Question Period Note: CLOSING THE SEAM / TRANSITION

• Veterans Affairs Canada is committed to working with the Canadian Armed Forces to ensure that the transition, from Canadian Armed Forces service to life after service, is as streamlined and seamless as possible.

• We have focused our efforts on
o overhauling service delivery
o reducing the complexity of the transition processes, and
o enhancing the well-being of Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans and their families.

• We are committed to improving the transition process as well as the associated programs and services.

BACKGROUND – CLOSING THE SEAM / TRANSITION

Veterans Affairs Canada is committed to working with the Canadian Armed Forces to ensure that the transition, from Canadian Armed Forces service to life after service, is as streamlined and seamless as possible. We have focused our efforts towards overhauling service delivery, reducing the complexity of the transition processes, and enhancing the well-being of Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans and their families.

Overhaul Service Delivery
• A single point of contact with available transition assistance through the Transition Centre
• Expanded digital tools
• Increased awareness

Reduce Complexity
• A simplified application process
• Improved information sharing
• Improved continuity of care

Enhance Well-Being
• Early intervention with mandatory wellness screening assessment
• Support for education and training
• Increased employment opportunities
• Improved links to military service and community

In order to achieve these outcomes, the Canadian Armed Forces – Veterans Affairs Canada Joint Steering Committee has issued strategic direction and priorities to the Seamless Transition Task Force, a joint working group which is responsible for implementing those priorities along eight (8) lines of effort. There are many initiatives underway that will improve the transition process as well as the associated programs and services. Some of our achievements to date include:

Transition Centres
• Launched the Borden Transition Centre Trial. The objective is to develop a seamless transition process for releasing CAF members, that is professional, standardized and personalized. Significant progress has been made along four lines of effort:
o Implementation of a new Military-to-Civilian transition process
o Validation of tools and instruments
o Integrating stakeholders & services
o Establishing a future vision / model of Transition Centers
• The trial is scheduled to expand to a second site, CFB Petawawa, as of January 2021.

Education and Training
• Launched Enhanced Transition Training a mandatory course to prepare Canadian Armed Forces members for transition
• Drafted learning objectives for My Transition 101, the first module of a full suite of training and education programs around transition.
• This training will be piloted as part of the Transition Trial as of January 2021.

Employment
• Created the Military To National Occupation Equivalency Tool (MNET)
• Created “Veteran” friendly tabs for employment options on the National Job Bank
• An evaluation of the 2015 Veterans’ Hiring Act (VHA) was conducted jointly in 2018-2019 by VAC, CAF and PSC and resulted in a Management Response and Action Plan (MRAP), completed in February 2020. The action plan is awaiting final approvals by the three partners and will then be submitted to the Clerk of the Privy Council.

Health Support Initiatives
• Information sharing - access to Canadian Armed Forces Health Information System for Veterans Affairs Canada staff which will help to reduce adjudication backlogs
• Alignment of Treatment Benefits – a new service was launched on March 9, 2020 which will help the approximately 2000 CAF members with existing VAC disability benefits who release each year by ensuring they have the knowledge to make informed decisions on their future health care needs in life after service, without excessive delay or administrative burden.
• Implementation of a VAC screening tool, now shared by CAF to identify risks and unmet needs before, during and after transition
• Launch of My Transition Services App

Communications
• Work on an integrated transition website as a one stop shop for all transition related needs
• Launched a Seamless Transition Roadmap as a web resource to communicate initiatives and milestones

Digitization
• Increases to the functionality and operational capacity of My VAC Account to meet the needs of releasing Veterans. Registration for this important digital service is part of the process of transitioning for Veterans.
• Continued ongoing work to increase the number of My VAC Account Guided Web forms, which provide helpful information and leverage data for a ‘tell us once’ approach for transitioning members, and others, applying for VAC benefits
• Created mechanism for CAF to share data when members are planning to release, to enable VAC to be aware of, and proactively reach out to, those going through a transition process as well as streamline data between our systems
• Continued and ongoing work on data sharing initiatives to streamline processes and to continue to work towards a ‘tell us once’ process between VAC and CAF and where possible, leverage data to streamline benefits adjudication
• Front end integration of various CAF and VAC digital transition tools to provide greater self-service ability to transitioning members

Policy and Other Key Initiatives
• The Veteran Family Program expanded access through the Military Family Resource Centres to enhanced information and referral services for medically released Veterans and their families
• Issuing of the Veteran Service Card as a tangible symbol of recognition for former Canadian Armed Forces members and encourages an enduring affiliation with the Canadian Armed Forces.

Research, Analytics and Performance Measurement
• An implementation team to pursue this line of effort was established as of March 2020.

CLOSING THE SEAM

Closing the Seam is a VAC project that was authorized and provided multi-year funding through Budget 2019. It is complimentary to the work being completed by the Seamless Transition Task Force, and in some cases contributes directly to the priorities along the Digitization line of effort. Within the project there are nine (9) different initiatives:

• My VAC Account Early Registration
• My VAC Account Operations
• Screening Tool
• Member Transition Task List
• Guided Web Forms
• Case Management Tools
• Alignment of Treatment Benefits
• Information Sharing
• Data Quality Monitoring

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