Question Period Note: FUNERAL AND BURIAL PROGRAM

• The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring Veterans receive a dignified funeral and burial.

• The Funeral and Burial Program is delivered by the Last Post Fund Corporation, an independent, non-profit organization, on behalf of Veterans Affairs Canada.

• Financial assistance toward funeral, burial and grave marking expenses is provided to eligible Veterans who die of a service-related injury or illness or whose estate does not have sufficient funds.

• An evaluation of the Funeral and Burial Program noted the possibility that some Veterans eligible for assistance may be missed, specifically Veterans who are single, Veterans in receipt of disability benefits for certain conditions, Veterans in receipt of low income benefits, and Veterans who are homeless or at risk for homelessness.

• Veterans Affairs Canada has implemented internal measures, updating its business processes and messaging, to improve access to funeral and burial assistance for these Veterans.

BACKGROUND – FUNERAL AND BURIAL PROGRAM

The Funeral and Burial Program provides financial assistance toward funeral, burial and grave marking expenses of eligible Veterans to recognize their service to Canada. The program is delivered by the Last Post Fund Corporation, an independent, non-profit organization, on behalf of Veterans Affairs Canada.

The program provides assistance to former members of the Canadian Armed Forces or any predecessor naval, army or air force of Canada or Newfoundland

• who died of a service-related disability for which he/she is in receipt of Veterans Affairs Canada disability pension or award (matter-of-right)
OR
• whose death is not related to service and who meets the means-testing criteria (means test).

Improvements have been made to the Funeral and Burial Program in the last several years, including increasing the funeral services reimbursement rate to $7,376 and expanding program eligibility for modern-day Veterans of modest means. On
October 1, 2016, Veterans Affairs Canada increased the amount of the survivor’s estate exemption under the Funeral and Burial Program from $12,015 to $35,279 to ensure more Veterans receive a dignified funeral and burial. The amount is indexed annually based on the Consumer Price Index. As of January 1, 2019, the survivor’s estate exemption amount is $ $37,000.

The March 2017 Evaluation of Commemorative Benefits and Services report recommended that measures be implemented to increase access to funeral and burial financial assistance for Veterans receiving benefits and/or services for low income and/or homelessness (means-tested), and for single/widowed Veterans and Veterans in receipt of disability benefits for certain conditions (matter-of-right). Veterans Affairs Canada accepted this recommendation and developed a management action plan in response.

Veterans Affairs Canada has implemented measures (e.g. generating detailed exception reports and establishing follow-up actions) to help increase access to funeral and burial means-tested financial assistance for Veterans who were in receipt of benefits for low income and/or have been identified as homeless/ having increased risk for homelessness.

Veterans Affairs Canada has developed and released internal communication messaging to its field operations that emphasizes/confirms the requirement to render matter-of-right decisions for single Veterans.

Veterans Affairs Canada has developed a referral process for decisions aimed at ensuring matter-of-right consideration for the survivors/estates of Veterans who were in receipt of disability benefits for certain conditions.

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