The Veterans Emergency Fund (VEF) was established on April 1, 2018 to provide financial support to Veterans, their families, or their survivors whose well-being is at risk due to an urgent and unexpected situation. The intent of the fund is to resolve the recipient’s immediate emergency need and, where appropriate, the applicant will be referred to alternate and/or additional resources for longer-term support.
1.1 Program Overview
Prior to the implementation of the VEF, VAC did not have a mechanism through which it could immediately respond to every Veterans’ urgent financial needs in a timely manner. Existing trust funds administered by VAC under the authority of the Guardianship of Veterans Property Regulations were designed to assist eligible Veterans and/or their dependents to address unmet needs. However, these trusts were established through the donations and bequests of private individuals and often have limited funds and/or narrow eligibility criteria (e.g., they may only be available to Veterans in a certain geographic region or a certain branch of the military). Though the Department’s range of benefits and services is broad, situations were arising where the needs of Veterans’ in financial crisis could not be met. It was recognized that a new, flexible emergency fund was required to provide eligible Veterans with the immediate help needed in order to preserve their health and well-being.
An Order in Council provided authority for the Minister of Veterans Affairs to create the VEF. As part of Budget 2017, the Government announced the fund at $1 million per year over 4 years. Funding was ultimately secured for three years with future funding dependent upon the VEF meeting the needs of Veterans and their families.
1.2 Program Eligibility
The VEF provides eligible recipients with up to $2,500 per year in tax-free social assistance payments for necessities such as:
- food;
- clothing;
- shelter;
- medical care/expenses (not otherwise covered by other programs or insurance); or
- expenses required to maintain safety and shelter.Footnote 1
Veterans do not need a service-related disability to apply for assistance. Any of the approximately 640,000 Canadian Veterans, their families, or their survivors who are facing a financial crisis/emergency that threatens their health and well-being are eligible to apply to the VEFFootnote 2.
In the context of the VEF, an emergency is an unforeseen situation requiring immediate financial support that, if not addressed, may negatively impact the health and safety of a Veteran and/or their family members. The fund is intended to provide financial resources to those that do not have the financial means to address the emergency at hand. An emergency may be caused by a defined, temporary, or point-in-time event such as, but not limited to, fire, natural disaster (e.g., flood, hurricane), theft or destruction of essential property, or serious illness/injury.
Likewise, life circumstances may signal that an emergency is imminent and lead to a need for urgent funding. For example, a job loss with a resulting reduction of income could lead to the threat of eviction, termination of essential services (e.g. electricity, heat), and/or lack of food which, regardless of the predictability, could place the health and safety of a Veteran and/or their family members at risk.
The VEF was intentionally established with broad eligibility criteria, however, payments cannot be made for:
- requests of an ongoing nature (e.g. a series of payments such as rent, mortgage, vehicle payments, etc.);
- requests of a commercial nature;
- requests to purchase non-essential goods, services or travel; or
- any other expense that is otherwise covered by a provincial, federal, or other eligible insurance program or benefit.
Though funding of the VEF is capped at $1,000,000 per fiscal year, additional funds were re-profiled internally within VAC in year one (2018-19) to meet higher than expected program uptake (program expenditures were approximately $1,200,000). Demand continued to grow through year two, with expenditures reaching $1,500,000. Once again, money to sustain the fund was drawn from internal sources. Year three expenditures are forecasted to exceed $1M by mid-November 2020, with more than four months remaining in the fiscal year.
1.3 Program Delivery
Applicants for the VEF are encouraged to submit their application through My VAC Account (MVA), VAC’s secure online business portal. However, in instances where the Veteran cannot access MVA, upon contacting the Department, a VAC Veterans Service Agent (VSA) or Case Manager (CM) will complete an application in VAC’s Client Service Delivery Network (CSDN) while speaking to the Veteran, either in person at an Area Office or over the telephone. VSAs, CMs, and Veteran Service Team Managers (VSTMs) have the authority to approve payments up to a maximum of $2,500 per year. In exceptional circumstances, approval for funding up to $10,000 may be given by the Area Director.Footnote 3
VEF funds are issued in a number of ways depending on the recipient’s circumstances. The most common method of payment is a direct deposit to the recipient’s bank account directly from the departmental pay centre. The departmental pay centre can also make direct deposits to a third party, issue cheques directly to a recipient, or issue cheques to a third party. VSTMs in each area office may also use an acquisition card to pay third parties for goods or services related to the recipient’s emergency (e.g., hotel lodging). There is no formal appeal process in place for those whose application to the fund has been disallowed. However, an applicant who is dissatisfied with a VEF decision may request a review by a senior adjudicator at VAC head office.