Results: what we achieved

What is a Departmental Results Framework?

The Departmental Results Framework (DRF) outlines what we do (Core Responsibilities), what we aim to achieve (Departmental Results) and how progress is measured (Departmental Result Indicators). The well-being of Veterans and their families is at the centre of this framework.

We used well-established research about well-being to put together this framework. This includes health, purpose, finances, housing and physical environment, social integration, life skills, as well as culture and social environment. Results under the Core Responsibility of Benefits, Services and Support focus on Veterans’ well-being. The results of the second Core Responsibility focus on Commemoration and the third focus on the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman (OVO).

We strive for a balance between short/medium-term results, and longer-term, more ambitious results. We cannot do this work alone. To truly impact the well-being of Veterans, we must continue to work closely with partners across all levels of government, with stakeholder and advisory groups, and with communities both nationally and internationally.

The Life After Service Study (LASS) (conducted every three years) provides us with the best source of information and evidence available on the Veteran community. Work continues with other government departments to: gather more information to support the LASS findings; do more with data analytics; and collect information more often to expand our understanding of the Veteran community.

To complement the LASS, Census 2021 will include a Veteran identifier question. This will provide us with the demographic, social and economic characteristics of Veterans in Canada, giving us a better understanding of the needs of all Veterans and their families. A better understanding of the demographic and geographic makeup of Canada’s former service members will allow us to adapt our policies and services to better meet the diverse needs of Veterans and their families.

For a visual representation of our results framework and associated Program Inventory, please consult the “Reporting framework” section of this report. Complete framework methodologies, as well as financial, human resources and performance information for the Program Inventory are available in GC InfoBase.

Core Responsibilities

Benefits, Services and Support

Description: Support the care and well-being of Veterans and their dependents or survivors through a range of benefits, services, research, partnerships and advocacy.

Results

As Canada’s Veteran population continues to change and evolve, we are also continuously evolving what we do and how we do it in order to meet their needs. Under this Core Responsibility, we continue to work on improving our benefits and services to Veterans and other clients through various initiatives. We listed efforts toward achieving each of our goals, also known as Departmental Results (DR) and highlighted where the results were driven by the Minister’s 2017 and/or 2019 mandate letter commitments (MLC)^{Footnote 1}.

Health is broader than just physical health or the absence of disease. Chronic physical and mental health problems are common challenges to well-being among Veterans, especially when they occur together. In 2019–20, we achieved the following to support this result:

• In June 2019, the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, through funding provided by us, opened the Centre of Excellence on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and related Mental Health Conditions. Its mandate is to create knowledge networks with researchers across Canada and abroad to increase expertise on military and Veteran mental health, suicide prevention and substance use disorder. [MLC: Centre of Excellence in mental health]
• We established a Research Funding Program in June 2019. Through this:
  • we will provide $25M over ten years to continue the operations of the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research; and
  • we provided funding to McMaster University—Canada’s leader in chronic pain treatment and research—to establish a Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence to research one of the most common health concerns among the Canadian Veteran population.
    [MLC: Centre of Excellence on Chronic Pain]
• Through the VFWBF, we spent $4.8 million on projects that addressed issues such as homelessness, mental health, employment, and transition to life after service.
• We worked with Statistics Canada on the 2019 Canadian Community Health Survey, to give us new insights about the physical and mental health of Veterans.

Financial status, one of the domains of well-being, is recognized as one of the key factors in well-being. Higher levels of income and financial stability are associated with:

• greater independence;
• health;
• access to health services;
• quality of housing;
• family stability; and
• greater control and choice in managing life’s challenges in general.

In order to help Veterans and their families feel financially secure, we:

Having a sense of purpose is the motivation that drives someone toward a satisfying future and is integral to well-being. Participating in fulfilling activities contributes to one’s health, social integration, fundamental sense of meaning and identity, as well as providing structure to day-to-day life. In 2019–20, the following activities contributed to this departmental result:

• We funded the new Métis Veterans Recognition Payment (MVRP), administered by the Métis National Council (MNC), which provides qualifying Second World War Métis Veterans and their survivors with a $20,000 individual recognition payment.
• We worked with the Department of National Defence (DND)/CAF and the Public Service Commission to improve the hiring of Veterans in the federal public service. We completed the following actions:
  • Put job development services in place to engage and support job matches;
  • Hosted two career and education fairs with a focus on jobs and learning opportunities in the community; and
  • Put information sessions together for CAF members, Veterans and their families about VAC transition programs and initiatives.
    [MLC: closing the seam]

Releasing from the military is a major transition in a Veteran’s life. This departmental result focuses on the skills, knowledge and abilities required for “managing life,” which includes coping with stress and adapting to change. We achieved the following in 2019–20 to make progress on this departmental result:

• We changed legislation in July 2019 so that Supplementary Reservists could access the Education and Training Benefit.
• We updated the policy on Career Transition Services to expand services to members of Supplemental Reserves.
• As previously mentioned, we worked with (DND) and the Public Service Commission to support the hiring of Veterans in the federal public service by introducing job development services, hosting career and education fairs as well as information sessions about our transition programs and initiatives. [MLC: closing the seam]
• We worked with the CAF to make the transition process better for Veterans, including successfully completing the first year of the Closing the Seam project. Highlights include:
  • An easier way for releasing CAF members to get a list of their medications and approved medical coverage;
  • A shared screening tool between CAF and us to ensure consistency in information during transition;
  • More capacity and resources in My VAC Account to better support releasing members; and
  • Implementation of the Veteran Service Card to recognize former military members and support a smooth transition.
    [MLC: closing the seam]
• To improve interactions with Veterans, CAF members and their families, we engaged them by:
  • facilitating 142 presentations to over 3,000 CAF participants about our services and benefits, including Second Career Assisted Network (SCAN) seminars; and
  • setting up information booths at 27 CAF Family Activity Days and took part in 52 other related transition outreach activities.
    [MLC: closing the seam]
• The Transition Trial, set up to support and provide services to CAF members transitioning into life after service, is still underway at the base in Borden and we are looking into a possible future trail at CFB Petawawa as well. Additionally, we put in place 28 VAC-CAF Transition Centres across Canada. [MLC: closing the seam]
• Continued to take a proactive role in engaging with organizations to eliminate homelessness and in reaching out to Veterans about services and benefits available to them. In this fiscal year, we visited shelters every 8-12 weeks to engage with struggling Veterans, delivered 42 presentations to organizations to grow our outreach, and collaborated on a housing project for Veterans in Edmonton. [MLC: affordable housing]

We are constantly working to improve the effectiveness of our programs by measuring Veterans’ health and well-being and satisfaction with service delivery, which helps us determine our next steps. In 2019–20, the following activities contributed to this departmental result:

• In 2019–20, we continued to work towards timely decisions and decrease delays by: improving and simplifying processes; hiring an additional 260 full-time equivalents to support program delivery and the rollout of PFL; and establishing Veteran Benefit Teams (VBTs) to process an application from beginning to end. [MLC: streamlining]

• We continued to facilitate Veterans’ access to benefits and services by:
  • establishing My VAC Account ambassadors in our offices to better equip employees to assist Veterans and CAF members; and
  • working with VAC physicians to simplify the medical questionnaires and to shorten the paper application. [MLC: streamlining]
• During the fiscal year, the Bureau of Pension Advocates (BPA) provided free legal advice to 11,406 clients, supporting them in receiving compensation that recognizes the pain and suffering resulting from their service-related disabilities.
• We reviewed our plan to adjust the process for entitlement for the six consequential disabilities as mentioned in our Departmental Plan, and decided to further examine this work and include it in a broader, multi-year approach to provide faster decisions by modernizing the Table of Disabilities.
  [MLC: streamlining]
• We worked with Statistics Canada on various initiatives, such as:
  • the fourth survey cycle of the LASS, our primary source of information on the Canadian Veteran population. Data from the 2019 survey, published in this report, measures results and helps inform improvements to our programs and services; and
  • including a Veteran identifier question in Census 2021 to better understand the needs of all Veterans and their families to help us improve our programs and services.

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+)

Throughout the fiscal year, we continued to implement and consider all aspects of GBA+ to ensure that our policies, programs and initiatives are free of bias.

• After the GC’s official apology to LGBTQ2 Canadians, we created a unit to prioritize calls and speed up disability benefit claims from applicants who previously thought they did not qualify.
• In support of the GC’s promise to advance gender equality, diversity and inclusion, we created the Office of Women and LGBTQ2 Veterans to contribute to our efforts to advance gender equality, diversity and inclusion across the Veterans Affairs Portfolio.
• We focused efforts on developing a GBA+ Strategy for our department to help advance equitable outcomes for all Veterans.
• In response to the findings of the OVO regarding timely transparent decisions, we recruited a Sex and GBA expert to examine our tools, processes and procedures used in the adjudication of disability benefits. The review confirmed the OVO’s findings and found opportunities for improvements.
• Hosted a Women Veterans Forum, the first of its kind in Canada. Women Veterans, stakeholders, researchers, subject matter experts and government officials met to talk openly about the challenges facing women Veterans.

Experimentation

• Working with CAF, we developed the Transition Task List tool. This tool provides members with information on the steps to complete during their transition to post-service life. We tested the systems, completed a user trial, and made recommendations for improvements based on the results. [MLC: closing the seam]
• Our Artificial Intelligence (AI) team developed a software prototype with the potential to automate the review process of Service Health Records (SHR) related to hearing loss and tinnitus to help streamline the decision making process. In 2020–21, we plan to continue testing in order to understand its impact and potential use with other health conditions. [MLC: automation; streamlining]

Results achieved^{Footnote 2}

The detailed LASS report was not available for this DRR and an analysis is currently underway. The continual improvements we make to programs and services for Veterans and their families are meant to help improve the results.

Budgetary Financial Resources (dollars)

2019–20 Main Estimates	2019–20 Planned spending	2019–20 Total authorities available for use	2019–20 Actual spending (authorities used)	2019–20 Difference (actual minus planned)
4,205,757,171	4,205,757,171	5,045,620,982	4,625,183,299	419,426,127

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Actual full-time equivalents	2019–20 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents
2,310.5	2,326.4	15.9

A full analysis of the budgetary financial resources and full-time equivalents is available in the “Analysis of trends in spending and human resources” section of this report.

Complete framework methodologies, as well as financial, human resources and performance information for the Program Inventory are available in GC InfoBase.

Commemoration

Description: Pay tribute to the sacrifices and achievements of those who served in Canada’s military efforts.

Results

Veterans want Canadians to understand the price of freedom. They want the people of Canada to remember their sacrifices and ensure the values they fought for will live on in all of us. With this in mind, we will continue to support the Government of Canada in its duty to pay tribute to the contribution and sacrifice of all who have served and continue to serve Canada in times of war, military conflict and peace through various initiatives and the Minister’s mandate letter commitments (MLC)^Footnote10. We have listed our efforts toward achieving our goals below.

Canada is a great country, due in no small part to the sacrifices of the men and women who have served and continue to serve in the CAF. We strive to honour them now and for many years to come. In 2019–20, the following activities contributed to this departmental result.

As a department, we work towards engaging Canadians of all ages in paying tribute to Veterans and those who died in service, appreciating them and ensuring the preservation of the legacy of their tremendous contributions to peace and freedom for generations to come. In 2019–20, the following activities contributed to this goal:

• Provided funding for 206 commemorative projects through the Commemorative Partnership Program;
• Conducted a visitor experience survey at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial with plans to do it every two or three years going forward; the intent of the survey is to determine what the visitors feel works well on the sites and what could make their experience more meaningful.
• Enhanced visitor experience at our overseas memorial sites by installing a new Faces of Freedom exhibit at the Vimy Visitor Education Centre;

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+)

• Ensured multi-generational representation in overseas event delegations to both France (June 2019) and Italy (November/December 2019).
• Marked the 75^th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy with commemorative events in Canada that included the participation of Veterans, Indigenous groups, youth groups, and current serving members of the CAF.
• Learning materials captured a diversity of Canadian identities, explaining the significant contributions and sacrifices of those who served and continue to serve our country.

Results achieved

Budgetary Financial Resources (dollars)

2019–20 Main Estimates	2019–20 Planned spending	2019–20 Total authorities available for use	2019–20 Actual spending (authorities used)	2019–20 Difference (actual minus planned)
44,916,250	44,916,250	84,184,571	81,485,684	36,569,434

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Actual full-time equivalents	2019–20 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents
95.4	90.0	(5.4)

A full analysis of the budgetary financial resources and full-time equivalents is available in the “Analysis of trends in spending and human resources” section of this report.

Complete framework methodologies, as well as financial, human resources and performance information for the Program Inventory are available in GC InfoBase.

Veterans Ombudsman

Description: Provide an independent and impartial review of complaints and issues related to programs and services delivered by the Veterans Affairs Portfolio and uphold the Veterans Bill of Rights.

Results

Under this Core Responsibility, the OVO continued to look into issues and complaints related to programs and services offered by VAC (or third parties on VAC’s behalf) to determine fair treatment of Veterans and their families.

Veterans and their families reach out to the Office for many reasons. If a Veteran calls because they feel they have been treated unfairly by VAC, it is the OVO’s role to investigate complaints against the Department and advocate for fairness. In 2019–20:

• The Office of the Veterans Ombudsman (OVO) addressed 1,874 files (98%) of the 1,916 files created with the OVO during 2019–20. Of these files, the Office classified 1,596 (83%) as complaints related to the Veterans Affairs Portfolio and addressed 1,415 (89%) within the service standard of 60 working days. The improved turnaround times are the result of simplified business processes, new employee hires and a realignment of the files received and investigative functions.

As a follow-up to the first departmental result, the OVO further identifies systemic issues they hear about from Veterans calling in, as well as by reaching out across the country to capture any other common matters of importance. In 2019–20, the following activities contributed to this departmental result:

• The OVO initiated micro-investigations to address systemic single-issue concerns to allow them to move quickly from investigation to providing report and recommendations. Three were initiated in 2019–20, which included:
  • IRB for Reserve Force Veterans containing two recommendations, which VAC partially accepted to implement;
  • Supplementary Retirement Benefit Payout;^Footnote15 and
  • Mental Health Benefits for Family Members in their own right.^Footnote15
• To create more awareness and expand the reach of the Office’s services, the Veterans Ombudsman engaged with people across the country. Organized into seven mini tours, he met one-on-one and in groups to identify concerns of Veterans and their families, as well as educating a variety of groups about their services. In addition, the OVO also:
  • met with key partners in the areas of research, Veteran programs, and ombudsmanry;
  • raised national attention via two parliamentary committee appearances and media outreach on the topics of wait times and the need for a more harmonized system for Veterans;
  • received national media coverage on the issue of mental health supports to families; and
  • developed a new electronic newsletter “Focus on Fairness,” launching in 2020–21, to create more awareness and expand the reach of OVO services.
• Completed work on the report, Financial Compensation for Canadian Veterans: A comparative analysis of benefit regimes. The OVO also started a complete investigation into VAC’s review and appeal processes, and led a review to find issues affecting women Veterans related to VAC programs and services.
• Started a new investigative framework using a fairness triangle format similar to a number of provincial Ombuds offices to explain their work too. This framework allows them to review cases for fairness with a focus on relational engagement, processes for decision-makers, and the outcomes resulting from the decision.

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+)

• While working on the organization’s priorities, including investigations, the OVO applied a GBA+ lens to their plans. Systemic investigations undergo a GBA+ review during the planning phase too.
• The OVO continued to enhance the diversity of the Veterans Ombudsman Advisory Council to include additional women (Veterans, caregivers and medical professionals) and Indigenous Veterans.

Experimentation

• The Office continued to digitize their services to better support Veterans’ access to services they offer. VAC postponed the planned implementation of an online booking tool and the full integration of the online complaint form with the GC case management system in order to implement other Government priorities. These initiatives are now planned for 2020–21.

Results achieved

Budgetary Financial Resources (dollars)

2019–20 Main Estimates	2019–20 Planned spending	2019–20 Total authorities available for use	2019–20 Actual spending (authorities used)	2019–20 Difference (actual minus planned)
5,502,468	5,502,468	5,370,414	4,115,575	(1,386,893)

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Actual full-time equivalents	2019–20 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents
38.0	32.5	(5.5)

A full analysis of the budgetary financial resources and full-time equivalents is available in the “Analysis of trends in spending and human resources” section of this report.

Complete framework methodologies, as well as financial, human resources and performance information for the Program Inventory are available in GC InfoBase.

Our Internal Services

Description: Internal services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the internal services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:

• Acquisition Management Services
• Communications Services
• Financial Management Services
• Human Resources Management Services
• Information Management Services
• Information Technology (IT) Services
• Legal Services
• Materiel Management Services
• Management and Oversight Services
• Real Property Management Services

Results

Our internal services continue to advance the Minister’s MLCs and Government of Canada priorities. By providing corporate support, our internal services ensure that our program areas have the tools and resources needed to deliver results to Veterans and their families, as well as Canadians.

The following contributed to our goals in 2019–20:

• Supported the implementation of initiatives designed to improve outcomes for Veterans by improving our suite of case management tools in support of “Closing the Seam” initiatives, which support Veterans in transition. We created prototypes and plans for these tools, including a prototype for case management tools, a members’ transition task list, and a screening tool delivered in a public format. [MLC: closing the seam]
• Continued work on the replacement of legacy financial management systems with a SAP based solution with a target implementation date of 1 April 2021. We formed a project team and work began to produce strategy documents for training, data conversion, and phasing-out of the legacy systems.
• Digitized 9,500 personnel security files creating significant efficiencies within Security services and aligning us with GC workplace initiatives.
• As noted in the Experimentation section of Core Responsibility “Benefits, Services and Support,” we continue to build on the success of the AI project on business value identification and developed another project to improve processing times relating to hearing loss and tinnitus applications. We plan to continue to build our AI capacity and find more opportunities to use this technology to improve service. [MLC: automation]
• Implemented an e-signature pilot for travel related forms making the process much more efficient and supporting green initiatives.
• Put together a testing group to look at our entire application inventory to ensure it meets accessibility standards for both clients and internal users.
• Continued to support our employees through various initiatives by:
  • Establishing a Safe Workplace Centre of Expertise to ensure a safe and positive workplace that promotes psychological health, safety, and well-being;
  • Raising awareness in mental health, wellness, diversity and inclusion with the continued work of the Workplace Wellness Unit, departmental events, and communications;
  • Establishing a team to support timely resolution of pay related issues; and
  • Promoting an organizational culture where talent management and leadership development is key.
• Used tools to support hiring processes such as an online software to carry out assessments. We can prepare pre-recorded interview questions, and then candidates record and send video responses to us; this reduces the need for in-person interviews and related administrative logistics. It also allows us to continue our work during pandemic situations.
• Over the course of 2019–20, we significantly enhanced our communication with Veterans online and through social media targeting the broader Canadian population. Using social media analytics we can better anticipate the information needs of Veterans and their families and respond to those needs.
• Held multiple in-person and virtual engagement activities, including consultation with Veterans who are not currently VAC clients—a first for VAC—and various sessions with the Ministerial Advisory Groups and the Deputy Minister stakeholder group.
• Consulted with a number of groups to develop a design manual to establish a common look and feel in all VAC products. It contains instructions for employees on how to apply our visual identity across all channels and points of contact.
• Continued to work on our sustainability goals by:
  • Progressing the implementation of the GC Workplace vision—planning the reconfiguration of head office buildings to introduce the modernized technology and space configurations to permit greater flexibility and promote sustainable business practices;
  • Continuing the promotion of flexible work arrangements and the progressions to a more remote workforce; and
  • Reducing paper consumption and decreasing excess storage requirements by increasing awareness of modern workplace practices.
• Implemented the changes from the Access to Information Act, which came into force on June 21, 2019. To support the new requirements for pro-active publication, we developed a process map and met all legislated deadlines for pro-active publication during the reporting period.
• Established an Accessibility Working Group and launched a VAC Accessibility Network to support implementation of the Accessible Canada Act, and ensure we continue to be “accessible by design” in our approach to contribute to a barrier-free Canada and to support clients, employees, and external stakeholders.

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+)

• Launched the VAC Gender Inclusive Services project to support the GC’s modernization of sex and gender information practices. For this project, we reviewed when, where, and how we collect, use and/or display gender information across our Department. The initial assessment of our programs and IT systems is now complete; planning for the implementation phase continues in 2020–21.
• Reviewed human resources forms and staffing letters to ensure they are gender neutral. This will remain an ongoing effort across all forms and documents.
• Promoted and enabled alternative work arrangements—including flexible and remote work—in order to remove barriers to employment.

Experimentation

• Worked to improve the user experience and performance of remembrance content on veterans.gc.ca. Armed with results from user testing, we worked on a better website architecture to make it easier for visitors to find content, to improve the length of time to complete their task and to expose them to new content with the goal of having them explore the remembrance web section.

Budgetary Financial Resources (dollars)

2019–20 Main Estimates	2019–20 Planned spending	2019–20 Total authorities available for use	2019–20 Actual spending (authorities used)	2019–20 Difference (actual minus planned)
87,875,420	87,875,420	121,753,731	121,589,799	33,714,379

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2019–20 Planned full-time equivalents	2019–20 Actual full-time equivalents	2019–20 Difference (Actual full-time equivalents minus Planned full-time equivalents
723.1	749.1	26.0

A full analysis of the budgetary financial resources and full-time equivalents is available in the “Analysis of trends in spending and human resources” section of this report.