Question Period Note: EMERGENCY FUND

• When an urgent and unforeseen need is not covered under existing programs and services, the Veterans Emergency Fund is available to ensure the overall well-being of Veterans and their families as a short-term support mechanism while other longer-term arrangements for assistance are made.

• Budget 2017 included $4 million over four years, with $1 million each year ongoing, to establish a Veterans Emergency Fund to enable Veterans Affairs Canada to address unique and urgent situations.

• Access to this Fund is available to help armed forces Veterans or their family living in Canada whose well-being is at risk as a result of an urgent and unforeseen situation.

• This government is fully committed to well-being of Veterans and their families.

• We are committed to ensuring that Veterans receive the respect, support, care, and economic opportunities they deserve.

BACKGROUND – VETERAN EMERGENCY FUND

Statistics:
• As of August 31, 2019, there have been 1207 approvals for funding in various amounts.
• The fund provides a maximum of $1M per fiscal year to address emergency situations.
• In year one, the $1M was depleted on February 8, 2019 so Treasury Board approved a reallocation of $300,000 to keep the fund active until the end of the fiscal year.
• In year two, as of August 31, 2019, $649,252.45 has been provided to Veterans and their families to help them deal with urgent situations. It is estimated that the funding for year two will be depleted by mid-November 2019.
• VAC has received approval from Treasury Board to reallocate funds in the amount of $300,000 to keep the fund active and is monitoring the fund closely. Additional funding may be reallocated early in 2020 for the remainder of the fiscal year.

• As of August 31, 2019, 446 applications were denied. Examples of denied applications:
o Request for assistance with renovations to update a bathroom in a home
o Request to tear down and rebuild a storage shed on the Veterans property
o Request to pay a bill for a land survey.
• As the intent of the program is to deal with urgent and unforeseen situations for the most vulnerable Veterans and their families, Veterans Affairs Canada considers each individually on a case by case basis. While the program is not able to support ongoing financial payments such as rent and mortgage, Veterans Affairs Canada does consider these cases and can provide some short-term funding to give them time to find a longer term solution. Regardless of the situation, the Veterans Emergency Fund connects Veterans experiencing difficulties with Veterans Affairs Canada staff who work with them to help improve their situation. This includes providing guidance and help with Veterans Affairs Canada program applications and providing referrals to community services.

Service Standards:
• Veterans Affairs Canada staff are working diligently to get eligible VEF payments in to the hands of eligible clients as quickly as possible. The goal is to be able to provide payments for eligible expenses within 24-48 hours. This service standard, which is targeted at 80% of the time, is based on the field office staff having all the necessary information available to make a decision.
• As of January 30, 2019, 85% of decisions were made within 2 days. 95% of all decisions were made within six business days.
• The following factors have been noted and acknowledged by front-line staff during the course of program review as factors that may result in delays in making payments within 2 days:
• Clients often present without sufficient documentation to support their application. Staff do not consistently document “pauses” in the system while waiting for this information;
• Some clients are difficult to reach to confirm information, e.g. homeless clients, clients with mental health issues.
• Field Office staff often advocate and negotiate on behalf of clients for amounts, options, and methods of payment to help get the best result for clients.
• Payments may be issued to a client before a decision is finalized; however, system documentation of the estimated payment date is inconsistent and therefore cannot be used for reporting.

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