Question Period Note: MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR FAMILY MEMBERS

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR FAMILY MEMBERS

• We are committed to offering mental health supports to Veteran families. The policy on mental health services for family members is unchanged.

• Veterans and their families can access help through a number of services. The Veterans Affairs Canada Assistance Service (1-800-268-7708) or TDD (1-800-567-5803) is a 24-hour toll-free help line, which offers face-to-face and virtual psychological support, bereavement support and referral services, to Veterans’ family members or caregivers.

• The Network of Operational Stress Injury Clinics offers treatment to family members of Veteran clients, as required for the Veteran’s recovery.

• The Operational Stress Injury Social Support offers family peer support services to Veteran families impacted by an operational stress injury.

• Mental Health First Aid training is now available virtually to the Veteran community at large.

• The Veteran Family Program is available to families of released and releasing CAF members.

BACKGROUND - MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR FAMILY MEMBERS

The Mental Health (POC 12) policy remains unchanged. It describes mental health services which may be funded as part of a Veteran’s treatment or rehabilitation plan, including mental health services for family members. Its purpose is to enable funding of mental health services for family members in support of the Veteran’s treatment. This includes funding for family, group and/or couples counselling (where the Veteran is present) and individual or group counselling (where the Veteran is not present), as provided by licensed mental health professionals, such as psychologists and social workers.

In March 2020, the Minister instructed the policy be applied using care, compassion and maximum flexibility in all cases. On May 6, 2020, VAC issued a new guideline indicating the following:

• Treatment Benefits: Family members may be involved in mental health services when the Veteran’s treating mental health professional indicates it is required for the Veteran’s recovery.
• Rehabilitation Program: Family members may be involved in mental health services when the assessing or treating professional identifies it will help meet the Veteran’s rehabilitation goal.

The Department offers additional mental health services to Veterans’ family members, beyond what is provided under the Treatment Benefits Program or the Rehabilitation Program [Mental Health Policy (POC 12)], such as:

• The Veterans Affairs Canada Assistance Service (1-800-268-7708) or TDD (1-800-567-5803) is a 24-hour toll-free help line, which offers face-to-face and virtual psychological support, bereavement support and referral services to Veterans, former RCMP members, their family members or caregivers.
• The Network of 11 Operational Stress Injury Clinics provides mental health assessments and treatment to Veterans and their families. Services to family members are provided when the Veteran’s treating professional indicates it is needed for the Veteran’s recovery.
• Families of medically released Veterans can also access the Veteran Family Program through one of the 32 Military Family Resource Centers across Canada. This includes the Family Information Line and CAFconnection.ca.
• Mental Health First Aid for the Veteran Community is a virtual mental health literacy training for members of the Veteran community, including family members and caregivers of CAF Veterans and former members of the RCMP.
• A series of free online and mobile applications, developed in collaboration with various partners, is available to Veteran families, including PTSD Coach Canada and the OSI Connect mobile applications, LifeSpeak, the Online Caregiver Training Program, and the Operational Stress Injury Resource for Caregivers.

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