As the Minister of Veterans Affairs Canada and the Associate Minister of National Defence, I want to thank Veterans, their families, our employees and stakeholders for their continued support as we work together to provide the first-class programs and services Veterans and their families need.
The 2017–18 Departmental Results Report reflects the progress we've made over the past year to deliver on our commitments and improve the lives of those we serve. Over the past year, we delivered on Budget 2017 commitments by implementing six new and two enhanced programs and services. These benefits included a new Education and Training Benefit, the Veterans Emergency Fund and the Caregiver Recognition Benefit, which is now paid directly to Veterans' caregivers. Additionally, investments were made into Veteran-specific mental health with the creation of a new Centre of Excellence and the joint CAF/VAC Suicide Prevention Strategy was launched in October 2017. We also fulfilled a mandate commitment by opening offices in Windsor and Thunder Bay, Ontario and Prince George and Surrey, B.C.
In December 2017, we announced the future Pension for Life option—a holistic, modern package of benefits that provide recognition, income support and stability to Veterans and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members who experience a service-related illness or injury. With it, we are addressing concerns made by the Veteran and military communities by allowing those with a service-related injury or illness to determine the form of compensation that works for them and their families.
We achieved considerable success with enhancing our online services, with 43% of all disability benefit applications being submitted online. In the last fiscal year, we experienced a 41% increase in My VAC Account registrations where individuals, including family members, can access VAC programs and services anywhere, at any time.
Another large part of what we do is paying tribute to those brave men and women for their contributions to the defense of our country. In 2017–18, we invested approximately $11 million in additional spending to commemorate the anniversaries of three major World Wars, including the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the 75th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid, and the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.
We have directly engaged the Veteran community to make sure that our programs and services are meeting their needs. Since January 2018, we have hosted 40 town halls, meetings with stakeholder organizations and regional summits across the country. We recently introduced the new Veteran's Service Card as a result of feedback received at these town halls from Veterans and their families.
As we look ahead to 2018, we continue to make investments to support Canada's Veterans in a wide-range of areas. Since April 2018, we have expanded access to mental health services through the establishment of Operational Stress Injury satellite services in Kingston, Ontario; Longueuil, Quebec; and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. To keep up with the rise in demand and ensure that Veterans can access our services and benefits when they need them, we have committed $42.8 million to increase our service delivery capacity. We introduced the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund, to encourage private, public or academic organizations to conduct research and implement initiatives that support the well-being of Veterans and their families.
As Minister of Veterans Affairs, I am honoured to support the men and women who answered the call of duty and their families who contribute so much. At Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), we are committed to serving Veterans, their families and others with care, compassion and respect. Although we still have more work to do, we are focused on delivering on our commitments to improve their overall well-being and on engaging Canadians in remembrance.
The Honourable Seamus O'Regan, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence