Audit and Evaluation Division – Veterans Affairs Canada
March 2022
Evaluation Results
Relevance and Need
The evaluation found that there is a continued need for both programs. Each program aligns with Government of Canada goals and priorities, and federal roles and responsibilities. Uptake of Funeral and Burial benefits has decreased over the period of the evaluation while the interest in the Last Post Fund’s Unmarked Grave Program has increased. Each grave marker funded by VAC is added to the department’s grave marker inventory, and becomes the responsibility of VAC to be repaired and maintained in perpetuity. Funeral and Burial Program activity impacts the need for additional grave marker maintenance through the Cemetery and Grave Marker Maintenance Program.
Effectiveness
Outcomes for both programs are being measured, though there are opportunities to collect targeted performance data and feedback. Targeted information would be helpful for program management and decision making. There is also an opportunity to review the means-test application deadline for the Funeral and Burial Program the next time the Veteran Burial Regulations are being revised.
Efficiency and Economy
There are quality assurance practices in place. Guidance documents have been developed by both VAC and the Last Post Fund to direct program operations for Funeral and Burial benefits; however, the technical manual that supports grave marker installations and maintenance is dated and some improvements could be made. There is also an opportunity to enhance technological supports for the grave marker inspection process. The evaluation found that there is a need to enhance supporting guidance documents for the operations and maintenance of VAC’s two department-owned cemeteries.
The Grave Marker Maintenance Backlog project is currently in year four and is expected to be completed on time (2023) and on budget. The evaluation found that the current base level funding for the Cemetery and Grave Marker Maintenance Program ($1.25 million) is not sufficient to provide timely care and maintenance to the current and growing inventory of Veteran grave markers, and the ongoing maintenance of the two departmental cemeteries.
| Recommendation | Management Response and Action Plan |
|---|---|
| Recommendation #1: It is recommended that the Director General, Commemoration explore opportunities to seek ongoing funding to address the increasing cost of maintaining the grave marker inventory and to develop and implement an appropriate grave inspection/maintenance cycle. |
Aligned with Government of Canada priorities, the expectations of Canadians, and to ensure the Department meets the continued need of the program, the Commemoration Division will explore opportunities to seek additional ongoing funding for the Cemetery and Grave Marker Maintenance Program to address inadequate resources following the end of the temporary funding for the five-year backlog project. In order to mitigate the risk of a significant backlog returning, the Division will also develop an appropriate grave marker inspection and maintenance cycle. As the inventory of graves continues to increase and maintenance costs continue to rise, best practices and efficiencies will be identified to mitigate these risks and to address priority needs within the allocated human and financial resources. |
| Recommendation #2: It is recommended that the Director General, Commemoration, conduct a comprehensive operations and maintenance review at God’s Acre Cemetery in Esquimalt, British Columbia and Fort Massey Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The review should identify areas where plans, policies, and procedures need to be formalized and take into consideration environmental and long-term preservation requirements. |
To ensure the proper care and maintenance of the two Departmental cemeteries, Commemoration Division will conduct a comprehensive operations and maintenance review at God’s Acre Cemetery in Esquimalt, British Columbia and Fort Massey Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Planning and preparation, including consultation, for the review will take place to ensure that adequate financial and human resources are in place to conduct the required work. The review will identify areas where plans, policies and procedures need to be formalized and consider environmental and long-term preservation requirements. The review will consider aspects including, but not limited to, roles and responsibilities, maintenance planning, health and safety and security. |
| Recommendation #3: Building on recommendation #2, it is recommended that the Director General, Commemoration, develop and implement an operations and maintenance plan for God’s Acre Cemetery and Fort Massey Cemetery, and pursue stable long-term resources to allow for efficient implementation. |
Building on the comprehensive review, Commemoration Division will develop an operations and maintenance plan for the two Departmental cemeteries and will pursue stable, long-term resources to allow implementation of the plan. Required resources will be identified to complete the work. The development of the plan will be guided by the review and include clear direction, guidelines and templates, as required, based on policies and best practices and will be approved by Senior Management. The operations and maintenance plan will be foundational documents that allow the Department to achieve its mandate by maintaining cemeteries at the high standards Canadians expect when visiting these sites to honour Veterans. |
Program Description
- The Funeral and Burial Program provides financial assistance for the funeral, burial, and grave marking expenses of qualified Veterans (Veterans who die as a result of a service related injury or illness, or Veterans estates who meet the financial means-test at the time of death). The Program has been administered by the Last Post Fund, on behalf of VAC, since 1995.
- The Funeral and Burial Program provides a maximum of $7,376 (plus taxes) to cover funeral and burial related expenses. In 2020-21 there were 525 approved means-test cases and 119 payments for cases related to Matter of Right (death related to service injury/illness).
- Under the Funeral and Burial Program funding allotment, the Last Post Fund also administers the Unmarked Grave Program. This program provides a permanent military grave marker for eligible Veterans lying in unmarked graves in Canada. Interest in this program increased over the evaluation period, with 605 approved applications in 2020-21.
- The Cemetery and Grave Marker Maintenance Program preserves the memory of deceased Canadians who served their country during war and peace by maintaining symbols of remembrance in perpetuity.
- VAC manages and cares for the grave markers of approximately 250,000 Veterans buried in Canada who died outside of war time, and who qualified for the Funeral and Burial Program or who were identified through the Last Post Fund Unmarked Grave Program.
- VAC is also entrusted with the care and maintenance of two Canadian Veteran cemeteries: Veterans Cemetery (referred to as God’s Acre Cemetery) located in Esquimalt, British Columbia, and Fort Massey Cemetery, located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Fort Massey contains approximately 1,600 interments on 2.6 acres of land and is essentially closed to new burials. God’s Acre is an active cemetery, with more than 2,500 interments on 2.7 acres of land and has space for approximately 1,500 more burials.
About the Evaluation
Scope and Methodology
- Conducted in accordance with the directive and standards specified in Treasury Board of Canada’s 2016 Policy on Results.
- Covers the time frame from April 2017 to March 2021.
- Conducted between April and December 2021.
- Multiple lines of evidence were used including document reviews, data analysis, observations, file reviews, and key informant interviews.
- Purpose of the evaluation was to ensure the programs are relevant and meeting needs, while determining if there are opportunities to improve effectiveness or efficiency. It is anticipated that evaluation results will support the Commemoration Division in managing the programs and future decision making.
- Areas out of scope included: Honours and Awards Program and Overseas Cemeteries/Graves.
Constraints and Limitations
- Data on Funeral and Burial Program applicants is contained in a database administered by the Last Post Fund. VAC systems do not currently contain any information on Funeral and Burial benefits, and the Last Post Fund has limited reporting capabilities for socio-economic information. Additionally, some Veterans were not clients of VAC at the time of death, and therefore there was no information available for analysis in the VAC system. There were some challenges consolidating data from the two systems but the evaluation was able to analyze a substantial subset of the program recipients.
- The evaluation team did not speak directly with Funeral and Burial Program applicants/recipients. As a mitigation, the team spoke with Last Post Fund staff who communicate with applicants, and reviewed client experience survey results.
- Travel restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic limited the evaluation team’s ability to conduct on-site field work (including observation of Veteran grave markers). The evaluation team relied on virtual interviews and observations in lieu of in-person meetings and business process observations.