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Welcome progress being made by feds on veterans’ issues: ombudsman says

The veterans’ ombudsman says an analysis done by his office shows welcome progress on many of the key issues concerning former soldiers.

OTTAWA — The veterans’ ombudsman says an analysis done by his office shows welcome progress on many of the key issues concerning former soldiers.

But Guy Parent also says it’s impossible to measure the actual impact of some of the many changes the government has announced to veterans’ services in recent months.

He says while the Conservatives have signalled their intent to move on issues such as retirement income security and support for caregivers, the details haven’t been unveiled — and that’s where the devil lurks.

It’s been nearly a year since the House of Commons veterans affairs committee made 14 recommendations on improving the New Veterans’ Charter, which followed a report a year earlier by the ombudsman.

The charter, introduced by the Liberals but implemented by the Conservatives in 2006, has been controversial for its overhaul of how veterans’ benefits are determined and paid out.

Parent’s office studied what the government has done to address the concerns both it and the Commons committee raised and found progress in nearly all of the 18 areas reviewed.