Summary for the Evaluation of the Caregiver Recognition Benefit

1. The Director General, Service Delivery and Program Management use existing program information/data to identify the Department’s seriously disabled Veterans who have not applied for the CRB and could be eligible for the program.
2. Subsequent to identification of the additional potential recipients, the Director General, Service Delivery and Program Management work in collaboration with the Director General, Centralized Operations Division to determine who may be eligible, and reach them by using application waivers, where possible.
3. Subsequent to identification and eligibility confirmation of the additional intended recipients and program policy revisions, the Director General, Service Delivery and Program Management work to develop guidance and a resulting process, including the necessary tool and system changes, to ensure the program continues reaching the most seriously disabled Veterans, and where appropriate, to utilize application waivers.

1. Work in collaboration with Centralized Operations Division, Field Operations, and Policy to:
   1. Conduct analysis and identify criteria for locating, based on the existing policy direction, the most seriously disabled Veterans who are already VAC clients and who have not applied for CRB;
   2. Develop reporting mechanisms to collect this information.
   3. Analyze and, if necessary, update criteria and reporting based on the clarified policy direction resulting from Recommendations 2 and 3 to enable identification of any further client cases to be reviewed.
2. Work with Centralized Operations Division, Field Operations, and IT to:
   1. Establish and implement a process to determine who may be eligible and, where applicable, pursue options to waive CRB applications.
   2. Pursue options to waive CRB applications for clients identified through a) i and ii.
3. Work in collaboration with Centralized Operations Division, Field Operations, and Policy to develop ongoing guidance and develop tools and system changes to allow VAC to proactively identify potential CRB clients and where applicable, implement application waivers, based on the clarified policy direction resulting from Recommendations 2 and 3.

1. The Senior Director, Program Policy undertake immediate efforts to update the CRB Policy to include evidence based medical direction and definitions with respect to each individual eligibility criteria, including details on:
   1. The heath needs/impairments that should be considered when determining a Veteran has a “level of care and supervision consistent with admission to an institution (eligibility criteria i);”
   2. Details on the difference between “daily physical assistance (criteria ii)” and “ongoing direction and supervision (criteria iii)” and how should these differences be approached when assessing the Veteran for needs associated with the activities of daily living;
   3. The health needs/impairments (including those relating to mental health) that should be considered when determining that a Veteran requires “daily supervision and is not considered safe to be left alone (eligibility criteria iv).”
2. Subsequent to program policy revisions, the Director General, Service Delivery and Program Management Division update the CRB Business Process to provide specific guidance to decision makers on what recent/new evidence sources are to be used to assess eligibility criteria. If evidence sources/methods currently available to the department are not sufficient to assess the CRB criteria, a revised and/or new application/assessments/sources may need to be created.
3. Subsequent to program policy revisions, the Director General, Service Delivery and Program Management promote/raise awareness of the revised program policy to Veterans and their caregivers.

1. Conduct research, including medical research and consultations, and environmental scans and draft recommendations for amendments to the Caregiver Recognition Policy to more clearly provide direction as to when the eligibility criteria i) to iv) are met as outlined in the Recommendation;
   
   Update the Caregiver Recognition Policy to provide clear policy direction to staff as well as Veterans and their caregivers as to what is required in order to determine when eligibility criteria i) to iv) are met.

With respect to Recommendation 2 b) and c), the Director General, Service Delivery Program Management will:

2. Work in collaboration with Centralized Operations Division, Health Professionals, Field Operations, and Policy to update functional direction, including business processes, based on program policy revisions to support the assessment of eligibility criteria and decision making. Where necessary and following analysis of required changes, tools used throughout the process will be updated, or new tools created.
3. Subsequent to program policy revisions, work in collaboration with the Communications Division to promote/raise awareness of the revised program policy to Veterans and their caregivers.

1. The Senior Director, Program Policy update the CRB policy to provide specific guidance on the acceptable age of source documents, particularly for potentially unfavourable decisions, to ensure the Veteran’s current health situation is reflected in the decision making process.
2. Subsequent to program policy revisions, the Director General, Service Delivery and Program Management work in collaboration with the Director General, Centralized Operations Division to complete process, tool and/or system updates to ensure age appropriate source documents are used in the CRB decision making process.

1. Conduct intra-departmental consultations and amend the Caregiver Recognition Policy to provide specific guidance on the acceptable age of source documents, particularly for potentially unfavourable decisions, to ensure the Veteran’s current health situation is reflected in the decision making process.

With respect to Recommendation 3 b), the Director General Service Delivery Program Management will:

2. Work in collaboration with Centralized Operations Division, Field Operations, and IT to update processes, tools, and systems to support the use of age appropriate documents in decision making.