OTTAWA -- Thousands of Canadian veterans have been left waiting for disability benefits because of a growing delay in processing applications, leading to increased frustration and stress among those who served this country.
According to Veterans Affairs Canada, nearly 19,000 applications for disability benefits sit in a backlog, which is actually an improvement from the roughly 21,000-claim backlog as of June, but the department admits only 37 per cent of claims are addressed within its own 16-week standard time frame.
These delays can lead to real-world problems for veterans, including Dawn Dussault, who was medically released from the military in 2016 with post-traumatic stress disorder and a back injury.
She told 麻豆传媒 that for many veterans, herself included, acute issues become chronic ones while waiting for claims to be processed.
鈥淭hey have hundreds of pages of medical records to prove I was actually diagnosed with complex trauma and I鈥檝e yet to see anything on that, and I know they just keep asking me for more information and more paperwork,鈥� she told 麻豆传媒.
Fellow veteran Charles Scott is taking his frustrations directly to Ottawa. He and other veterans are writing an open letter calling for the resignation of Minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence MacAulay.
鈥淲e want to create awareness, we want to let the minister and prime minister know they must be accountable,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you make promises you must fulfill those promises. Enough is enough.鈥�
In the draft letter, which will be sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and MacAulay later this week, the group says veterans should have timely access to services meant to help deal with injuries suffered while serving in the Canadian military and that 鈥渢wo years is too long to wait.鈥�
鈥淲e do not make this request lightly,鈥� the group wrote in the letter. 鈥淲e make it only after the repeated failure of the honourable minister to address the crisis-level backlog.鈥�
Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux has said that getting through the backlog without additional funding will take at least five years.
鈥淚f the government maintained the same level of resources it would cost about $105 million over five years,鈥� Giroux said. 鈥淭hat would only reduce the backlog by 10,000 applications.鈥�
MacAulay declined an interview request for this story, but in a statement called the backlog 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� and pointed to the department鈥檚 recent investment of $200 million, which is being used to hire nearly 500 new staff members to process claims.
The department is also implementing new protocols meant to speed up the process, including the creation of benefit teams to promote information sharing, especially in the early stages of the application process.
鈥�(This) will allow the Department to get the backlog under control and ensure that veterans receive the benefits they鈥檙e entitled to in a timely manner,鈥� the statement reads.
Although he feels let down by what he considers to be a 鈥渂roken鈥� and 鈥渃omplicated鈥� system, Scott says he remains hopeful real and meaningful change is still possible.
鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 have hope I wouldn鈥檛 be here,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淚鈥檓 putting myself out there along with many other veterans to bring this awareness out and I鈥檓 very hopeful that in time, Canadians will speak up.鈥�
