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Pension For Life
by Guest Thu 14 Dec 2017, 1:11 pm
Liberals to unveil lifetime pensions next week, but veterans say amounts too low
/arc-anglerfish-tgam-prod-tgam.s3.amazonaws.com/public/QZKBCO7IIZEW7NFMNOTY2CSZ2A.JPG)
Veteran Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan gestures during an interview in his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 6, 2017.
GLORIA GALLOWAY
OTTAWA
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 14, 2017
The federal government is preparing to offer disabled veterans who retired in the past 12 years the lifetime pensions they have demanded but the amounts being discussed are far lower than what is given to those who left the Canadian Forces before 2006.
A source says Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan will announce next Tuesday that veterans who fall under the New Veterans Charter will be entitled to receive lifetime pensions of up to $1,200 a month. Sources say those payments will kick in in 2019.
A spokesman for Mr. O'Regan said Thursday that neither the date of the announcement nor the amount of the pensions has been decided. But the numbers, which originate with a government official, are now floating around the veterans community.
Newer veterans, including those who served in Afghanistan, have complained for years that the veterans who retired before 2006 received a superior compensation package to those who retired after the New Veterans Charter, which was approved by all parties in the House of Commons and implemented under the Conservative government, became law.
While the old Pension Act provided lifetime pensions, which now amount to more than $2,700 a month for qualified veterans, the charter was based primarily on lump-sum payments plus other benefits that vary according to the degree of disability and the toll it has taken on the veteran and his family.
The Liberals campaigned in the 2015 election on a promise to reinstate the lifetime pensions but doing so has proved to be more difficult and costly than anticipated. If the announcement takes place next week, it will have taken more than two years since the vote that brought Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to office for the pension promise to be kept.
Just last week, the B.C. Court of Appeal struck down a claim by six disabled veterans who are part of what is known as the Equitas lawsuit, which demanded reinstatement of the lifetime pensions and equality with vets who fall under the Pension Act.
And, even though the pensions are now about to be announced, those veterans are not happy.
Aaron Bedard, one of the Equitas veterans who suffered severe post-traumatic stress disorder, said he and other veterans heard through unofficial sources on Thursday that there would be a cap of $1,200 on the pensions.
That is not acceptable, said Mr. Bedard.
"If this is in fact what it will be, then we will be forced to apply for leave to the Supreme Court of Canada to be heard, to help our case progress and to keep up the fight," he said. "That's not parity to the Pension Act."
Two years ago, officials at Veterans Affairs were discussing pensions that would amount to $1,450 a month for the veterans of the New Veterans Charter and that plan was abandoned because it was unacceptable to the Equitas vets, Mr. Bedard said.
When the appeal court ruled against the veterans last week, Mr. O'Regan said in a statement that his department will work to strengthen support to forces members, veterans and their families by providing support necessary for financial independence.
"We remain committed to a lifelong benefit option for ill and injured veterans," Mr. O'Regan said, "and we will finalize a benefit-for-life option for pension program for ill and injured veterans soon."
The government promised in the last federal budget to announce its plan for bringing back lifetime pensions before the end of this year.
The pensions would be in addition to other payments currently made to disabled veterans under the New Veterans Charter including the Permanent Injury Allowance, the Career Impact Allowance and the Earnings Loss Benefit, although the terms of those benefits are expected to be revised when the pensions are announced.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/liberals-to-unveil-lifetime-pensions-next-week-but-veterans-say-amounts-too-low/article37325015/
Veteran Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan gestures during an interview in his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Dec. 6, 2017.
GLORIA GALLOWAY
OTTAWA
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 14, 2017
The federal government is preparing to offer disabled veterans who retired in the past 12 years the lifetime pensions they have demanded but the amounts being discussed are far lower than what is given to those who left the Canadian Forces before 2006.
A source says Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan will announce next Tuesday that veterans who fall under the New Veterans Charter will be entitled to receive lifetime pensions of up to $1,200 a month. Sources say those payments will kick in in 2019.
A spokesman for Mr. O'Regan said Thursday that neither the date of the announcement nor the amount of the pensions has been decided. But the numbers, which originate with a government official, are now floating around the veterans community.
Newer veterans, including those who served in Afghanistan, have complained for years that the veterans who retired before 2006 received a superior compensation package to those who retired after the New Veterans Charter, which was approved by all parties in the House of Commons and implemented under the Conservative government, became law.
While the old Pension Act provided lifetime pensions, which now amount to more than $2,700 a month for qualified veterans, the charter was based primarily on lump-sum payments plus other benefits that vary according to the degree of disability and the toll it has taken on the veteran and his family.
The Liberals campaigned in the 2015 election on a promise to reinstate the lifetime pensions but doing so has proved to be more difficult and costly than anticipated. If the announcement takes place next week, it will have taken more than two years since the vote that brought Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to office for the pension promise to be kept.
Just last week, the B.C. Court of Appeal struck down a claim by six disabled veterans who are part of what is known as the Equitas lawsuit, which demanded reinstatement of the lifetime pensions and equality with vets who fall under the Pension Act.
And, even though the pensions are now about to be announced, those veterans are not happy.
Aaron Bedard, one of the Equitas veterans who suffered severe post-traumatic stress disorder, said he and other veterans heard through unofficial sources on Thursday that there would be a cap of $1,200 on the pensions.
That is not acceptable, said Mr. Bedard.
"If this is in fact what it will be, then we will be forced to apply for leave to the Supreme Court of Canada to be heard, to help our case progress and to keep up the fight," he said. "That's not parity to the Pension Act."
Two years ago, officials at Veterans Affairs were discussing pensions that would amount to $1,450 a month for the veterans of the New Veterans Charter and that plan was abandoned because it was unacceptable to the Equitas vets, Mr. Bedard said.
When the appeal court ruled against the veterans last week, Mr. O'Regan said in a statement that his department will work to strengthen support to forces members, veterans and their families by providing support necessary for financial independence.
"We remain committed to a lifelong benefit option for ill and injured veterans," Mr. O'Regan said, "and we will finalize a benefit-for-life option for pension program for ill and injured veterans soon."
The government promised in the last federal budget to announce its plan for bringing back lifetime pensions before the end of this year.
The pensions would be in addition to other payments currently made to disabled veterans under the New Veterans Charter including the Permanent Injury Allowance, the Career Impact Allowance and the Earnings Loss Benefit, although the terms of those benefits are expected to be revised when the pensions are announced.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/liberals-to-unveil-lifetime-pensions-next-week-but-veterans-say-amounts-too-low/article37325015/
Guest- Guest
Re: Pension For Life
by Trooper Fri 15 Dec 2017, 7:03 am
Veterans brace for battle and disappointment as pension decision looms
Ex-soldier says Liberal plan for veterans pension must be tax-free and end unfair clawbacks
By Murray Brewster, CBC News --- Posted: Dec 14, 2017
The Liberal government's plan to give wounded ex-soldiers "the option" of a lifetime pension will be a complicated two-part rejigging of the current system, CBC News has learned.
A series of sources with knowledge of the file say the first component involves recognizing the pain and suffering of injuries with either the existing lump sum award, or a monthly tax-free payment to a maximum of $1,200 per month.
The second component is a "bundling of existing benefits" already available under the often-maligned New Veterans Charter.
The plan, to be released on Tuesday — a week after the House of Commons recess — has been two years in the making.
The veterans community was awash with rumours Thursday after some advocates had background conversations with senior veterans affairs officials.
Changes to the system are not expected to come into effect until 2019, said the sources who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the file.
A spokesman for Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan said the government is committed to delivering on its promise, but would not talk about any details.
"We remain committed to a lifelong benefit option for ill and injured veterans," said Alex Wellstead. "Options and numbers are not nailed down."
The plan will likely not reduce the political heat from veterans groups who have, since the 2015 election, been expecting a major overhaul and a return to what they perceive is a more generous regime.
No parity with previous regime
At the heart of their dissatisfaction was the switch in 2006 away from lifetime pensions for wounds sustained in the line of duty towards a system of lump sum payments with a maximum expenditure of $376,000.
That will not change, the sources said, and the Liberal plan for monthly payments represents the maximum "amortized over time" at the discretion of injured veteran, up to the age of 80.
A policy group that advised former veterans minister Kent Hehr warned him last spring not to go down the road of amortizing the existing benefit.
The average pain and suffering award is $43,000, according to Veterans Affairs Canada documents obtained by CBC News under access to information legislation.
That means very few wounded soldiers would ever see the entire $1,200 per month payment which will be touted next week.
Under the old pension act severely wounded soldiers would have received up $2,700 per month, but Liberal government sources have long said that their changes "would not seek parity" with the previous system.
Call to end clawbacks
It is that disparity that was at the heart of the class action lawsuit by veterans of the Afghan war — a case that was recently thrown out by the B.C. Court of Appeal.
The ex-soldiers claimed they were being discriminated against because the changes were introduced halfway through the war — creating a situation where troops injured in the same conflict at different times would get different benefits.
The Liberals, in the last election, promised to change that by giving soldiers the option of a lump sum or a lifetime pension.
One of the people involved the court case said the changes the government is about to make need to meet a simple test in order to satisfy aggrieved ex-soldiers.
"The bar the government has to meet is parity with the pension act in terms of the net dollars in a veteran's pocket every month," said retired major Mark Campbell, who had both legs blown off in Afghanistan in a booby-trapped ditch.
"It can only be a real pension if the benefits are tax free and if there is no clawback of their military pension as part of the disability payment."
'Bundling of existing benefits'
The government has repeatedly argued that the new system is just as generous when one takes into account taxable entitlements such as the earnings loss benefit and the permanent impairment allowance.
But Campbell said what doesn't get mentioned is the pension clawback, which is "huge" for veterans.
Veterans have complained that that portion of the system is mind-boggling in its complexity and next week's changes are expected to address that by the "bundling of existing benefits."
The Trudeau government signalled in last spring's budget that it would have something to say before the end of the year on the issue of veterans pensions.
It has already put an estimated $6.3 billion put into improved veterans services, including the reopening of nine regional offices shuttered by the previous government; and the rehiring of both claims processing staff and case managers at Veterans Affairs.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/vets-pension-fight-1.4449710
Ex-soldier says Liberal plan for veterans pension must be tax-free and end unfair clawbacks
By Murray Brewster, CBC News --- Posted: Dec 14, 2017
The Liberal government's plan to give wounded ex-soldiers "the option" of a lifetime pension will be a complicated two-part rejigging of the current system, CBC News has learned.
A series of sources with knowledge of the file say the first component involves recognizing the pain and suffering of injuries with either the existing lump sum award, or a monthly tax-free payment to a maximum of $1,200 per month.
The second component is a "bundling of existing benefits" already available under the often-maligned New Veterans Charter.
The plan, to be released on Tuesday — a week after the House of Commons recess — has been two years in the making.
The veterans community was awash with rumours Thursday after some advocates had background conversations with senior veterans affairs officials.
Changes to the system are not expected to come into effect until 2019, said the sources who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the file.
A spokesman for Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan said the government is committed to delivering on its promise, but would not talk about any details.
"We remain committed to a lifelong benefit option for ill and injured veterans," said Alex Wellstead. "Options and numbers are not nailed down."
The plan will likely not reduce the political heat from veterans groups who have, since the 2015 election, been expecting a major overhaul and a return to what they perceive is a more generous regime.
No parity with previous regime
At the heart of their dissatisfaction was the switch in 2006 away from lifetime pensions for wounds sustained in the line of duty towards a system of lump sum payments with a maximum expenditure of $376,000.
That will not change, the sources said, and the Liberal plan for monthly payments represents the maximum "amortized over time" at the discretion of injured veteran, up to the age of 80.
A policy group that advised former veterans minister Kent Hehr warned him last spring not to go down the road of amortizing the existing benefit.
The average pain and suffering award is $43,000, according to Veterans Affairs Canada documents obtained by CBC News under access to information legislation.
That means very few wounded soldiers would ever see the entire $1,200 per month payment which will be touted next week.
Under the old pension act severely wounded soldiers would have received up $2,700 per month, but Liberal government sources have long said that their changes "would not seek parity" with the previous system.
Call to end clawbacks
It is that disparity that was at the heart of the class action lawsuit by veterans of the Afghan war — a case that was recently thrown out by the B.C. Court of Appeal.
The ex-soldiers claimed they were being discriminated against because the changes were introduced halfway through the war — creating a situation where troops injured in the same conflict at different times would get different benefits.
The Liberals, in the last election, promised to change that by giving soldiers the option of a lump sum or a lifetime pension.
One of the people involved the court case said the changes the government is about to make need to meet a simple test in order to satisfy aggrieved ex-soldiers.
"The bar the government has to meet is parity with the pension act in terms of the net dollars in a veteran's pocket every month," said retired major Mark Campbell, who had both legs blown off in Afghanistan in a booby-trapped ditch.
"It can only be a real pension if the benefits are tax free and if there is no clawback of their military pension as part of the disability payment."
'Bundling of existing benefits'
The government has repeatedly argued that the new system is just as generous when one takes into account taxable entitlements such as the earnings loss benefit and the permanent impairment allowance.
But Campbell said what doesn't get mentioned is the pension clawback, which is "huge" for veterans.
Veterans have complained that that portion of the system is mind-boggling in its complexity and next week's changes are expected to address that by the "bundling of existing benefits."
The Trudeau government signalled in last spring's budget that it would have something to say before the end of the year on the issue of veterans pensions.
It has already put an estimated $6.3 billion put into improved veterans services, including the reopening of nine regional offices shuttered by the previous government; and the rehiring of both claims processing staff and case managers at Veterans Affairs.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/vets-pension-fight-1.4449710
Trooper- Administrator
- Posts : 1275
Join date : 2017-10-07 -
Re: Pension For Life
by Trooper Mon 18 Dec 2017, 7:11 am
Ottawa must fulfill sacred obligation to injured veterans: Editorial
The costs of the best possible care for our veterans should be built into any decision that puts soldiers in harm’s way.
By Star Editorial Board
Mon., Dec. 18, 2017
In opposition and on the campaign trail Justin Trudeau was unequivocal about the federal government’s “sacred obligation” to those who have fought, and especially those who have been injured, for Canada. Yet in office, his commitment to veterans, to this moral duty, has not always been apparent. This week, when the government finally announces its overdue plan to restore lifetime pensions for injured soldiers, Trudeau’s rhetoric will be put to the test.
Sadly, reports of the frugal sums the government is purportedly set to offer suggest this is a test Trudeau may fail. According to unnamed government sources in the Globe and Mail and CBC News, Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan plans finally to deliver on the Liberals’ promise to restore the lifetime pensions scrapped by the Harper government, but at a hugely reduced rate. So much, it seems, for the sacred obligation.
That a country that chooses to send soldiers into harm’s way has a duty to care for them upon their return may seem self-evident. But in Canada it has long been a matter of some controversy.
Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, responding to a 2012 class-action lawsuit from six injured Afghan war veterans, claimed the government did not in fact have a “sacred obligation” to veterans. The lawsuit revolved around the Tories’ stingy New Veterans Charter, which, among other things, replaced lifetime pensions for injured veterans with a lump-sum payment, the value of which many veterans will simply outlive.
In opposition, Trudeau repeatedly denounced his rival’s dereliction and called on the Harper government to “start giving our veterans the help they deserve.” He promised, if elected, to bring back the lifetime pensions.
Once in office, the Trudeau government did invest significantly to restore services for veterans that had been cut under Harper. Yet progress on the pension front proved maddeningly slow. In the Liberals’ first budget, they ignored the issue. In their second, they still provided no money, committing only to establish a lifetime pension option by year’s end. Now, just under the wire, the government is set to announce a plan that critics say falls well short of what’s needed.
Apparently, under the new plan, veterans who qualify for benefits under the New Veterans Charter will, as of 2019, be entitled to a pension of up to $1,200 per month, with a maximum benefit of $376,000 over time. That’s the same total offered under the current policy, amortized over 30 years, and it amounts to less than half of the maximum $2,700-per-month benefit awarded to severely injured soldiers who left the military before 2006.
Advocates are understandably upset that the new amounts are insufficient to guarantee veterans a dignified post-military life. Many are also rightly concerned by the inequity that a soldier disabled early in the Afghan war, for instance, will be significantly better off than one who was injured later.
The government’s plan, as reported, would also consolidate a number of other benefits, simplifying a dauntingly prolix system. That’s a welcome move, but surely improving access to still-inadequate benefits fulfills neither the government’s promise nor its duty.
O’Regan, the veterans affairs minister, claims the specific amounts of the new pension have yet to be determined. If true, that’s good news. The government should listen to the critics, recall its earlier commitments, and finally fulfill Ottawa’s sacred obligation. The costs of the best possible care for our veterans should be built into any decision that puts soldiers in harm’s way.
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2017/12/18/ottawa-must-fulfill-sacred-obligation-to-injured-veterans-editorial.html
The costs of the best possible care for our veterans should be built into any decision that puts soldiers in harm’s way.
By Star Editorial Board
Mon., Dec. 18, 2017
In opposition and on the campaign trail Justin Trudeau was unequivocal about the federal government’s “sacred obligation” to those who have fought, and especially those who have been injured, for Canada. Yet in office, his commitment to veterans, to this moral duty, has not always been apparent. This week, when the government finally announces its overdue plan to restore lifetime pensions for injured soldiers, Trudeau’s rhetoric will be put to the test.
Sadly, reports of the frugal sums the government is purportedly set to offer suggest this is a test Trudeau may fail. According to unnamed government sources in the Globe and Mail and CBC News, Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan plans finally to deliver on the Liberals’ promise to restore the lifetime pensions scrapped by the Harper government, but at a hugely reduced rate. So much, it seems, for the sacred obligation.
That a country that chooses to send soldiers into harm’s way has a duty to care for them upon their return may seem self-evident. But in Canada it has long been a matter of some controversy.
Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, responding to a 2012 class-action lawsuit from six injured Afghan war veterans, claimed the government did not in fact have a “sacred obligation” to veterans. The lawsuit revolved around the Tories’ stingy New Veterans Charter, which, among other things, replaced lifetime pensions for injured veterans with a lump-sum payment, the value of which many veterans will simply outlive.
In opposition, Trudeau repeatedly denounced his rival’s dereliction and called on the Harper government to “start giving our veterans the help they deserve.” He promised, if elected, to bring back the lifetime pensions.
Once in office, the Trudeau government did invest significantly to restore services for veterans that had been cut under Harper. Yet progress on the pension front proved maddeningly slow. In the Liberals’ first budget, they ignored the issue. In their second, they still provided no money, committing only to establish a lifetime pension option by year’s end. Now, just under the wire, the government is set to announce a plan that critics say falls well short of what’s needed.
Apparently, under the new plan, veterans who qualify for benefits under the New Veterans Charter will, as of 2019, be entitled to a pension of up to $1,200 per month, with a maximum benefit of $376,000 over time. That’s the same total offered under the current policy, amortized over 30 years, and it amounts to less than half of the maximum $2,700-per-month benefit awarded to severely injured soldiers who left the military before 2006.
Advocates are understandably upset that the new amounts are insufficient to guarantee veterans a dignified post-military life. Many are also rightly concerned by the inequity that a soldier disabled early in the Afghan war, for instance, will be significantly better off than one who was injured later.
The government’s plan, as reported, would also consolidate a number of other benefits, simplifying a dauntingly prolix system. That’s a welcome move, but surely improving access to still-inadequate benefits fulfills neither the government’s promise nor its duty.
O’Regan, the veterans affairs minister, claims the specific amounts of the new pension have yet to be determined. If true, that’s good news. The government should listen to the critics, recall its earlier commitments, and finally fulfill Ottawa’s sacred obligation. The costs of the best possible care for our veterans should be built into any decision that puts soldiers in harm’s way.
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2017/12/18/ottawa-must-fulfill-sacred-obligation-to-injured-veterans-editorial.html
Trooper- Administrator
- Posts : 1275
Join date : 2017-10-07 -
Re: Pension For Life
by Stayner Tue 19 Dec 2017, 12:47 pm
Veterans brace for Liberals' long-promised disability pension plan
Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan will unveil the pension scheme on Wednesday, more than two years after it was first promised during the 2015 federal election.
http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/veterans-brace-for-liberals-long-promised-disability-pension-plan
Media Advisory - Government of Canada to announce Pension for Life for Veterans
http://news.morningstar.com/all/canada-news-wire/20171219C3826/media-advisory-government-of-canada-to-announce-pension-for-life-for-veterans.aspx
Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan will unveil the pension scheme on Wednesday, more than two years after it was first promised during the 2015 federal election.
http://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/veterans-brace-for-liberals-long-promised-disability-pension-plan
Media Advisory - Government of Canada to announce Pension for Life for Veterans
http://news.morningstar.com/all/canada-news-wire/20171219C3826/media-advisory-government-of-canada-to-announce-pension-for-life-for-veterans.aspx
Stayner- Registered User
- Posts : 280
Join date : 2017-10-11
Stayner- Registered User
- Posts : 280
Join date : 2017-10-11
Re: Pension For Life
by Trooper Thu 21 Dec 2017, 7:17 am
Ottawa offers lifetime pensions for veterans but parity with old Pension Act not achieved
/arc-anglerfish-tgam-prod-tgam.s3.amazonaws.com/public/KRP445JZHNGN7PUAGELRLIJDBU.JPG)
Minister of Veterans Affairs Seamus O'Regan is seen during an announcement at National Defence head quarters in Ottawa, Wednesday December 20, 2017. The Trudeau government is promising to provide injured veterans with more financial compensation and assistance in the form of long-promised lifelong disability pensions.
GLORIA GALLOWAY
OTTAWA
PUBLISHED Dec 20, 2017
Canada's most severely disabled recent veterans will gain financial stability for life under a proposed federal plan. However, many injured vets will see only modest gains, if any, and those hoping for parity with the amounts offered under the old Pension Act will likely be disappointed.
The "pensions for life" that were unveiled by the Liberal government on Wednesday include a tax-free monthly pension payment, and a top-up, for pain and suffering.
The government is also amalgamating six pre-existing benefits for veterans whose service-related health problems make it difficult for them to find work into one taxable income-replacement benefit.
The combination of the pain and suffering benefits and the income replacement means the veteran who is 100-per-cent disabled – someone described as having multiple amputations plus post-traumatic stress disorder – will receive more than he or she would have under the old Pension Act.
And they will get much more than what was offered under the New Veterans Charter, which replaced the Pension Act in 2006.
But Veterans Affairs officials say 80 per cent of veterans accessing benefits are assessed as being 30-per-cent disabled or less.
Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan said no one will lose money under the new plan.
But those whose service-related injuries are not considered severe will make less than they would have under the Pension Act. A lawsuit launched by six disabled Afghanistan veterans in 2012 demands parity with the veterans who retired when the act was in effect.
Aaron Bedard, one of the vets who is part of that suit, said of the new plan: "This announcement lacks so much detail that it has created chaos amongst veterans on social media."
Mr. O'Regan conceded his government "will not make everybody happy with this" but it is a good and fair option for veterans. "We wanted to make the most of this program," he said, "and we pushed this as far as we could."
Under the New Veterans Charter, disabled veterans could receive a lump-sum payment of up to $360,000 – an amount that is rarely awarded – depending upon the severity of their injury, plus a myriad of other benefits that target specific issues.
Under the new plan, those who retire with a service-related injury will qualify for a life-time tax-free pension for pain and suffering of as much as $1,150 per month. In addition, if they are having difficulty re-establishing their lives because of a severe and permanent injury, they may receive an additional $500, $1,000, or $1,500 a month, depending on the extent of their impairment.
Both of those benefits can be taken as a lump-sum award to a maximum of $360,000. But, if a veteran is severely disabled at a young age and lives into their 80s, the accumulated monthly payments will far outstrip the lump sum.
"We very much want people to take up the monthly option," Mr. O'Regan said. "We wanted to make it lucrative enough that they would want to."
Those veterans who have already received a lump-sum award still qualify for the life-time pension, but the money they have been given will be deducted when the government calculates their monthly payment.
In addition to the pension, four existing benefits – the Earnings Loss Benefit, the Extended Earnings Loss Benefit, the Supplementary Retirement Benefit and the Retirement Income Security Benefit – will be replaced with an Income Replacement Benefit that pays 90 per cent of the prerelease salary of a veteran who is so disabled they cannot work.
And two other benefits – the career Impact Allowance and the career Impact Allowance Supplement – will be replaced by an annual increase of one per cent of the Income Replacement Benefit for those veterans whose career progression has been cut short.
The government will allow vets to make as much as $20,000 before the Income Replacement Benefit is clawed back dollar for dollar.
All of the changes would take effect on April 1, 2019 because they must be approved in legislation and it will take time to put them in place.
"I don't think it is fair to make veterans wait any more time than they have to, to be honest with you," said Mr. O'Regan when asked about the delay. "All I can do is look them in the eye and say we are doing our level best."
A veteran who is 100-per-cent disabled at the age of 25, with a prerelease salary of $60,168 would stand to make $3.758-million over the course of an average lifetime under the new life-time pension and the Income Replacement Benefit.
But veterans who are moderately disabled will receive only a prorated portion of the maximum lifetime pension of $1,150 per month. Under the Pension Act, their pension would have been calculated as a percentage of as much as $2773.47 per month.
"So the vast majority of veterans lose in this case" compared with what the Pension Act offered, said veterans advocate Sean Bruyea. And despite the government's efforts to streamline the benefit, Mr. Bruyea said the complicated new system "is going to create a nightmare of anxiety for veterans, for family members."
Minister of Veterans Affairs Seamus O'Regan is seen during an announcement at National Defence head quarters in Ottawa, Wednesday December 20, 2017. The Trudeau government is promising to provide injured veterans with more financial compensation and assistance in the form of long-promised lifelong disability pensions.
GLORIA GALLOWAY
OTTAWA
PUBLISHED Dec 20, 2017
Canada's most severely disabled recent veterans will gain financial stability for life under a proposed federal plan. However, many injured vets will see only modest gains, if any, and those hoping for parity with the amounts offered under the old Pension Act will likely be disappointed.
The "pensions for life" that were unveiled by the Liberal government on Wednesday include a tax-free monthly pension payment, and a top-up, for pain and suffering.
The government is also amalgamating six pre-existing benefits for veterans whose service-related health problems make it difficult for them to find work into one taxable income-replacement benefit.
The combination of the pain and suffering benefits and the income replacement means the veteran who is 100-per-cent disabled – someone described as having multiple amputations plus post-traumatic stress disorder – will receive more than he or she would have under the old Pension Act.
And they will get much more than what was offered under the New Veterans Charter, which replaced the Pension Act in 2006.
But Veterans Affairs officials say 80 per cent of veterans accessing benefits are assessed as being 30-per-cent disabled or less.
Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O'Regan said no one will lose money under the new plan.
But those whose service-related injuries are not considered severe will make less than they would have under the Pension Act. A lawsuit launched by six disabled Afghanistan veterans in 2012 demands parity with the veterans who retired when the act was in effect.
Aaron Bedard, one of the vets who is part of that suit, said of the new plan: "This announcement lacks so much detail that it has created chaos amongst veterans on social media."
Mr. O'Regan conceded his government "will not make everybody happy with this" but it is a good and fair option for veterans. "We wanted to make the most of this program," he said, "and we pushed this as far as we could."
Under the New Veterans Charter, disabled veterans could receive a lump-sum payment of up to $360,000 – an amount that is rarely awarded – depending upon the severity of their injury, plus a myriad of other benefits that target specific issues.
Under the new plan, those who retire with a service-related injury will qualify for a life-time tax-free pension for pain and suffering of as much as $1,150 per month. In addition, if they are having difficulty re-establishing their lives because of a severe and permanent injury, they may receive an additional $500, $1,000, or $1,500 a month, depending on the extent of their impairment.
Both of those benefits can be taken as a lump-sum award to a maximum of $360,000. But, if a veteran is severely disabled at a young age and lives into their 80s, the accumulated monthly payments will far outstrip the lump sum.
"We very much want people to take up the monthly option," Mr. O'Regan said. "We wanted to make it lucrative enough that they would want to."
Those veterans who have already received a lump-sum award still qualify for the life-time pension, but the money they have been given will be deducted when the government calculates their monthly payment.
In addition to the pension, four existing benefits – the Earnings Loss Benefit, the Extended Earnings Loss Benefit, the Supplementary Retirement Benefit and the Retirement Income Security Benefit – will be replaced with an Income Replacement Benefit that pays 90 per cent of the prerelease salary of a veteran who is so disabled they cannot work.
And two other benefits – the career Impact Allowance and the career Impact Allowance Supplement – will be replaced by an annual increase of one per cent of the Income Replacement Benefit for those veterans whose career progression has been cut short.
The government will allow vets to make as much as $20,000 before the Income Replacement Benefit is clawed back dollar for dollar.
All of the changes would take effect on April 1, 2019 because they must be approved in legislation and it will take time to put them in place.
"I don't think it is fair to make veterans wait any more time than they have to, to be honest with you," said Mr. O'Regan when asked about the delay. "All I can do is look them in the eye and say we are doing our level best."
A veteran who is 100-per-cent disabled at the age of 25, with a prerelease salary of $60,168 would stand to make $3.758-million over the course of an average lifetime under the new life-time pension and the Income Replacement Benefit.
But veterans who are moderately disabled will receive only a prorated portion of the maximum lifetime pension of $1,150 per month. Under the Pension Act, their pension would have been calculated as a percentage of as much as $2773.47 per month.
"So the vast majority of veterans lose in this case" compared with what the Pension Act offered, said veterans advocate Sean Bruyea. And despite the government's efforts to streamline the benefit, Mr. Bruyea said the complicated new system "is going to create a nightmare of anxiety for veterans, for family members."
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Re: Pension For Life
by Trooper Thu 21 Dec 2017, 7:46 am
Liberals unveil new pension plan for injured veterans Dec 20, 2017
Video: https://globalnews.ca/video/3928371/liberals-unveil-new-pension-plan-for-injured-veterans
Video: https://globalnews.ca/video/3928371/liberals-unveil-new-pension-plan-for-injured-veterans
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Re: Pension For Life
by Spider Thu 21 Dec 2017, 2:25 pm
The Royal Canadian Legion responds to new pension for life option for Veterans
http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-royal-canadian-legion-responds-to-new-pension-for-life-option-for-veterans-665717973.html
http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-royal-canadian-legion-responds-to-new-pension-for-life-option-for-veterans-665717973.html
Spider- CF Coordinator
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Join date : 2017-10-08
Re: Pension For Life
by Trooper Fri 22 Dec 2017, 6:37 am
Confusion, frustration greet Liberals’ pension plan for disabled veterans
Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press | December 21, 2017
OTTAWA — The federal Liberal government’s long-awaited plan to provide lifelong disability pensions to veterans has led to confusion and frustration for many of those that it’s aiming to help.
Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan unveiled the new pension plan on Wednesday, more than two years after the Liberals promised it during the last federal election and only days before Christmas.
The plan promises more money to injured veterans than the current suite of benefits, especially the most severely disabled who can’t work and continue to suffer from service-related injuries.
Yet it offers only modest increases to those on the other end of the spectrum and it continues to provide many with less than the previous lifelong disability pensions.
“We were focused in this program on those who are catastrophically injured,” O’Regan explained during a news conference at National Defence Headquarters.
“Those who have received a disability or an illness during their service. Those who have a hard time going back to work. Those who have a hard time, as they say, re-establishing themselves.”
The plan, which comes with an expected cost of $3.6 billion over six years, will take effect in April 2019.
Veterans and support groups were scrambling after the announcement to figure out exactly how the changes would affect them and their clients, citing a lack of detail as a major complaint.
“It’s confusing,” said Jim Lowther, president of VETS Canada, which support homeless veterans in different cities across the country. “We’ve been going over this all morning, but it’s very vague.”
Veterans receive financial benefits and compensation based on the extent of their injuries or disabilities and whether those factors have an impact on their post-military career and earnings.
The existing system, created in 2006, provides a lump-sum worth up to $360,000 for the most severely disabled, in addition to rehabilitation, career training and income support.
While veterans who want the money right away will still be able to choose the lump-sum payment, the Liberals are also giving them the choice of a monthly payment instead worth up to $1,150.
Those with severe or permanent disabilities will also be eligible for an additional new benefit worth between $500 and $1,500 per month. Both benefits are tax free.
Officials said the more than 61,000 veterans who have already received a lump-sum award will be assessed to determine how much they would have received per month. They’ll also be eligible for the new benefit, which officials said would be retroactive and could result in substantial one-time payments.
The government will also lump together six different benefits for veterans who can’t find work or whose post-military careers pay less than when they were serving in uniform.
Yet it wasn’t immediately clear who will be eligible for different elements of the new pension plan or even which of the income-replacement programs will remain in existence after they merge.
O’Regan guaranteed no disabled veteran would end up with less money, and the department plans to launch an advertising campaign to educate former service members about the plan.
“All of those covered under the [existing] new veterans charter will be automatically assessed against the new pension-for-life program,” said O’Regan.
“And no individual will be subject to a net-decrease in overall benefit.”
But that didn’t stop many on social media from questioning whether they would see any real benefits or prevent concerns about clawing back existing supports.
“They’ve created chaos with a vague presentation,” said Aaron Bedard, one of six disabled Afghan veterans who launched a legal challenge against the federal government in an unsuccessful bid to force a return to the previous system.
“It’s like watching Game of Thrones: You get a couple of answers but you end up with a dozen new questions.”
The Liberals’ new plan also came under criticism for continuing to offer less financial support for the majority of veterans than the lifelong pension system that existed prior to 2006.
“So we still have this ludicrous situation where you can have two guys with the same injuries from the same war but at different times and getting different compensation,” said Mark Campbell, who lost both legs in Afghanistan.
“That’s fundamentally wrong, and it has not been addressed.”
The Conservatives and NDP were also critical that the new pensions wouldn’t come into effect until April 2019, which O’Regan said was necessary to pass required legislation and ensure Veterans Affairs staff are ready for the change.
http://www.benefitscanada.com/news/confusion-frustration-greet-liberals-pension-plan-for-disabled-veterans-108475
Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press | December 21, 2017
OTTAWA — The federal Liberal government’s long-awaited plan to provide lifelong disability pensions to veterans has led to confusion and frustration for many of those that it’s aiming to help.
Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan unveiled the new pension plan on Wednesday, more than two years after the Liberals promised it during the last federal election and only days before Christmas.
The plan promises more money to injured veterans than the current suite of benefits, especially the most severely disabled who can’t work and continue to suffer from service-related injuries.
Yet it offers only modest increases to those on the other end of the spectrum and it continues to provide many with less than the previous lifelong disability pensions.
“We were focused in this program on those who are catastrophically injured,” O’Regan explained during a news conference at National Defence Headquarters.
“Those who have received a disability or an illness during their service. Those who have a hard time going back to work. Those who have a hard time, as they say, re-establishing themselves.”
The plan, which comes with an expected cost of $3.6 billion over six years, will take effect in April 2019.
Veterans and support groups were scrambling after the announcement to figure out exactly how the changes would affect them and their clients, citing a lack of detail as a major complaint.
“It’s confusing,” said Jim Lowther, president of VETS Canada, which support homeless veterans in different cities across the country. “We’ve been going over this all morning, but it’s very vague.”
Veterans receive financial benefits and compensation based on the extent of their injuries or disabilities and whether those factors have an impact on their post-military career and earnings.
The existing system, created in 2006, provides a lump-sum worth up to $360,000 for the most severely disabled, in addition to rehabilitation, career training and income support.
While veterans who want the money right away will still be able to choose the lump-sum payment, the Liberals are also giving them the choice of a monthly payment instead worth up to $1,150.
Those with severe or permanent disabilities will also be eligible for an additional new benefit worth between $500 and $1,500 per month. Both benefits are tax free.
Officials said the more than 61,000 veterans who have already received a lump-sum award will be assessed to determine how much they would have received per month. They’ll also be eligible for the new benefit, which officials said would be retroactive and could result in substantial one-time payments.
The government will also lump together six different benefits for veterans who can’t find work or whose post-military careers pay less than when they were serving in uniform.
Yet it wasn’t immediately clear who will be eligible for different elements of the new pension plan or even which of the income-replacement programs will remain in existence after they merge.
O’Regan guaranteed no disabled veteran would end up with less money, and the department plans to launch an advertising campaign to educate former service members about the plan.
“All of those covered under the [existing] new veterans charter will be automatically assessed against the new pension-for-life program,” said O’Regan.
“And no individual will be subject to a net-decrease in overall benefit.”
But that didn’t stop many on social media from questioning whether they would see any real benefits or prevent concerns about clawing back existing supports.
“They’ve created chaos with a vague presentation,” said Aaron Bedard, one of six disabled Afghan veterans who launched a legal challenge against the federal government in an unsuccessful bid to force a return to the previous system.
“It’s like watching Game of Thrones: You get a couple of answers but you end up with a dozen new questions.”
The Liberals’ new plan also came under criticism for continuing to offer less financial support for the majority of veterans than the lifelong pension system that existed prior to 2006.
“So we still have this ludicrous situation where you can have two guys with the same injuries from the same war but at different times and getting different compensation,” said Mark Campbell, who lost both legs in Afghanistan.
“That’s fundamentally wrong, and it has not been addressed.”
The Conservatives and NDP were also critical that the new pensions wouldn’t come into effect until April 2019, which O’Regan said was necessary to pass required legislation and ensure Veterans Affairs staff are ready for the change.
http://www.benefitscanada.com/news/confusion-frustration-greet-liberals-pension-plan-for-disabled-veterans-108475
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Trooper- Administrator
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Re: Pension For Life
by Trooper Sat 23 Dec 2017, 8:49 am
How does the new, tax-free, monthly PAIN AND SUFFERING COMPENSATION work for me?
Example:
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/GCWeb/pdf/Retro/PFL-infographic.pdf
Example:
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/GCWeb/pdf/Retro/PFL-infographic.pdf
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Re: Pension For Life
by Trooper Sun 28 Jan 2018, 9:10 am
Pension for Life announcement | VeteransAffairsCa
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Re: Pension For Life
by Silversun Tue 06 Nov 2018, 11:31 am
Ottawa to save money with new veterans' pension plan, despite saying it will cost billions
Nov 06, 2018
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-government-will-save-money-on-veterans-new-pensions-for-life-despite/?fbclid=IwAR0y0kC4uWdfuItROUaG0zuuh1IzDhLZFeVqSMiumnEbUEVTaNBhy_qEXZ0
Nov 06, 2018
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-government-will-save-money-on-veterans-new-pensions-for-life-despite/?fbclid=IwAR0y0kC4uWdfuItROUaG0zuuh1IzDhLZFeVqSMiumnEbUEVTaNBhy_qEXZ0
Silversun- Benefits Coordinator
- Posts : 221
Join date : 2018-01-23
Re: Pension For Life
by Edgefore Wed 07 Nov 2018, 6:15 am
BETRAYAL: Trudeau Government ‘Pension For Life’ Promise To Veterans Actually CUTS Almost $500 MILLION Over Five Years
SPENCERFERNANDO - NOVEMBER 6, 2018
SPENCERFERNANDO - NOVEMBER 6, 2018
The lies from the federal government are endless.
When the Trudeau Liberals introduced their ‘pension for life’ promise to Veterans, they promised that it would lead to an increase of $3.6 billion in “additional” funding for Canadian Veterans.
But now, government documents reveal that the new pension system will actually result in almost $500 million less being spent on Veterans over the next five years, which means the Trudeau government is actually cutting nearly $500 million.
Here’s what was reported by the Globe & Mail:
“When the pensions were unveiled four days before Christmas last year, the government said they “represent an additional investment of close to $3.6-billion to support Canada’s Veterans.”
And on Jan. 31, Seamus O’Regan, the Minister of Veterans Affairs, told the House of Commons: “With our recent announcement of a Pension for Life, this government’s total investment in veterans in 2½ years is $10-billion” – a figure that includes the $3.6-billion for the pensions.
But the “additional” money for Pensions For Life, which come into effect in April, 2019, will be not be spent any time soon.
In fact, the government predicts in its most recent budget it will save $84-million in the next fiscal year and more than $100-million in each of the next four years as a result of the pensions program.
The savings are emphasized in the accompanying regulations, which were published in August.”
It’s another betrayal of Canadian Veterans.
The Trudeau government has been caught in another lie.
After two years supposedly getting the pension promise ready, they failed to do what they promised. Instead of simply restoring the original pension program and adjusting for inflation to bring payments to the right level, they changed it, and made it worse.
And now we find that even their new program actually cuts funding.
It’s disgusting, and it’s outrageous how the only time the Trudeau government seems worried about spending too much is when it comes to helping Canada’s Veterans.
Spencer Fernando
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