COVID-19 information and assistance for Veterans

At this time, client and visitor access to our area offices is suspended until further notice. You can continue to connect with us:

• through My VAC Account secure messaging; or
• by calling us at 1-866-522-2122. We are maintaining a strong capacity to support Veterans over the phone because we recognize that stable internet connections can sometimes be difficult.

Ultimately, we encourage you to stay home and follow the directions of local health authorities. Our staff are available, working remotely and prioritizing getting benefits to Veterans and their families.

We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

Our staff are available, working remotely and prioritizing getting benefits to Veterans and their families.

Our teams continue to make decisions on treatment and benefits and issue payments to Veterans. Since March 17, we have increased the number of employees able to work from home who adjudicate, process and pay disability claims. We are making as many decisions as possible and quickly issuing payments to Veterans.

The VAC Assistance Service is a free, 24/7 mental health resource that connects you to psychological support and counselling. You do not have to be receiving VAC benefits to use this service. Call 1-800-268-7708 to speak to a mental health professional right now.

If you have an Operational Stress Injury (OSI), OSI clinics have started offering tele-health services to Veterans.

If you would like to apply for VAC benefits and services or need assistance completing your application, please call us at 1-866-522-2122 or message us online through My VAC Account Secure Messaging. However, if your inquiry is not urgent, we ask that you consider contacting us at a later time, so we can focus on the most urgent needs.

If you need more information on changes to Employment Insurance and the new Canada Emergency Response Benefit, please see Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response plan.

If you are struggling to meet your needs during the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact us. We will work with you to find ways to best support you and your family.

• Call us at 1-866-522-2122.
• My VAC Account secure messaging.
• Government of Canada financial programs for Canadians in response the COVID-19 Pandemic.

• Stay connected through social media
• My VAC Account notices and direct messages to clients
• Call us at 1-866-522-2122

Read more:

For Government of Canada updates visit Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

• COVID-19: Travel advice
• Travellers returning to Canada
• How to isolate at home when you have COVID-19

Please contact your federal licensed seller of cannabis to find out current operating policies as these companies operate separately from retail cannabis stores.

If your federal licensed seller is out of cannabis for medical purposes, you may now transfer your medical authorization document from one federal licensed seller to another without getting a new medical authorization document from your health care practitioner, as long as it is still valid. Your new federal licensed seller will contact Medavie Blue Cross to get authorization for direct billing.

List of federal licensed sellers

Please note federal licensed sellers are privately-owned enterprises, Veterans Affairs Canada does not have control over cannabis supplies. Health Canada regulates federal licensed sellers. You may contact Health Canada at cannabis@canada.ca if you have concerns regarding the supply of cannabis available.

The Government of Canada is taking precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and is temporarily stopping Veteran Service Card production. Production and distribution of the cards will begin as soon as it is safe to do so. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Please visit the Veteran Service Card for more information.

Yes. We are continuing to accept and conduct Departmental Reviews during COVID. The Bureau of Pensions Advocates also continues to make progress in digitizing Departmental Review claims which will also help improve the time for processing these claims.

Yes, we are still making corrective payments during the ongoing COVID-19 situation. If between 2003 and 2010, you received a disability pension or certain related benefits that we administer, you may receive a corrective payment because of a discrepancy in our calculations.

Most payments are automatic, however, please contact us at 1-866-522-2122 if:

• You no longer receive benefits that we administer, or
• You are the legal representative of the estate of a deceased benefit recipient.

If you are legally entitled to inherit assets from the estate of a deceased recipient, you may apply to receive a corrective payment. You will be able to apply via an online application form, where you can also upload the required supporting documents, or by using a paper application and sending us hard copies of these documents. To apply, you will need to provide certain information and documents, including:

• Deceased’s permanent residence at time of death, place and date of death, and other identifiers (Service number or Regimental Number, and VAC File number or K number).
• Deceased’s death certificate
• Deceased’s will (if they died with a will)
• Release signed by all other persons legally entitled to inherit (or “succeed to”) the assets of the deceased (form provided in application)
• Proof of your identity

You may also request an estimate via the online portal, available through our website.

In recognition of the extraordinary expenses faced by persons with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada is providing a one-time payment, non-taxable and non-reportable amount of up to $600 to persons with disabilities who are eligible for certain federal income supports.

You are eligible for this payment if you are the beneficiary of at least one of the following federal benefits as of 5 March 2021:

• Canada Pension Plan Disability;
• Quebec Pension Plan Disability;
• Disability supports provided by VAC; and/or,
• A Disability Tax Credit certificate provided by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Veterans (War Service and CAF) and former RCMP clients eligible for any of the following disability-related programs as of 5 March 2021 qualify for the payment:

• Disability Pension;
• Disability Award;
• Pain and Suffering Compensation;
• Critical Injury Benefit;
• Income Replacement Benefit;
• Rehabilitation Services and Vocational Assistance Program; and/or
• Canadian Forces Income Support Benefit.

The payment is issued in the form of cheque or direct deposit. Payments are expected to be issued beginning this Fall. The payment information will be provided on the One-time payment to persons with disabilities web page once available.

For more information on the One-time payment to persons with disabilities, please visit the COVID-19 - Emergency benefits page on Canada.ca.

Canada Pension Plan Disability

• 1-800-277-9914 (English)
• 1-800-277-9915 (French)
• 1-800-255-4786 (TTY)

Disability Tax Credit

• 1-800-959-8281 (English)
• 1-800-959-7383 (French)

Quebec Pension Plan Disability

• 1-800-463-5185 (English French)

If you receive the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), it will not affect your VAC Income Replacement Benefit Payment. It also won't count against the $20,000 you can earn before offsetting your Income Replacement Benefit.

No. The Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) will not affect the Canadian Forces Income Support payment you receive from VAC.

No. The Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) will not affect the War Veterans Allowance payment you receive from VAC.

No. Any COVID-19 emergency benefits you receive from your provincial or territorial government will not impact the income support benefits you receive from VAC.

Unfortunately, VAC is not able to answer questions about how the COVID-19 emergency benefits may impact your income tax status. If you have concerns about how these benefits may impact your tax status, we recommend you contact your financial advisor or the Canada Revenue Agency. For residents of Quebec, you may wish to contact Revenue Quebec.

Yes. Medavie Blue Cross, which processes cannabis for medical purposes requests on behalf of VAC, is continuing to operate in accordance with provincial health authority guidance.

If you are unable to access a medical specialist by telehealth in order to obtain a new supporting letter, please call Medavie Blue Cross at 1-866-522-2122.

If you are having difficulty getting a new medical specialist letter due to the COVID-19 outbreak, please check with your medical specialist as they may still be offering services by phone or telehealth (video appointment). If this is not an option, you may wish to confirm with your federal licensed seller whether they can put you in touch with a medical specialist who offers telehealth appointments.

VAC has contacted a number of federal licensed sellers, and they have indicated that they currently have adequate supplies of cannabis for medical purposes to fulfill customer needs.

Currently, most delivery operations are continuing as normal. For any updates on delivery service, please visit the following website(s):

Canada Post
FedEx
Purolator

We know there may be many Education and Training Benefit participants who have been affected by COVID 19. We will work with you to determine the best course of action if your course, education, or training has been impacted by COVID-19. Please contact us as soon as possible at 1-866-522-2122.

Normally, if you are taking a formal program, you need to complete your courses each term and report this before any future payments will be made. If you do not complete your courses, you are required to pay back funding that was provided for that period of study.

If your courses are affected by COVID-19, you must contact us about your situation before we can confirm that you will not need to pay back any money.

You must notify us as soon as possible if your educational institution closes or does not offer an alternative way to continue your program. Please send us the following information through My VAC Account to help avoid having to repay any money (i.e. overpayment):

• Reason you discontinued the course
• Date you discontinued the course
• Documentation from your educational institution indicating the status of your courses and program, and confirming that these courses are not considered complete
• Documentation that there was no alternative way to continue or complete your studies; and
• Documentation of any unreturned tuition funds from your educational institution.

For more information, please send us a secure message through My VAC Account or call us at 1-866-522-2122.

No. In this instance, you will not be required to amend your plan unless the start date of your next period of study is changing.

Yes, in this circumstance, you need to submit a Plan amendment form so that your payment schedule is updated to reflect this change. Please provide supporting documentation from your school that confirms your upcoming period of study has been cancelled. You can submit this documentation online through My VAC Account.

If you can't continue your classes or need more time to finish your education, please contact your school to discuss options such as class extensions or other accommodations.

Once you know your options from the school, please contact us to discuss your situation. If you must leave your program before completion, additional funding cannot be provided later under the Education and Training Benefit to complete these courses. However, we will take into consideration the impacts of COVID-19 on your personal situation when determining if any money will need to be repaid to us. Please provide us with the following information:

• Reason you discontinued the course
• Date you discontinued the course
• Details on what options your school provided to you
• Proof of your status in the courses you are in, and;
• Proof of any returned tuition from your educational institution.

If you do not provide supporting documentation to us for review, you may be in an overpayment situation.

If you need to make a change to your existing education plan, please tell us as soon as possible by completing and submitting the Education and Training Benefit Plan Amendment (VAC 1573 form). We will check your updated plan and, if approved, recalculate your payment schedule for the remaining periods of study.

If you cannot take part in online education, please connect with your school to see what options they may have for you.

We cannot issue any additional funds outside of the amount you have been already given. Education and Training Benefit payments are intended to provide funding to cover mandatory education costs such as tuition and some other expenses that may be incurred while attending school. Any additional funding that remains after mandatory costs have been paid can be used at a Veterans' discretion.

We can't process your monitoring form without proof of completion. We ask that you contact your school to receive up to date information about your program.

We may consider information from the school, such as proof of good academic standing and proof of enrollment to release more payments. Many schools are still open, but have taken different measures, such as teleworking. This can mean delays in getting supporting information needed for the Education and Training Benefit.

Please submit your VAC1550e Monitoring Form once your documents are available from your school. If you do not submit all the information to us before your period of study begins, you will not be provided funding for that period.

List of Canadian Universities and Affiliated Colleges by Province
This site provides links to the homepages of Canadian Universities by name and province

Colleges and Institutes Canada
Colleges and Institutes Canada represents 137 of Canada's publicly funded colleges and institute

National Association of Career Colleges (NACC)
The NACC is a national association representing 500 regulated career colleges from across the country. It has an elected Board of Directors that oversees the organization and is responsible to its members. The NACC staff administers the day-to-day business of the association and reports to the Board of Directors and the members. Each PCC is assigned a Private Career College Inspector.

Given the current circumstances, it is the view of NACC that the theory components of all NACC programs can be delivered through alternative methods of instruction in accordance with the guidelines and approval process proposed by MTCU.

NACC schools in Canada

Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities
This group provides direction to Private Career Colleges. To facilitate streamlined and timely decisions, the Superintendent of Private Career Colleges will require an attestation, signed by an individual with authority to bind the private career college, that the private career college has the current capacity to train, evaluate, and support students via alternative methods of instruction without significant loss of program quality.

Suspension of Operations
If a private career college is required to suspend operations entirely, the Superintendent of Private Career Colleges expects the operator to inform their inspector immediately and to ensure that students are adequately supported during the period of suspension.

Supports for students should include planning for the resumption of programs following the suspension, ongoing communications and updates concerning the duration of the suspension, and provisions for refunds of training fees should students choose not to continue in programs during or following the suspension.

Universities Canada
The Universities Canada website is publishing regular updates on the situation facing Canada's universities with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Flight Schools
According to information published on Transport Canada's website, the following COVID-19 update on aviation Medical Certificates has been posted:

Civil Aviation Medical Examiners (CAMEs) are not to perform aviation medical examinations on behalf of Transport Canada until further notice, unless authorized by Civil Aviation Medicine due to exceptional circumstances. In addition, many flight schools have suspended flight training operations and discontinued in-person ground school classes. Some schools are making the transition to an alternate on-line format, and students should receive instructions from their flight school pertaining to access and operation.

Bank of Montreal
BMO offers a preferred interest-rate CDCB Student Line of Credit that members of the Canadian Forces can use to pay tuition and other expenses so you can focus on your studies. BMO CDCB Program benefits are exclusive to all members of Canada's defence community and their families

Canada Student Loans and Grants -ESDC
The Canada Student Loans Program provides repayable loans and non-repayable grants to help Canadian students pay for their post-secondary education. Federal loans and grants are delivered in partnership with participating provinces and territories and are available to:

• full- and part-time students;
• students from low- and middle-income families;
• students with dependants; and
• students with permanent disabilities.