Executive Summary

The purpose of the Veterans Independence Program (VIP) is to assist recipients in maintaining their independence through the provision of home and community care. As per the VIP Terms and Conditions, Veterans and other recipients in receipt of funding for VIP services must be contacted at least once annually to confirm the benefits are meeting the recipient’s needs. In January 2013, Canada Post, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and a third-party contractor became part of the Annual Follow-up and Survivor Renewal process.

The objective of the audit was to assess the management control framework, the compliance with applicable policies and processes, and determine performance against the Annual Follow Up and Survivor Renewal service standard. The scope of this audit included all VIP Veterans and survivors due for follow-up or renewal between May 1, 2014 and September 30, 2014.

The audit team observed that the relevant policies and procedures were generally clear and up-to-date. The following areas require action be taken to address outstanding issues and improve service to recipients:

1. file review results indicated that of the 41 Annual Follow-up forms that identified additional health needs, 39% (16/41) were not referred to an Area Office for review. The business process requires that in addition to identifying additional health needs, Veterans must also have a change in their Housekeeping and/or Grounds Maintenance requirements to be referred.
2. current Privacy Impact Assessment does not include the third-party contractor’s expanded role in the Annual Follow-up and Survivor Renewal processes.
3. even though the service standard is measurable it is not relevant to the recipient as completion of the recipient’s Annual Follow-up and Survivor Renewal is not reported. A more relevant service standard would measure the successful completion of the Annual Follow-up and Survivor Renewal for each recipient.

Overall, the audit team determined the results to be "Generally Acceptable".

Chief Audit Executive's Signature

Kim Andrews
Chief Audit Executive

Date: October 1, 2015