VAC wait times

[Rifleman62]

blackberet17:

One grey area is if monthly pensions are reinstated for all, including those who have received a lump-sum payment, those who have received the latter could find themselves in an overpayment situation.

The reinstatement is a bit of a headache, but as I've written about before, the monthly pensions are of greater benefit to a younger soldier with years of living with their disability(-ies) ahead of them, then an older veteran who may find a more immediate use for the large sum payment immediately.

In any case, the reinstatement would require a change in legislation, or a significant re-write of the existing Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act.

One important factor you are forgetting wrt monthly pensions is the survivors pension after your gone. If you are assessed at I believe 48% + disability your i.e wife gets 50% of your monthly pension until she departs.

It will not be a "quick fix".

 

[The Bread Guy]

It will not be a "quick fix".

Or cheap ....

 

[Occam]

My earlier idea was based on a couple of premises:

1.  The monthly disability pension (and lump sum disability award) are awards for non-economic losses (pain & suffering, loss of quality of life, etc.).  Going 12 years without receiving a pension payment (because you've already received a lump sum) should not be an issue, since presumably you've either obtained gainful employment, or are on some kind of income replacement benefit such as ELB/PIA.

2.  For those older veterans who would benefit more from a lump sum than a lifetime disability pension, I'm sure the actuaries can come up with some kind of suitable reduction formula akin to what they do with the "$1000 a week for life" lotteries that offer a reduced lump sum cash value.  I really don't like using the lottery as an example (because having a disability is hardly winning the lottery) but it does illustrate the principle fairly well.

 

[Teager]

Throwing a bit of a wrench in here but will the Liberals keep the Critical Injury Benfit or do away with it? If they scrap it for those that recieved it will that be factored into the pension payment as well?

 

[blackberet17]

blackberet17:
One important factor you are forgetting wrt monthly pensions is the survivors pension after your gone. If you are assessed at I believe 48% + disability your i.e wife gets 50% of your monthly pension until she departs.

It will not be a "quick fix".

Oh I didn't forget, I just didn't want to go there. That opens a whole other can of worms. There are also all the benefits, including CIB, currently under the NVC which are not available under the Pension Act. How far back - or forward - does a new benefit system go? Lots of questions.

 

[upandatom]

I will try to not make this a bitch session, but,

It bothers me to no end that VAC is now just working on claims from 11 months ago. ( I have had a two year fight to get a stabilised PTSD condition that was just considered complete in Nov via VRAB)
Saying that, I have not received payment, So I called in yesterday, asking how much longer until I receive my paperwork.
Finding out, they are working on claims from February of 2016, and that due to being from VRAB it gets put to the bottom of the pile. (Even though VRAB ruled in my favor for being stable and the amount). Needless to say, I complained to an area manager (Went to Mississauga and sorted that out).
Is everyone else VRABs getting treated as a new claim? Even when it is for an awarded condition that someone just misread the report and did not match up the keywords to the Table of Disabilities?

Is there an organisation, other then the Ombudsmen(Who take longer to get back to you then a Case Manager with Callback)That speaks on behalf of Veterans having issues?
I still have two claims that have not moves since step 2, and are now on 43 weeks service standard date? I called Ombudsmen 3 times since November, Written Trudeau, and Hehr, and still nothing. These have CF98s, in addition to Incident reports and documented medical history.

How is this even close to being acceptable?

I have pretty much exhausted all options I can find as of right now.

 

[CountDC]

lets see who will be first ....... ;D

 

[upandatom]

lets see who will be first ....... ;D

First to merge it with another post? Digging through pages upon pages?  Lol.

The legion is not of much help either. Tried them.

 

[Teager]

You can try your local MP. Some do care about vets and have helped push things along for some. Really depends who your MP is but they are there to represent you and your issues.

 

[gryphonv]

I know this won't be much help, but you are not alone. My File as been on step 3 since August I think, may be off on this, have to check my notes. But It was originally started in May.

From my understanding, the service standards are shot so bad across the board, there isn't much the Ombud can do. Its one thing a few dozen cases slip through the cracks, but where there are hundreds or thousands that are in limbo. It overwhelms even them.

As stated, you can petition your MP you might get some traction. I'm fortunate I'm able to wait might out. I've accepted a few months ago there isn't much I can or am willing to do to push mine faster.

I really feel the system is so backlogged right now, the only option is to wait, or to petition the government to put more workers on it. Getting one or two cases fixed at a time through the Ombud solves nothing.

I am going to be interested in seeing their service standard numbers when they release them next. See if they try to bury this issue.

I also feel with the Phoenix payroll issue is a bigger fire for them to deal with at this time. It definitely has a lot more traction with the public (not saying they are more or less of an issue in reality).

*Edit

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-us/service-standards

It seems the vast majority of the standards across the board are under targets.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

My case manager called me when the decision went up on the computer. I had to bug VAC for the info. Still took three weeks for the form letter from them and another week before there was a difference in my bank account. Four weeks after the decision and only because I bugged them.

 

[Pieman]

I've come to accept (doesn't mean it's okay) that the VAC takes 6 months to do anything. I apply or send in for something, I don't expect a response for 6 months. If they come back requesting more info, it's another 6 months from the day they get it. Lots of this stuff could be automated, and they could save people for looking over the rejected or abnormal situations instead.

 

 

[captloadie]

One of the issues that is aggravating the problem is the increased number of releases that are being categorized as 3b. I believe the number was greater than 30% last year here at my base. It isn't something that VAC can easily predict, and staff in anticipation for. They are having the same issues staffing positions as we are, and given what I'm reading here, I'm sure the burn out rate is pretty high.

I don't truly believe it is the front line staff who are intentionally delaying files. To be honest, it is likely that the problem partly rests with all those individuals that are stepping in to assist applicants get answers on their files. Work on everything else stops when you are told the PM, the MP, the Minister, the Ombudsmen . . wants an answer on a specific file. Because no one takes that as, hey they just want an update. They take it as, finish this before all others.

 

[AirDet]

There's no doubt that whatever process VAC uses to resolve/adjudicate these claims is broken. I just fired off a letter to my MP and Minister Hehr yesterday to address the process. I sent a copy of that letter to VAC. Within minutes I had a long reply from VAC.

They did mention that they are currently working on step 3 applications from April 2016 (that was 24 Jan 2017). This sounds way out of the 16 week turnaround they strive for in Step 3.

Tomorrow, my wife is attending the Prime Minister's Town Hall to bring up the fact that our "re-assessment" has taken almost 2 years and this isn't unusual for VAC. It's things like this that lead many of us to just give up dealing with VAC and go in silence without closure. I'll post his reply... if any.

I have no idea if my letter aimed at the root cause of these delays will benefit us but if we say nothing then nothing will ever change.

If anyone cares, I'll post the VAC and minister's reply here as well.

I'm at the point I don't care about my personal outcome. I'm much more interested in shining a light on VAC's laborious and time consuming adjudication / resolution process. There's got to be a better way to do business.

 

[krustyrl]

Posting the replies would be something I'd be interested in seeing. Thanks AirDet 

 

[Rifleman62]

VAC just requested my service files from Library and Archives Canada (you know how long that will take!) for a Consequential Claim that was at Stage 3. If it is a Consequential Claim why are my 9 1/2 year since retirement service files needed? Why did it take from the beginning of Oct 16 to mid Jan 17 just to request the files. Asked the telephone responder to ask that question from the Adjudicator. Will get a written reply in ..... weeks.
The only reason for my claim is that a VAC Medical Officer, based on X-Rays advised me to do so.

To me requesting my service files means the person has actioned my file and can get off the hook by saying awaiting further info. Anyway, when the claim is completed (6 months now plus x months to go ) I expect it to be refused (Adjudicator over riding VAC Medical Officer), and the whole shitload starts again with an Appeal.

I am in a position where I can wait, but I will be 70 in August and hope to see the results before Last Post.

 

[Dave1966]

Ya same old crap I spoke to VAC today working on prosseisng first claims from April 2016 and reasememts from August 2016 I don't pay attention to that service standard turn around time . I got three more first claims pending plus a reasessmemt coming up shortly hopefully it will all be settled before X Mas 2017 lol.

I did have a meeting with my local MP about the processing time he was really understanding and acknowledged the system was messed he laughed when I called it dysfunctional at best. I told him it's more than just the money it's about the services and treatment benifits that come with an awarded claim.

 

[AirDet]

I told him it's more than just the money it's about the services and treatment benifits that come with an awarded claim.

That's it. Mine requires medication for life. So the benefits are far more important than a few bucks now. What really bugs me is that in the service when something is f... broken; we fix it. This needs to be fixed.

For example I had a young Cpl in my office today that had a service injury. I asked him if he had applied to VAC and his answer was nobody wants to do that because if the huge hassle VAC is. That's a major problem. When our people need help they should get it... not get hassled over it.

I'm interested to hear what the answers will be when my wife talks to the PM this afternoon.... if she can get to the microphone.

 

[krustyrl]

:goodpost:

 

[AirDet]

I'm very sad to report that my wife didn't get anywhere near the auditorium. They held it at UofM. Every student must have skipped class to get his selfie taken with the PM. There was another spouse there who supposedly got in and raised a question WRT VAC.

As for my letter writing campaign, Both my MP and Minister Herh's offices replied with a form giving them my permission to dig into my case. That sounds a little odd to me but whatever works.

As soon as anything interesting happens you'll see it here.

Like I said earlier, when my injured troops refuse to talk to VAC there is a problem.