Results: what we achieved

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

Veterans deserve fast access to treatment, benefits, and services which meet their unique needs. As the pandemic continued into 2021–22, we remained committed to ensuring Veterans and their families were cared for and had what they needed, when they needed it.

Under this Core Responsibility, we continued to work on improving our benefits and services to Veterans and other clients. Below we have listed efforts toward achieving each of our goals, also known as Departmental Results, and highlighted where the results were driven by the Minister’s December 2019, January 2021 and December 2021 Mandate Letter Commitments (MLC).

As Canada’s Veteran population continues to evolve, we must also do so to meet their needs. Mental and physical health issues are common challenges to well-being, especially when they co-exist. In 2021–22, we achieved the following to support this departmental result:

• In January 2022, we launched the Veteran Telemedicine pilot where medically-releasing Veterans and their families who do not have a family physician can use TeleHealth services through MAPLE. As of 31 March 2022, just three months into the pilot, there were 220 registrants (plus 48 dependants) having 104 consults completed with an average wait time of 10 minutes, while the average time with a physician was 15 minutes. The satisfaction rate was 94% at fiscal year end and we will continue to measure satisfaction as the number of registrants continues to grow.
• 3,676 new clients (15% more than previous year) were referred to OSI Clinics. The clinics provided services to 10,875 clients in the same period, a 9% increase. Clients were given the option to receive services in-person or virtually, with 70% choosing the latter.
• For easier access, we implemented virtual services at OSI Clinics so that Veterans can securely connect and take online training.
• While the implementation for the new Mental Health Benefits (MHB) did not occur until 1 April 2022, we developed a system and procedures enabling us to manually review pending mental health applications received by VAC prior to that date and determined that 1,094 individuals were eligible for this benefit at implementation. [MLC: review mental health programs and services; ensure access to mental health resources, services and training programs]
• The Veteran and Family Well-being Fund (VFWF) disbursed $8M in 2021–22 ($3M from base program funds and $5M from Budget 2021 funds for COVID-recovery projects) to help 36 organizations lead research, initiatives and projects supporting Veterans and their families during the post COVID-19 recovery. Of the $8M, we committed almost $2M to projects that focus on women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veterans. [MLC: expand and enhance VFWF]
• We began collaborations with academic partners to consider future research to examine the effects of COVID-19 on Veterans’ physical and mental well-being.
• We oversaw research on the impact of loneliness on the well-being of Veterans and their spouses.
• Provided $2.5M through the Research Funding Program to the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research (CIMVHR) to build research partnerships focusing on transition to life after service for Veterans and their families. We supported the CIMVHR 2022 forum organization and contributed to the CIMVHR Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health. [MLC: contribution agreements]
• We renewed our contribution agreement with the Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families (formerly the Centre of Excellence on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] and other related health conditions) so that its work can continue and expand our understanding of PTSD and related mental health conditions. [MLC: contribution agreements]
• The Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence (CoE) worked with Veterans, academic researchers and medical professionals on the nature of chronic pain, treatment options and understanding the experiences of Veterans who live with it. It also collaborated with interdisciplinary pain management centres across Canada. To improve treatment outcomes and recovery, the Chronic Pain CoE generated and disseminated knowledge on chronic pain to Veterans and health-care workers through its educational series. [MLC: contribution agreements]
• As part of Case Management Renewal, and in light of challenges experienced as a result of the pandemic, clients with complex needs are now contacted every two weeks. [MLC: higher standard of service and care]

Research shows that financial stability is one of the key factors in Veterans’ ability to succeed post-service, and critical to overall well-being. We offer programs and services that support Veterans’ financial security. Among other things, this allows ill and injured Veterans to focus on their rehabilitation and make informed choices about their life after service. To ensure that Veterans and their families have the financial resources they need:

• We are examining future opportunities for data linkage with other Statistics Canada data products to generate new insight into Veteran demographics, and other determinants of well-being such as income. We are also using research and analysis done in collaboration with Statistics Canada to inform next steps concerning survivors who married Veterans after they turned 60.

Departmental Result: Veterans and their families are financially secure - Text

27,722

Number of Veterans and families provided with Income Replacement Benefits (IRB) to support their financial well-being, rehabilitation and re-establishment to post military life.

962,850,512

Dollars provided to Veterans and families in 2021–22 via the IRB. That is up from $868,374,197 in 2020–21.

Having a sense of purpose is an important component of a fulfilling life and is integral to well-being. Participating in fulfilling activities contributes to one’s health, social integration, fundamental sense of meaning and identity, and provides structure to day-to-day life. In 2021–22, the following contributed to this departmental result:

• We expanded the ETB to include technical education , providing Veterans with access to funding for career-focused, intensive programs providing qualifications for specific employment fields. Below are some statistics for this year:
  • An additional 2,100 Veterans were approved for the ETB;
  • Over 1,200 were also approved for a new formal program plan;
  • Over 1,000 were approved for new short courses designed to support personal and professional development;
  • 71% of Veterans in a formal program successfully completed a period of formal education;
  • The 4-week decision-making service standard was met 99% of the time.
  [MLC: employment and training support services]
• We increased our virtual outreach and launched a new Hire A Veteran LinkedIn group in July 2021 to connect Veterans with interested employers. As of June 2022, this group had more than 2,300 members, including 200 private sector employers, with new jobs posted every day. [MLC: employment and training support services]
• We hosted new and innovative online events to connect Veterans with employers. These included a series of national and regional webinars with federal departments and agencies and a five-day private sector webinar involving presentations from more than 40 employers. [MLC: employment and training support services]
• Our Career Transition Services (CTS) helped 1,317 Veterans with resume writing and interview prep, as well as providing one-on-one career counselling. We renewed the contract for CTS which will provide the same job supports to Veterans as well as new measures, such as dedicated Veteran staff^{Footnote 1} to help translate military experience to skills and knowledge for the civilian workforce. [MLC: employment and training support services]

Releasing from the military is a major life transition. There may be different processes depending on the type of release, as well as personal or professional considerations. 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 2021–22 to make progress on this departmental result:

• The Veterans Emergency Fund (VEF) provided financial support on 736 occasions to 574 Veterans and their families. This included 65 Veterans who were homeless. After recipients accessed VEF, we worked with them to ensure the necessary referrals were made to our other programs and benefits, as well as to community and provincial supports to address long-term needs. [MLC: higher standard of service and care]
• Jointly with CAF, we have redesigned the transition process for non-medically releasing CAF Members. The Military to Civilian Transition (MCT) process was trialed at two Transition Centres in CFB Borden and CFB Petawawa. The trial concluded in December 2021. National implementation of the new MCT process will be rolled out in a phased approach between 2022-2024. This will provide increased transition support for non-medically releasing CAF Members and their families.
  • Phase one of the My Transition Course is provided as an online Enhanced Transition Training on CAF’s Departmental Learning Network (DLN). There is also access to the full complement of Second Career Assistance Network (SCAN) seminar material. Phase Two in 2023, will implement a full suite of in-service and end-of-service formalized education and training programs, tools and modules that span the CAF Member’s military career (CAF led/VAC supported).
  [MLC: streamlining]
• Two new tools were added to My VAC Account: 1) The My Well-being check-in tool was created to help people check-in on how they are doing. Based on their answers, the tool advises users where and how to reach out for support. It also provides information on benefits and services that may be available to them. 2) Case management tools are now accessible for those who are or have been case managed. [MLC: streamlining]

Veterans, like all Canadians, deserve a safe and affordable place to live. Homelessness is a complex issue and a shared responsibility, so we know that these efforts are most effective when we collaborate with others. We continued to work in partnership with community organizations, other levels of government, and other federal government departments and agencies to address Veteran homelessness.

One homeless Veteran is one too many. Our staff continue their outreach efforts to make sure homeless Veterans and other organizations know of the services we provide.

In 2021–22, we achieved the following to support this result:

• Continued collaboration with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Infrastructure Canada (INFC). Through these partnerships, Budget 2022 committed $62.2 million over three years, beginning in 2024–25, for INFC, with support from VAC, to launch a new Veteran Homelessness Program. This program will provide services and rent supplements to Veterans experiencing homelessness, in partnership with community organizations. This builds on the Budget 2021 announcement of $45 million over two years for the development of a Veteran homelessness pilot program.
• Funded six initiatives through the VFWF to conduct research and implement projects that support the well-being of Veterans who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless. As a result of these initiatives, in Calgary, Winnipeg, and Halifax, homeless Veterans who access Veterans' Villages are provided with individualized counselling, and assistance in achieving their unique personal goals to ensure Veterans’ long term success of living independently. In Fredericton, a housing focused shelter facilitates homeless Veterans’ access to mental health and addiction supports to improve their well-being and enable them to transition into permanent housing. In Ottawa, outreach and social activities for homeless and at-risk and ill and injured Veterans are organized to address the rise in social isolation, anxiety and mental health difficulties faced by Veterans increasingly so since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, in Saint John, Moncton and Fredericton, homeless Veterans are provided services and support through coordination with existing provincial homelessness reduction efforts, as well as integrating these Veteran specific services into a broader community system to improve access.
• We updated outreach tools including a new Homeless Veterans poster.

Measuring Veterans’ satisfaction with service delivery is very important to us. This information helps us with planning and determining next steps. In 2021–22, the following activities contributed to this departmental result:

• In 2021–22, we successfully implemented some of the initiatives from our strategic direction document and continued to make progress on others—some of which can be found in this report—such as, expanding our experiments with the Service Health Records tool, extending temporary staff dedicated to disability benefits, and implementing a new Sexual Dysfunction Entitlement Eligibility Guideline (EEG). We are refreshing our document and it will be released in the fall of 2022. [MLC: reducing wait times]
• We delegated more decision-making to front line staff so that Veterans can receive benefits quicker. For example, Field Nursing Services Officers can now approve requests for Clothing Allowance and Area Occupational Therapists now have the delegated authority to approve all complex Special Equipment for clients. [MLC: streamlining]
• Work began on several other automation initiatives, such as the automatic generation of decision letters, and the development of a dedicated portal for health professionals to submit documents. [MLC: automation; streamlining]
• On 30 June 2021, a national contract was awarded to Partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services. Implementation began in July 2021 and continued with stakeholder consultations to give Veterans, their families and our employees the opportunity to provide feedback and influence each step of the implementation process set to begin in November 2022. Veterans, their families, and case managers will have access to best rehabilitation practices, respectful of culture and gender, with interactive technology to improve their experiences and connections between Case Managers, rehabilitation experts, Veterans and their families.
• The Government committed more than $192 million over two years in additional funding (2020–21 and 2021–22). This was used to extend resources from Budget 2018, and to hire 300 temporary staff to work on the most common applications, plus an additional 50 ancillary staff to provide further support. With an additional $139.6 million invested in February 2022, we were able to extend the additional temporary employees dedicated to disability benefits until March 2024. [MLC: reducing wait times]
• In May 2021, we launched a three-week consultation on Let’s Talk Veterans on the disability benefit application process for first-time applicants. The feedback, which can be found in this report, helped us come up with solutions to make applying easier and create new tools to help process applications faster. In 2021-22, we increased the awareness and promoted the benefits of applying online with My VAC Account through social media and established an Outreach Unit in spring 2022. During the initial phase, the Unit will educate and guide internal and external stakeholders who support Veterans applying for disability benefits. Information sessions, identifying specific needs and questions that could arise relating to disability benefits, will be delivered to these stakeholders. The team’s goal is to continue to further enhance the information shared to these groups so that consistent and timely support can be provided to Veterans. Additionally, work is underway to review our communication material and the front-end application process to ensure that Veterans have the information they need to submit a complete application. [MLC: streamlining; improving communications; reducing wait times]
• We continued to build on existing features in My VAC Account to improve the user experience, such as providing access for powers of attorney. [MLC: streamlining; automation]
• We accelerated Bureau of Pensions Advocates’ (BPA) digitization efforts to improve client services. We:
  • launched an electronic case management system allowing for more efficient service;
  • digitized approximately 10,000 active client files to support the electronic case management system;
  • created a virtual Veterans Excellence Team to address increased intake and backlog. Further details can be found in the Experimentation section for Core Responsibility 1.
  [MLC: streamlining; reducing wait times]

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus)

Ensuring inclusive programming is a social responsibility. We continued to implement and consider all aspects of GBA Plus with a view to recognize, mitigate and eliminate biases and barriers that may contribute to inequities and ensure that the development of policies, programs, services and initiatives includes consideration of differential impacts on diverse groups.

• Ongoing application of the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) principles ensured women Veterans and the challenges they face are meaningfully represented in research.
• Continued to implement our GBA Plus Strategy. This included developing a “one stop shop” internal webpage of resources to support the use of a GBA Plus lens in the development of tailored Budget Proposals, Memorandums to Cabinet, Treasury Board Submissions and Regulatory Packages. [MLC: ensure benefits/services meet the needs of underrepresented Veterans]
• Developed and implemented a VAC Women Veterans Research Plan.
• Continued to modernize approaches to Sex and Gender (Gender Inclusive Services) to ensure that transgender, non-binary, and two-spirit Veterans are included in systems and services. [MLC: ensure benefits/services meet the needs of underrepresented Veterans]
• In order to support consistent, equitable, and transparent disability benefits decisions that are inclusive of sex and gender, and reflect the most up-to-date medical research on medical conditions, we:
  • developed and implemented a new Sexual Dysfunction EEG to support decision making for males, females, people who identify as sex/gender diverse, and those who have experienced sexual trauma related to service; and,
  • developed plans to modernize the Table of Disabilities, revise existing EEGs, and develop several additional EEGs. This work includes applying a GBA Plus lens to ensure that these tools provide for evidence-based decisions with consideration to the diverse health-related experience of CAF members and Veterans.
  [MLC: ensure benefits/services meet the needs of underrepresented Veterans]

Experimentation

• We continually research ways to use technology to minimize administrative work and repetitive tasks, improve information sharing and the client experience, as well as enhance collaboration within the disability benefit process. In 2021–22, work continued on the Service Health Records search tool, which has already proven significant time-savings when searching thousands of pages of material for Hearing Loss and Tinnitus. The experiments to date led us to expand trials to knee conditions with more positive results and lays the foundation for future development for other conditions. While we expect to proceed with the full implementation in 2022, we will continue to test and compare the search results’ quality, accuracy, and confidence against current manual search processes. [MLC: streamlining; automation; reducing wait times]
• Allocated temporary funds, BPA experimented with Veteran Excellence Teams until March 31, 2022. These teams were made up of 52 temporary virtual employees, including junior lawyers assigned simplified claim types for additional cost savings. The teams worked in partnership with VRAB to develop new methods for processing simplified claim types in order to address a significant increase of incoming claims and 40% of BPA’s backlog (6,000 claims). The result of this initiative was an additional 5890 Veterans served at a reduced cost of 22% per case.
  
  The experiment identified best practices for expedited processing of specific claim types for oral hearing, which have now been adopted to benefit regular operations. However, it was determined simplified written submissions will not be expanded to other claim types at this time. [MLC: streamlining; reducing wait times]

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

We continue to support Canada’s efforts towards the United Nations 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This core responsibility contributes broadly to the following:

SDG 1 – NO POVERTY

Our existing programs, such as (Income Support; Transition Services; and Treatment Benefits (for any health condition), Veterans Independence Program, and Long Term Care support for income qualified Veterans, directly contribute to this SDG. Health care and long term care programs can contribute toward the cost of health care for some income qualified Veterans, removing some of the financial burden for their care for needs unrelated to service.

SDG 3 – GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

We contribute to advancing this goal by ensuring assessments for Veterans are based on our Well-Being Surveillance Framework, which assesses Veterans seven domains of well-being: health, culture and social environment, housing and physical environment, life skills, social integration, finances and purpose. By leveraging the expertise of an interdisciplinary team, we ensure Veterans receive the appropriate level of service at the right time. We aim to create a sustainable model for delivering Case Management Services, by building on the strengths of all the interdisciplinary Veteran Service Team members while maintaining a Veteran-centric approach to providing high quality services to Veterans and their families.

SDG 5 – GENDER EQUALITY
SDG 10 – REDUCED INEQUALITIES

We continue to work SDG 5 and 10 through ongoing and targeted outreach and engagement with women and 2SLGBTQI+ Veteran stakeholder groups. We are also part of the Department of National Defence’s (DND) Sexual Misconduct Response Centre’s External Advisory Council (EAC); GBA Plus Interdepartmental Committee; Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan Working Group; the Canadian Military Sexual Trauma Community of Practice; while supporting the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. [MLC: support for those affected by sexual misconduct in the military; ensure benefits/services meet the needs of underrepresented Veterans]

SDG 11 – SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

We continue to collaborate with Infrastructure Canada on the development of a Veteran Homelessness Program as announced in Budget 2022 that will, in partnership with community organizations, provide services and rent supplements to Veterans experiencing homelessness.

SDG 16 – PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS

We continue to contribute to promoting the rule of law and providing access to justice for all. BPA specializes in administrative law, particularly various pieces of legislation that apply to the Veteran community. The mandate is to represent Veterans before the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB) in support of Veterans receiving entitlement to disability benefits.

Results achieved

We continually look for ways to improve and determine next steps when results are not meeting targets.

After much consideration, we decided to launch the Canadian Veteran Health Survey (CVHS) that will replace the Life after Service Survey (LASS), last completed in 2019. The CVHS will launch in October and run to December 2022 and provide better representation of certain Veteran groups, particularly older Veterans, and will align closely with the content covered in the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 2022, allowing increased comparability with the broader Canadian population.

The CVHS, conducted by Statistics Canada on our behalf, will draw its sample from a combination of two sources, the Military Veteran Status File (MVSF) and the Census. This will ensure CVHS is covering all individuals who became Veterans up to 11 May 2021 (Census day). The target population is Veterans who released before May 2021 and who are not re-enlisted at the time of the survey. It will be administered to Veterans living in the 10 provinces of Canada, 18 years of age or older, and not living in institutions.

Indicators derived from the CVHS will be similar to those from LASS as many of the questions are identical. However, the Veteran population surveyed differs between the two surveys; the 2019 LASS covered Regular Force Veterans released from 1998 to 2018 and CVHS will cover all Veterans who were released up to May 2021. As such, indicators based on CVHS (from 2022 on) cannot be directly compared to those from LASS.

LASS has officially been discontinued and CVHS will be the new and improved standard going forward.

Budgetary Financial Resources (dollars)

Fluctuations in spending are normal, given that initial forecasting is typically done many months in advance of the reporting period and adjusted throughout the year. A full analysis of the budgetary financial resources and Full-time Equivalents (FTEs) is available in the “Spending and human resources” section of this report. This includes explanations of variances between planned and actual resources.

Complete framework methodologies, as well as financial, human resources and performance information for the Program Inventory are available in Government of Canada (GC) InfoBase. This also includes explanations of variances between program-level planned and actual resources.

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 are passing the torch to the people of Canada, so that the memory of their sacrifices and the values they fought for will live on.

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. Below we have listed how we are working through various initiatives and the Minister’s MLCs to achieve our goals.

We lead commemorative and recognition activities to promote and encourage everyone to honour the one and a half million brave Canadians who served, and continue to serve, our country at home and abroad. We strive to honour them now and to keep doing so for many years to come. In 2021–22, the following activities contributed to this goal:

• We completed preservation and conservation work at six overseas memorials including the Courcelette Canadian Memorial, the Dury Canadian Memorial, the Le Quesnel Canadian Memorial, the Courtrai Newfoundland Memorial and the St-Julien Canadian Memorial. We also engaged the expertise of an engineering firm to complete geotechnical and stability assessments at the Monchy-le-Preux Newfoundland Memorial and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial.
  
  We also signed a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding with Natural Resources Canada to cost share the forest conservation and replanting of 70,000 trees at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial.
• We began development of a Visitor Experience Strategy for both the Canadian National Vimy Memorial and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial sites. In parallel to the strategy, we developed, installed and launched the tunnel and trenches self-guided tour at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, a new interpretive product that provides visitors with an alternate way to discover and learn about the Vimy battlefield, while highlighting the contributions of First Nations Veterans of the First World War. [MLC: recognition and commemoration for underrepresented groups]
• We continued to work with partners at Canadian Heritage and the National Capital Commission on a National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan located in Ottawa. This included public consultation on five finalist designs resulting in more than 10,000 responses from Veterans families, stakeholders and the general public.
• We conducted commemorative events overseas and in Canada, which included a live-streamed event in France with more than 120,000 views and a return to in-person ceremonies, while keeping in line with the pandemic restrictions on gatherings, in Ottawa and St. John’s to mark the 105^th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and Beaumont-Hamel.
• We also held in-person ceremonies to mark the 70^th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong in Ottawa, Halifax and Prince Edward Island.
• Through the Commemorative Partnership Program, we continue to work with the Juno Beach Centre providing funding to support operations.
• In keeping with our commitment to highlight modern-era military milestones, we began marking lesser known anniversaries with wreath placements at the National War Memorial and the Peacekeeping Monument in Ottawa, including the South African War, the Gulf War, Canada’s Mission to Rwanda and others. [MLC: recognition and commemoration for modern Veterans]
• We updated the digital photos available through the Canadian Virtual War Memorial of the pages from the Books of Remembrance to better quality images which allows anyone who wishes to print a high quality copy from home rather than waiting for one to be shipped.
• We completed more than 8,000 backlog repairs (approximately 15% of the total backlog) in year four of a five-year project to address urgently needed repairs to Veteran grave markers. We also completed over 12,000 additional repairs and work to other markers identified during inspections.

As a Department, we work to engage Canadians of all ages in paying tribute to Veterans and those who died in service so their legacy is preserved and their tremendous contributions to peace and freedom are remembered for generations to come. In 2021–22, the following activities contributed to this goal:

• We finalized and published a report on consultations with educators on the future of remembrance in the Canadian classroom and are implementing recommendations into our 10-Year Strategic Plan for Commemoration.
• We provided funding for 175 commemorative projects honouring those who served through the Commemorative Partnership Program with an estimated 10 million Canadians participating in commemorative initiatives funded through the program this year. We also continued outreach to Indigenous communities to promote our newly revised Terms and Conditions that now allow for increased funding for Indigenous Community War Memorial projects. This year, we had 13 projects highlighting Indigenous Veterans and one project highlighting Black Canadian Veterans. [MLC: recognition and commemoration for underrepresented groups]
• We continued to work on a Commemorative Partnership Program (CPP) initiative focused on reducing the time and effort required by individuals and groups applying for the CPP in order to widen our reach to Canadians who want to learn and recognize the sacrifices made for our freedom.
• Further to two panels which took place in 2021–22, we promoted and conducted a third virtual panel discussion as part of the “Canada Remembers: the virtual panel series” on “Remembrance in a digital age” which had over 400 viewers including partners, educators and members of the general public.

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus)

We ensured the inclusion of numerous identity factors in our approach to developing, delivering and evaluating initiatives, including women and members of the LGBTQ2+ Veteran communities. In 2021–22, the following activities contributed to this goal:

• We distributed over 3.8 million commemorative learning products to Canadians in the weeks leading up Veterans’ Week, which included content on diverse groups of Veterans, including women, Indigenous, racialized and LGBTQ2+ Veterans, as well as Veterans who served in modern-day military efforts, such as the Gulf War. [MLC: recognition and commemoration for underrepresented groups]
• We circulated and consulted various stakeholders for input on a draft version of our 10-Year Strategic Plan for Commemoration in various ways, including four virtual roundtable consultations with Veteran groups, including Indigenous, women, LGBTQ2+ and racialized Veterans. We also held an online survey to Canadians—especially Veterans, CAF members, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other persons involved in international peace support operations, and their families—which had over 1,800 responses. We continue to work on implementing and finalizing the commemorative strategic plan based on feedback received and through a GBA Plus lens. [MLC: recognition and commemoration for underrepresented groups]
• We continued consultations and discussions with our Office of Women and LGBTQ2 Veterans on how to enhance our web feature on the contributions of women in times of war, military conflict and peace, and also to create a new web feature and learning resources about the contributions and sacrifices of 2SLGBTQI+ service members over the years. [MLC: recognition and commemoration for underrepresented groups]
• The “Ghosts of Vimy” research project whereby VAC students used genealogy tools, archives, and community/family resources to research the lives of Canadians who fell during the First World War and whose names are inscribed on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Students concentrated their research in large part on under-represented groups, including Indigenous, Asian, Sikh and French-Canadian fallen, as well as those from the 2SLGBTQI+ community. The information and photos they gathered have been and continue to be used to create interpretive products and narratives, social media and learning content. [MLC: recognition and commemoration for underrepresented groups]

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

We contributed to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, by recognizing Veterans through commemorative initiatives, which support overall well-being, especially mentally and socially.

Results achieved

We continually look for ways to improve and determine next steps when results are not meeting targets.

Budgetary Financial Resources (dollars)

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

A full analysis of the budgetary financial resources and FTEs is available in the “Spending and human resources” section of this report. This includes explanations of variances between planned and actual resources.

Complete framework methodologies, as well as financial, human resources and performance information for the Program Inventory are available in GC InfoBase. This also includes explanations of variances between program-level planned and actual resources. 

Veterans Ombudsperson

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

The Office of the Veterans Ombud (OVO) investigates complaints and challenges policies and decisions of Veterans Affairs Canada where individual or systemic unfairness is found. The Office committed to improve the general awareness of the OVO as a fairness-based, Ombud organization, as well as help the Veteran community understand the services it can provide and encourage those who do not believe that they have been treated fairly to contact the office.

Individual complaints help the OVO to identify emerging trends and systemic issues for further investigation. In 2021–22, the following activities contributed to this departmental result:

• Reviewed and addressed 86% (823) of the 952 individual complaints related to programs and services provided by VAC or by third parties on VAC’s behalf, including decisions related to programs and services for which there is no right of appeal to the VRAB. 92% of complaints reviewed and assessed were completed within the 60 working day service standard and 87% of all cases requiring referrals were addressed within the 10 day service standard.

Improving general awareness of the OVO services through planned communication activities such as social media campaigns, advertising and events.

• The OVO created an average of two weekly posts sharing content with the Veteran community. In 2021–22, the OVO social media platforms counted 345 new followers, more than 4,000 likes, 1,100 shares, and close to 3, 000 overall reactions.
• The OVO advertised in several Veterans’ publications, including the RCMP Quarterly, Legion Magazine (online and print), Canadian Military Family Magazine, Esprit de Corps, and Canadian Forces publications, reaching an audience of over 250,000.
• The Veterans Ombud attended meetings with stakeholders, such as the DND-CF Ombudsman, RCMP Commissioner, Taxpayers Ombudsperson, and the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command Executive, and Members of Parliament. She participated in in-person events at the Royal Canadian Legion Dominion Command, the Army, Navy and Air Veterans (ANAVETS) Annual General Meeting, among others. The Veterans Ombud did several media interviews and appeared before Parliamentary Standing Committees.

In 2021–22, 85% of Office of the Veterans Ombud recommendations related to individual complaints that were escalated to the Department of Veterans Affairs were implemented by the Veterans Affairs Portfolio.

In 2021–22, the OVO contributed to this departmental result by conducting systemic investigations and publishing reports to address fairness issues for Veterans and their families.

• The OVO published three reports in addition to our 2020–21 Report Card and our 2020–21 Annual Report.
  • In June 2021, the OVO published a report on the lack of VAC-funded peer support for Veterans who had experienced military sexual trauma (MST). The report made recommendations to:
    • provide a peer support program for this group of Veterans;
    • publish the GBA Plus analysis used to establish the program;
    • establish a performance measurement system to ensure the needs of all Veterans are addressed.
    The report identified a gap in programming where Veterans who had not experienced MST had access to a government-funded peer support program, while those who had experienced MST were turned away. The report found that women Veterans are more likely to experience MST, as are other equity-seeking groups such as 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous, and disabled Veterans.
  • In September 2021, the OVO’s scoping review of research on women Veterans was published in the Journal of Military, Veteran, and Family Health. This review highlighted existing research, gaps in the research, and recommendations for future research to better understand the needs of this group.
  • In February 2022, the OVO published a report on the Additional Monthly Amount financial benefit which recommended adjustments to the benefit to ensure equitable outcomes for all Veterans.
• Over the course of 2021–22, the OVO conducted research into the adjudication of sexual dysfunction claims consequential to a psychiatric condition. It identified gaps in timely and fair access to benefits for women Veterans, and gaps in service experience for this group.
• Additionally, the OVO has conducted research and analysis for three ongoing projects. One examines the programs and services that enable Veterans to remain independent in their own homes, research that includes the support of family members and the benefits available to them. The second is an investigation into the department’s internal review process, which examines the service experience of Veterans and their families when requesting VAC review a decision they disagree with. The third concerns the payment of Pain and Suffering Compensation when a Veteran dies with no surviving spouse or dependent child.
• The OVO is finalized the 2021–22 Report Card and the data indicates that the department has addressed or partially addressed 69% of our recommendations.

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus)

• The OVO includes GBA Plus considerations as a core component of all published systemic review reports.

Results achieved

Budgetary Financial Resources (dollars)

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

A full analysis of the budgetary financial resources and FTEs is available in the “ 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.

VAC 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 Services
• Legal Services
• Materiel Management Services
• Management and Oversight Services
• Real Property Management Services

Results

Our Internal Services have continued to contribute to the Department’s outcomes. This ensures that we will have the tools and resources needed to deliver results to Veterans and their families, as well as Canadians.

In addition to the delivery of routine services, we made progress in modernizing how internal services are delivered within the Department, including:

• Implemented the SAP financial management application on 1 April 2021 and continued to improve financial management processes and procedures throughout the fiscal year. As a result, we achieved improved reporting capabilities.
• Increased use of technological solutions to support staffing and recruitment.
• Developed and implemented a number of digital solutions, including dashboards, to leverage data and increase efficiency in several areas including disability processing, case management, and access to information. [MLC: reduce wait times; streamlining]
• Continued work to launch our Service Health Records search tool. This will make it faster to search for relevant health conditions, resulting in a faster process of these applications. Further details can be found in the Experimentation section for Core Responsibility 1. [MLC: streamlining; automation; reducing wait times]
• Increased training and awareness of Information Technology (IT) Security via a number of avenues, such as a robust IT training program, supported by regular live training sessions.
• Implementing a digital booking tool for clients and increasing integration between systems at the OVO.

Supporting our employees and ensuring a work culture that promotes awareness of, and best practices in, psychological health, safety, and well-being remains a key priority. To achieve this, as well as improving our ability to recruit, develop, and retain top talent, we have implemented a number of new measures and processes aimed at improving our ability to build and maintain a diverse, inclusive, and empowered workforce and to continue to care for our people. These include:

• Expanding the Workplace Wellness Program through regular messaging and the introduction of digital tools to support messaging, awareness, and access to supports.
• Launching tailored processes and messaging to increase hiring of persons with disabilities, Indigenous persons, and racialized persons to ensure greater access to opportunities, including at the executive level.
• Increased support for the integration and onboarding of new employees through the development of a number of learning tools and supports.
• Implementation of Learning Strategy and Digital Literacy Working Groups to support development of an Integrated Learning Strategy.
• Introducing mandatory requirements for Unconscious Bias training for those exercising hiring authorities.
• Enhancement of our tools to assist management in the hiring of students and development of a Student Talent Portal to help support student placements and student bridging opportunities.

Ensuring an environment that is accessible by design is an important aspect of our modern workplace. We are on track to release our first Accessibility Action Plan by the end of 2022. As part of this effort, we gathered information on preventing and removing barriers that may be present by:

• Identifying accessibility barriers within the Department and action items needed.
• Conducting internal and external consultations on accessibility with Veterans and others to identify any barriers experienced.
• Contributing to the development of the accessibility action plan, by identifying specific communications gaps and actions required to fill them.

We strengthened communications activities in support of the Minister’s mandate, particularly relating to accessibility of information and ensuring that Veterans and their families are provided clear, easy to understand communications on benefits and services necessary for their well-being. Examples include:
[MLC: improving transparency and communications]

• Increasing opportunities for all Canadians to learn about our programs/services and commemoration activities via accessible online platforms, such as Let’s Talk Veterans and our Salute! Newsletter.
• Completing a public opinion research project on media preferences of Veterans, with the goal to determine the best methods and strategies to reach clients and non-clients to inform them of available benefits and services.
• Developing evidence-based communications approaches and tactics—with a focus on Veteran profiles/stories where possible—to improve reach and engagement.
• Completing consultations through Let’s Talk Veterans platform, including consultations on the disability benefits application process, accessibility and the Future of Remembrance in Canada.
• Delivering mental health advertising to increase awareness among Veterans, family members, and CAF members of available mental health services and supports and how they can be accessed. [MLC: ensure access mental health resources, services and training programs]
• Telling the stories of Canadian Veterans through web articles, social media postings and video.

Through our internal audit and program evaluation functions, we continued to use disciplined, evidence-based approaches to assess and improve the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes, and assesses the relevance and performance of programs to support policy and program improvement, decision making and public reporting. During 2020–21, we completed:

• An Evaluation of the Veterans Independence Program
• An Evaluation of the Funeral and Burial and Cemetery and Grave Marker Maintenance Programs
• An Evaluation of the Disability Benefits Redress Process
• A Horizontal Evaluation of Program Alignments
• An Audit of Disability Benefits - Survivors

Gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus)

• Analysis started on system impacts relating to the current use of gender and sex information. We are now in the planning phase to ensure systems, forms, and letters are aligned with program needs and ensuring that we address gaps relating to sex, gender, and intersectionality in the data we collect and report. [MLC: ensure benefits/services meet the needs of underrepresented Veterans]
• We worked to support direct and indirect collection of gender and other intersectional data to strengthen program and policy analysis using a GBA Plus lens. We made progress and expect concrete solutions to be available early in 2022–23. Our Privacy and Information Management (PIM) staff are also working with the other internal services to support inclusivity for non-binary and transgendered employees in all corporate processes. [MLC: ensure benefits/services meet the needs of underrepresented Veterans]
• Working closely with our Diversity and Inclusion team and others, we developed a simplified and all-inclusive process for renaming accounts which will benefit many employees, including those going through gender identifier changes.

Experimentation

• We are experimenting with the development of a digital process using Dynamics 365 for processing security clearances. We continue to learn from this effort in hopes of gaining knowledge, experience and efficiencies as we look to digitize other processes in support of an agile, digital organization.
• We are piloting the use of eDiscovery in Microsoft 365 for the retrieval of records for Access to Information and Privacy requests. This tool automates the search for content in Outlook mailboxes, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint. Four experiments were carried out during the fiscal year with goals of improving timelines for retrieving records, to reduce the level of effort required by employees in retrieving records, and to better understand the e-Discovery tools. While the experimentation continues, we have gained a better understanding of the tools and have identified challenges that will need to be resolved before e-Discovery can be used more widely. [MLC: automation; streamlining]

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Internal Services align with a number of the United Nations and Government of Canada sustainable development goals:

SDG 5 – GENDER EQUALITY
SDG 10 - REDUCED INEQUALITIES

Our ongoing efforts to advance Disability & Inclusion and Accessibility objectives within our Department.

SDG 7 – CLEAN ENERGY

Ongoing replacement of internal combustion vehicles with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

SDG 9 – INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Renovation of our facilities to increase overall efficiency.

SDG 11 – SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

Our ongoing commitment to divert waste from landfills through recycling and reusing, explore a hybrid workforce and reduce our fleet within VAC.

SDG 12 – RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION

Exploring all possible mechanisms available to avoid landfills and ensure diversion of waste associated with renovations is done in an environmentally conscious manner.

SDG 13 – CLIMATE ACTION

The activities above also support continuing effort to support Government of Canada’s climate action objectives, as outlined in our Sustainable Development Strategy.

Budgetary Financial Resources (dollars)

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

A full analysis of the budgetary financial resources and FTEs is available in the “ Spending and human resources ” section of this report. This includes an explanation of the variances between planned and actual expenditures.