*** Remember all that jazz coming from the Prime Minister about how the detainee abuse issue was an affront to our troops? Well, the government gives those same troops a middle-finger salute; you put up pretty road signs, call it Highway of Heroes but when they need some real help - where is the support? This is a travesty. MS ***
OTTAWA - Ordinary soldiers wounded in the line of duty, veterans with families and the most severely disabled of troops are the biggest losers under Ottawa's new system of compensating those who've laid down their lives for the country, says an independent analysis.
The detailed actuarial study, commissioned by the Veterans Ombudsman's office and obtained by The Canadian Press, was presented last year to Veterans Affairs Canada, but the department sat on the document and has not formally responded to its findings.
The 77-page report compared the system of lump-sum payments and qualified benefits under the New Veterans Charter and the old policy of guaranteed lifetime pensions, which was set up for soldiers following the Second World War.
The findings buttress the vocal arguments made by outgoing Veterans Ombudsman Pat Stogran, whose term the Conservative government has refused to renew.
Stogran, a blunt-talking former army colonel, accused federal bureaucrats earlier this month of "penny-pinching" veterans and stonewalling or killing his efforts to improve benefits for former servicemen and women.
The study found senior officers, the ones at the highest end of the pay scale, benefited the most from the new system. The lower the rank, the worse off the soldiers become and it gets even more difficult if the wounded veteran is married and midway through their career.
"Based on our assumptions, we are of the opinion that the actuarial present values of benefits identified in our evaluation offered through the (New Veterans Charter) are lower, in the majority of cases, than the actuarial present values of benefits offered under the Pension Act," says a final report by Aon Consulting Inc., dated Dec. 18, 2009.
It determined that young, single soldiers come out slightly ahead under the new system — as long as their cash settlements are invested with a rate of return between 3.75 and four per cent. But critics have warned that many young, wounded troops are blowing their payments.
War widows and orphans are better off with the new system, says the report.
The study took aim at the lump-sum payments, which can be up to $276,000 for the most severe injuries. It concluded that over time the previous system left soldiers with more money in their pockets and that the existing one-time payout was too cheap.
Aon created an actuarial model and entered more than 600 profiles of potential cases, which were then evaluated. In almost every instance, taking into account gender, age, family status, level of disability and pre-injury income, soldiers at the bottom end of the pay scale came out poorer.
"The Disability Award payable under the (New Veterans Charter) does not appear to be sufficient to compensate for these differences in the majority of cases," said the exhaustive study.
Critics have long argued that the lump sum payout was too cheap and point to Britain where injured soldiers are offered tax-free payments equivalent to $929,000.
Veterans Affairs has argued that wounded soldiers receive other stipends in addition to the lump-sum payment, including earnings loss protection and income support. The Aon study factored in those additional benefits and the numbers still came out the same.
That's because, unlike the previous system, most of the new benefits are subject to income tax.
Soldiers permanently disabled in Afghanistan, by a roadside bomb as an example, must pay tax on their permanent impairment allowance, while the old system of exceptional incapacity allowance was tax-free.
The taxation erosion of benefits gets even worse when you factor in where the soldier lives. Those in highly taxed provinces, such as those on the East Coast, get slammed even harder, according to the analysis.
Female soldiers, since they have a tendency to live longer than men, are also hurt by the new system.
The study encompassed both permanently and partially disabled veterans, as well as war widows.
Veterans Affairs is currently reviewing the impact of the New Veterans Charter, and minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn noted the ombudsman's analysis.
"I am pleased that this study demonstrates that certain clients, such as survivors and orphans, benefit from the NVC. For clients for whom the NVC seems less advantageous, this is something that we are currently looking into," he said.
"Therefore, as I said many times, the Charter is a living document and something I am ready to act on. Soon, I will receive a full evaluation of all the services and financial aspects of the Charter and I will be in a position to make decisions."
He did not say why the department has not responded directly to Stogran's office.
Showing posts with label Feds abandon vets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Feds abandon vets. Show all posts
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
FEDS ABANDON VETS
*** This proves how dishonestly the Conservative Party led by Stephen Harper was involingthe good name of the wounded. Shameful, shameful, shameful. MS ***
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Feds+abandoned+wounded+heroes+Vets+ombudsman/3409572/story.html
OTTAWA — Surrounded by former soldiers who have been battling the bureaucracy for benefits, Canada's veterans' ombudsman ripped into the federal government Tuesday for what he described as turning its back on the people who have put their lives on the line for their country.
"Our heroes are suffering," said Pat Stogran, the veterans' champion who has been told by the federal government that his three-year term will not be renewed this fall.
"What I am here to do is to expose to Canadians what I perceive as a system that for a long time, has denied veterans not just what they deserve, but what they earned with their blood and sacrifice," Stogran told a news conference on Parliament Hill.
Stogran said he will spend the remaining three months in his job casting a spotlight on the "long-standing and deeply rooted" practice which treats veterans unfairly.
He said that after he was appointed in 2007 by the Harper government, it became clear that he was expected to "behave as a complaints manager" accountable to the Veterans Affairs Department, not as an advocate for veterans.
The ombudsman's supporters say he is being replaced as punishment for his public criticism of politicians and public servants.
"Let there be no doubt that replacing the veterans' ombudsman at this point in time will clearly set the office back many, many months," Stogran said.
In the meantime, he wants Canadians to put pressure on the government to do some things differently.
"In the United States, they look after their veterans," said Stogran, a retired colonel. "To all Canadians, these are your sons and daughters, your brothers and sisters. The time is now for you to do something about it."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended the government's decision to replace Stogran, saying it was "understood right from the outset" that it was a three-year term.
"There are no positions for life," he said. "That's the way we do things."
Harper said his government has invested a lot of money in programs for veterans.
"These are people who made huge sacrifices for this country and we have a very important responsibility to ensure their welfare," he said.
Strogran was flanked at Tuesday's news conference by several veterans who angrily spoke of how they — and many others like them — have run up against a bureaucracy filled with red tape and obstructionism.
Former soldier Brian Dyck spoke of how he served for Canada in the first Gulf War and was required to take pills to protect against possible biological weapons. Later, at the age of 41, he was diagnosed with ALS, known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a degenerative nerve disease that is fatal.
Dyck, speaking from a wheelchair, said his efforts to receive benefits have been unsuccessful.
His message to the government was simple: "If you not willing to stand behind the troops, feel free to stand in front of them."
Other complaints from veterans were wide-ranging: a refusal to properly help those affected by the spraying of the toxic defoliant Agent Orange at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in past years; inadequate payments for those on long term disability; and a widely-panned Veteran's Charter in recent years that institutes lump-sum payments instead of guaranteed monthly pension payments.
Dennis Manuge, a disabled former soldier who served in Bosnia in 2001, said he feels betrayed by Canadians and is so frustrated that he is on the verge of "ultra radicalism."
"Some folks wear a yellow ribbon, some folks wear a poppy for a week, and for one day, we remember," said Manuge, stressing that Canadians need to offer their support to veterans year-round.
Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said Tuesday the decision not to renew Stogran's term is not connected to his outspoken criticism and that he welcomes an "independent" voice from his replacement. Blackburn said he is already moving to improve service by reducing bureaucratic delays and by reviewing whether the Veterans Charter should be amended.
"We are in action. We are in a good direction for our veterans," he said.
Stogran and some veterans are critical of lump-sum payments to wounded soldiers, brought in under the New Veterans Charter.
Under the new charter, disabled veterans who follow a rehabilitation program will receive a lump payment and a monthly cheque representing 75 per cent of their "pre-release" salary until they find a job in civilian life. The lump-sum can be up to $276,080 based on the extent of the disability.
If they are too injured to work, they receive 75 per cent of their salary until age 65, as well as access to programs and funds for specific needs.
Under the previous system, injured soldiers were guaranteed monthly pension payments for life, and those pensions increased if a condition worsened.
Stogran said he was fielding cases of young veterans, some dealing with mental health issues from their time in Afghanistan, who had quickly spent all their lump sum payment, leaving themselves destitute.
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News
Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Feds+abandoned+wounded+heroes+Vets+ombudsman/3409572/story.html#ixzz0xB6mYUT1
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Feds+abandoned+wounded+heroes+Vets+ombudsman/3409572/story.html
OTTAWA — Surrounded by former soldiers who have been battling the bureaucracy for benefits, Canada's veterans' ombudsman ripped into the federal government Tuesday for what he described as turning its back on the people who have put their lives on the line for their country.
"Our heroes are suffering," said Pat Stogran, the veterans' champion who has been told by the federal government that his three-year term will not be renewed this fall.
"What I am here to do is to expose to Canadians what I perceive as a system that for a long time, has denied veterans not just what they deserve, but what they earned with their blood and sacrifice," Stogran told a news conference on Parliament Hill.
Stogran said he will spend the remaining three months in his job casting a spotlight on the "long-standing and deeply rooted" practice which treats veterans unfairly.
He said that after he was appointed in 2007 by the Harper government, it became clear that he was expected to "behave as a complaints manager" accountable to the Veterans Affairs Department, not as an advocate for veterans.
The ombudsman's supporters say he is being replaced as punishment for his public criticism of politicians and public servants.
"Let there be no doubt that replacing the veterans' ombudsman at this point in time will clearly set the office back many, many months," Stogran said.
In the meantime, he wants Canadians to put pressure on the government to do some things differently.
"In the United States, they look after their veterans," said Stogran, a retired colonel. "To all Canadians, these are your sons and daughters, your brothers and sisters. The time is now for you to do something about it."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended the government's decision to replace Stogran, saying it was "understood right from the outset" that it was a three-year term.
"There are no positions for life," he said. "That's the way we do things."
Harper said his government has invested a lot of money in programs for veterans.
"These are people who made huge sacrifices for this country and we have a very important responsibility to ensure their welfare," he said.
Strogran was flanked at Tuesday's news conference by several veterans who angrily spoke of how they — and many others like them — have run up against a bureaucracy filled with red tape and obstructionism.
Former soldier Brian Dyck spoke of how he served for Canada in the first Gulf War and was required to take pills to protect against possible biological weapons. Later, at the age of 41, he was diagnosed with ALS, known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a degenerative nerve disease that is fatal.
Dyck, speaking from a wheelchair, said his efforts to receive benefits have been unsuccessful.
His message to the government was simple: "If you not willing to stand behind the troops, feel free to stand in front of them."
Other complaints from veterans were wide-ranging: a refusal to properly help those affected by the spraying of the toxic defoliant Agent Orange at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in past years; inadequate payments for those on long term disability; and a widely-panned Veteran's Charter in recent years that institutes lump-sum payments instead of guaranteed monthly pension payments.
Dennis Manuge, a disabled former soldier who served in Bosnia in 2001, said he feels betrayed by Canadians and is so frustrated that he is on the verge of "ultra radicalism."
"Some folks wear a yellow ribbon, some folks wear a poppy for a week, and for one day, we remember," said Manuge, stressing that Canadians need to offer their support to veterans year-round.
Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said Tuesday the decision not to renew Stogran's term is not connected to his outspoken criticism and that he welcomes an "independent" voice from his replacement. Blackburn said he is already moving to improve service by reducing bureaucratic delays and by reviewing whether the Veterans Charter should be amended.
"We are in action. We are in a good direction for our veterans," he said.
Stogran and some veterans are critical of lump-sum payments to wounded soldiers, brought in under the New Veterans Charter.
Under the new charter, disabled veterans who follow a rehabilitation program will receive a lump payment and a monthly cheque representing 75 per cent of their "pre-release" salary until they find a job in civilian life. The lump-sum can be up to $276,080 based on the extent of the disability.
If they are too injured to work, they receive 75 per cent of their salary until age 65, as well as access to programs and funds for specific needs.
Under the previous system, injured soldiers were guaranteed monthly pension payments for life, and those pensions increased if a condition worsened.
Stogran said he was fielding cases of young veterans, some dealing with mental health issues from their time in Afghanistan, who had quickly spent all their lump sum payment, leaving themselves destitute.
© Copyright (c) Postmedia News
Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Feds+abandoned+wounded+heroes+Vets+ombudsman/3409572/story.html#ixzz0xB6mYUT1
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