Overview of the project
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) is performing a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) in 2023. The goal is to develop an inclusive, holistic vision of the health and well-being of Canadian Veterans. The process involves collecting and analyzing health and well-being information from many sources, including reports and studies by VAC and other organizations. The results of the assessment will be available in early 2024 on the VAC website. The Veteran community and our health research and service partners will have useful, comprehensive information on the health strengths and needs of Veterans.
Why is this assessment important?
Health services in Canada are set up to address the needs of Canadians. To best address the specific needs of Veterans, the project will help:
- Shed light on the health and well-being priorities of Veterans;
- Reduce inequity in policy development and service delivery; and
- Support the planning and allocation of health resources for Veterans.
With new knowledge of the broad range of factors and conditions that influence Veterans’ health and well-being, we have a strong foundation to:
- Provide better services and support for the health and well-being of all Veterans, including women, 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous, Black and racialized Veterans and Veterans with disabilities.
- Strengthen government–community partnerships to support Veteran health and well-being
Timeline
The project will be complete and the report posted by the end of March 2024. Information will be shared in the reports section of the VAC website. We will share the links with all the groups we met with during our consultations and in our social media and other channels.
The diagram shows the project timeline from spring 2023 to fall/winter. In the spring, we began planning and preparation. Over the summer/fall we are reaching out to the Veteran community and conducting data collection and analysis. Early findings will be shared with the Veteran community before the end of March 2024.
Where we are now
The one-on-one interviews have been completed. The last focus groups are finishing up and we are analyzing the new data.
We continue to analyze existing Veteran data and literature. The secondary sources we are looking at include:
- Canadian Veteran Health Survey (2022)
- Census - Canadian military experience indicator (2021)
- Life After Service Survey (2019)
- VAC National Client Survey (2022)
We are discussing the project with Veteran community stakeholders, meeting online and in-person and consulting with groups who can offer perspectives on their lived experience. These include:
- Women Veterans
- 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans
- Indigenous Veterans
- Black and racialized Veterans
- Veterans who have disabilities
- Veterans who have experienced homelessness
What we are hearing
The stakeholders and organizations we have met with were generally positive about the project and have said they look forward to reading the final report this winter. We have completed this consultation and here is some of what we heard:
- Including people with lived experience at all stages of research is important, from planning to implementation to the sharing of findings.
- Not all Veterans identify as such. Many women, 2SLGBTQI+, and Indigenous former service members do not see themselves as Veterans.
- The concept of health equity is not well-known among the community and the Veteran community is excited to learn more about how health equity impacts overall health and well-being.
- Efforts are needed to improve access to providers who understand the Veteran communities.
- Modern technology and methods can be used to connect with Veterans.
Contact the project team
If you have questions about the CHNA project or your organization would like more information, email us at chna-ebsc@veterans.gc.ca. Please do not include personal or private health information.