Veterans minister promises better information
WINNIPEG — Canada’s veterans affairs minister says former soldiers who are denied disability benefits will no longer be given vague or unclear reasons for the decision.
Steven Blaney says he is prepared to adopt all the recommendations in a report from veterans ombudsman Guy Parent who said the government is failing one-time members of the Armed Forces.
“We accept his recommendations and we intend to move forward with these recommendations so we can better serve our veterans,” Blaney said Tuesday.
The ombudsman’s report, which was released Monday, examined 213 disability benefit letters that were sent to veterans between 2001 and 2010. It found none of the letters clearly stated the reasons behind a decision to award or deny benefits.
About one in five gave enough detail for veterans to attempt to deduce the rationale, but the remainder came up entirely short.
Parent said providing information to support a decision is different from simply providing a reason for a decision.
The lack of information violates the Veterans Bill of Rights and makes it harder for veterans to appeal, because they have no idea what was the basis for a decision, his report said.
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