Question Period Note: ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE – VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA SERVICES AND SUPPORTS

• Veterans Affairs Canada has partnered with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for more than 60 years and has a Memorandum of Understanding to administer certain programs and benefits for serving and former members on behalf of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police sets the direction and has the authority over what programs and services are available to its current and former members.

• Veterans Affairs Canada provides a wide range of services and supports to current and former members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police including:
o service-related disability pensions and allowances;
o treatment benefits for pensioned conditions;
o access to Veterans Affairs Canada/Department of National Defence network of Operational Stress Injury Clinics; as well as,
o transition, case management and counselling services.

• Transition interviews are available to all releasing Royal Canadian Mounted Police members and their families up to six months prior to their release to minimize gaps in service delivery and to ensure a smooth transition.

BACKGROUND – VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA SERVICES AND SUPPORTS PROVIDED TO THE ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE (ROYAL CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE)

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police sets the direction and has the authority over what programs and services are available to its current and former members.

Funding for these benefits is provided to Veterans Affairs Canada by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Although Veterans Affairs Canada does not have legislative authority for the, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Department has partnered with them for more than 60 years and has Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to administer a number of programs and services to their members at the request of, and on behalf of, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Current and former members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are not included in the Department of Veterans Affairs Act, and therefore do not fall under the mandate of the Minister of Veterans Affairs. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pension Continuation Act provide the authority for the provision of health services to members, and disability pensions for injuries sustained as a result of their service. Long-term disability coverage is through Great West Life Insurance.

Funding for these benefits is provided to Veterans Affairs Canada by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Veterans Affairs Canada provides the following services and benefits to current and former Royal Canadian Mounted Police members and their families:

• Service-related Disability Pensions (application support, adjudication, assessment and payment) and allowances (attendance allowance, clothing allowance and exceptional incapacity allowance) for still-serving and former Royal Canadian Mounted Police members, regular and civilian. As of March 31 2018, there were 14,371 Royal Canadian Mounted Police disability pensioners (including 1,042 survivors).

• Treatment benefits (approval, payment, and review) for former civilian and regular members and still serving civilian members related to their Veterans Affairs Canada disability pensioned condition(s). During the 2017-2018 fiscal year, there were 6,200 Royal Canadian Mounted Police health benefit recipients with a total expenditure of $16.8 M.

• Effective April 1, 2014, transition interviews are offered nationally to all releasing Royal Canadian Mounted Police members and their families, minimizing gaps in service delivery and ensuring a smooth transition.

• Access to case management services and access to clinical care managers for former Royal Canadian Mounted Police members with complex service-related needs.

• Access to the Veterans Affairs Canada-Department of National Defence network of 11 Operational Stress Injury Clinics/Operational Trauma Stress and Support Centres for still-serving and former Royal Canadian Mounted Police members, and their families. In 2017-18, 796 Royal Canadian Mounted Police members and former members and 52 family members received care from Veterans Affairs Canada-funded Operational Stress Injury clinics.

• As concerns, the Operational Stress Injury Social Support Service, the Department of National Defence sets the direction and has the sole authority with respect to decisions pertaining to Operational Stress Injury Social Support access by Royal Canadian Mounted Police current and former members. Several former Royal Canadian Mounted Police members have taken the Operational Stress Injury Social Support Peer Support Volunteer training provided by Veterans Affairs Canada.

• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is establishing their own peer support program entitled: Support for Operational Stress Injuries. A Memorandum of understanding between the Department of National Defence and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is being developed detailing support Operational Stress Injury Social Support is offering to the establishment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Support for Operational Stress Injuries. To date, seven Royal Canadian Mounted Police peer support coordinators and one National Program Manager have been hired across the country in Victoria, Calgary, Regina, Ottawa, London, Fredericton and St. John's.

• Veterans Affairs Canada Assistance Service, accessible 24 hours a day, offering free counselling with a mental health professional for former Royal Canadian Mounted Police members and their families.

• Advocacy, as required, through the Bureau of Pensions Advocates.

• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also have access to the national network that Veterans Affairs Canada taps into of approximately 4,000 mental health professionals including psychologists, social workers and mental health nurses.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has not arranged for their members or former members to receive benefits under the Veterans Independence Program or Long Term Care, and opted not to participate in the New Veterans Charter.

In May 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding was updated to address the sharing of personal information between the two Departments in response to a complaint against Veterans Affairs Canada regarding the unauthorized disclosure of personal information.

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