilitation services (i.e. retraining, job search preparation, etc.). The combination of psycho-social, medical and vocational rehabilitation services will ensure that Veterans can successfully adapt to life after service and support those who’ve stepped forward to serve their country.
  • Veterans work with a VAC Case Manager that will help to guide and support throughout the Veteran’s participation in RSVP. The VAC Case Manager also provides information on other VAC benefits and/or community based services that may be useful to address non-rehabilitation focused needs.

Veterans health care regulations

  • The Senior Director Health Care Programs, along with other colleagues, provided an overview of the Veterans Health Care Regulations (VHCR), which were implemented in September 1990. The VHCR govern the various health care programs which are reviewed and updated on a regular basis. These programs include Health Care Benefits and Benefit Grid, Veterans Independence Program, and Long-Term Care.
  • The Policy and Program Analyst provided an overview of the reimbursement of cannabis for medical purposes. In order to be reimbursed, eligible Veterans must be eligible for VAC benefits. Reimbursement of cannabis for medical purposes in Canada requirements include a medical authorization document and registration with a licensed Federal Canadian Seller. The most common conditions which Veterans seek medical authorization for are PTSD, chronic pain,  insomnia, and tinnitus.
  • The National Manager Long-Term Care and Veterans Independence Programs outlined the Veterans Independence Program benefits for Primary Caregivers and Survivors.
  • An overview of Long-Term Care was provided including the distinct eligibility requirements for community beds and contract beds, which are frequently located within the same facility.

Veterans well-being community health needs assessment

  • The Policy and Research division's Senior Researcher provided an overview of the for the Veterans Well-Being Community Health Needs review and the consultation underway. The intended outcomes of the study are to  improve policies, programs and services for Veterans, identify and reach under-represented Veterans, establish new indicators for measuring well-being, strengthen external Federal/Provincial/ Territorial and community partnerships and to raise awareness of the strengths and health care needs of Veterans.
  • In order to reach out to a larger community, the intention is to conduct a targeted survey, focus groups, and face-to-face interviews. 

Departmental gaps and priorities

  • The Acting Director General of Strategic Planning provided a high level overview of the strategic plan being developed. The strategic plan establishes goals and objectives for the next five years and identifies the steps required to achieve those goals. It is currently being revised and is expected to be completed in the coming months.

Aging in place

  • The Acting Senior Director Disability and Health Care Policy provided an overview of VAC’s Aging in Place initiative that is in the early stages of development. The objective is to provide a seamless process for Veterans to age in the location of their choice.

Next steps and priorities

  • The next step is to prepare a summary of identified gaps in Veteran care and support for discussion with the Ministerial Advisory Group at the upcoming meeting in September.
  • Following each presentation, advisory group members had the opportunity to ask direct questions, request clarification on key points, and engage in a group discussion. The following priorities were identified as a result of these discussions:
    • Make a formal submission on thoughts and observations around what has been identified as gaps and to provide feedback to the Minister on what has been discussed within the group so far.
    • Take time to reflect on the presentations and identify gaps or opportunities that may have been overlooked
    • To pull together feedback on Aging in The Right Place bring back to the group for review
    • To conduct prioritization exercise to list program themes that would crossover for example barriers in care and gaps in programs in benefits and services which cuts across health treatment benefits, homelessness, long term care
    • Discussed how VIP, Long-Term Care, and Aging in Place may all fall under the broader heading of Continuity of Care.

Closing remarks

  • VAC and the member Co-Chair, along with the advisory group members, agreed to change the frequency of the Care and Support Advisory Group Meeting from monthly to bimonthly. The next meeting is scheduled for 21 September 2023 and will be held virtually.
  • Supporting documents discussed during the meeting will be sent the advisory group for reference.
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