Injured veterans to get more caseworkers

The federal government has announced help for injured veterans and their loved ones, including a $100-a-day caregiver grant and 20 more front-line case managers to address the needs of disabled soldiers.

The announcement by Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn on Tuesday in Ottawa comes during a groundswell of criticism over how veterans are being treated when they return home from conflicts such as Afghanistan.

Many veterans have complained for years about their struggle to get benefits and deal with what they describe as the bureaucratic "maze" at the department.

MacKay said the "legacy of care" program, with a total cost of $52.5 million over five years, shows the government is listening to veterans and their families.

"Each and every one of them is a hero and deserves to be treated as such," the minister told reporters. "They must be supported and their families must be supported."

The measures announced Tuesday include a barrier-free transitional housing program to give severely injured vets permanent accommodations, with wheelchair-accessible doors and bathrooms. And tuition benefits will be extended for injured veterans and survivors of soldiers killed in Canada's military missions after 2001, MacKay said.

MacKay also hinted the Conservative government will soon unveil changes to the heavily criticized lump-sum payments and income support in the 2006 Veterans Charter, which replaced life-time guaranteed pensions for veterans.

"You can expect that we are going to make more changes to reflect our gratitude … and a debt owed to these veterans," MacKay said.

Case managers juggle hundreds of files: ombudsman

The government has been under fire for weeks since Pat Stogran, the outgoing ombudsman for veterans, publicly blasted Veterans Affairs for its callous treatment of Canadian soldiers who have been badly injured in combat.

In an email to CBC News, Stogran dismissed the government's pledge for more case managers as "window dressing again."

Stogran said Veterans Affairs Canada changed the name of area councillors to case managers when the Veterans Charter came in, but their functions and tasks — such as sending paperwork to head office for approval in accordance with a complex "eligibility grid" — remained the same.

"Today's case managers don't do case management," Stogran wrote. "They do administration and are literally juggling hundreds of files."

Expanded records probe sought

Blackburn also acknowledged "unimaginable" situations he has encountered at the department since taking over the portfolio eight months ago and vowed to change the "culture and practices" at Veterans Affairs.

He said he met with federal privacy commissioner Jennifer Stoddart on Tuesday morning and recommended she expand her investigation of the department.

The probe came after it was revealed the personal information of Sean Bruyea, an outspoken critic of Veterans Affairs, ended up in the briefing notes of the former minister in charge of the department, Greg Thompson.

Blackburn said he would not comment on individual cases but felt it was important that veterans feel their privacy will be protected.

In a statement, Stoddart's office said the commissioner welcomed the minister’s invitation to conduct a "systemic investigation into the privacy policies and practices of his department."

"The commissioner has advised Minister Blackburn’s office that her investigation into a complaint about the handling of one veteran’s personal information has raised concerns about the possibility of systemic privacy issues," the statement said.

The commissioner's investigation into the individual complaint is in its final stages and the office will be in a position to comment on its findings shortly, the office said.