Question Period Note: Mental Health

• Veterans Affairs Canada is committed to ensuring eligible Veterans, retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police members and their families have access to the mental health support they need, when they need it.

• Veterans Affairs Canada funds a network of 11 operational stress injury (OSI) clinics across the country and nine additional OSI satellite service sites closer to where Veterans live.

• The department also has approximately 12,000 registered mental health professionals across Canada who can provide mental health services to Veterans who qualify.

• In addition, the Veterans Affairs Canada Assistance Service offers a 24-hour toll-free help line, face-to-face and virtual psychological support, bereavement support and referral services, to Veterans, former Royal Canadian Mounted Police members and their family members or caregivers experiencing mental health or personal difficulties.

BACKGROUND – MENTAL HEALTH

Veterans Affairs Canada supports the mental health needs of Veterans through a large suite of services. VAC funds a network of 11 operational stress injury Clinics across the country (10 outpatient,1 inpatient and 9 satellite service sites) operated by provincial health authorities. Additional satellite service sites will open based on need. Funding for the ninth OSI Satellite Service Site, in PEI, was announced in September 2019. The offering of in-person services at this new site is planned for early summer 2021. PEI clients continue to be seen virtually by the Fredericton OSIC until in-person services at the PEI OSI Satellite Service Site can start.

Operational Stress Injury Clinics offer access (through referral) to an interdisciplinary team of mental health professionals who provide specialized assessment and treatment to Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces, active and former Royal Canadian Mounted Police members and their families. Veterans who qualify also have access to a national network of more than 12,000 registered mental health professionals across Canada, who deliver mental health treatments.

The Veterans Affairs Canada Assistance Service (1-800-268-7708) or TDD (1-800-567-5803) is a 24-hour toll-free help line, that offers face-to-face and virtual psychological support, bereavement support and referral services, to Veterans, former RCMP members, their family members or caregivers.

LifeSpeak, is an online self-help resource featuring leading subject-matter experts on subjects such as depression, nutrition, financial health and parenting. This resource is available as a free mobile app from the Apple Store or Google Play, and at veterans.lifespeak.com. Password: canada (lowercase).

The Operational Stress Injury Social Support Service (OSISS) offers confidential peer support to Canadian Armed Forces members, Veterans and their families impacted by an operational stress injury. The support is provided by trained peers, family peer support coordinators and volunteers familiar with VAC and community resources. Toll-free number: 1-800-883-6094, or osiss.ca.

A Canadian Veteran-specific version of Mental Health First Aid, offering mental health literacy training to the Veterans community located across the country, is now available virtually through a partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

Veterans Affairs Canada has also collaborated with several partners to develop free online and mobile applications for Veterans and their families such as PTSD Coach Canada, OSI Connect, Operational Stress Injury Resource for Caregivers and an Online Caregiver Training Program.

As mandated by the government the Department provided funding to the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group to establish the Centre of Excellence on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Related Mental Health Conditions. The Centre, opened in June 2019, will increase Canadian knowledge and expertise on military and Veteran, mental health issues and more specifically PTSD.

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