Question Period Note: CASE MANAGEMENT

CASE MANAGEMENT

• Our Government places the highest priority on ensuring Veterans and their families have the support and services they need, when and where they need it.

• We have increased funding for case management services, in response to growing demand, with now more than 16,000 Veterans being case managed.

• We are improving the overall case management approach, recognizing it is a unique service for each Veteran and more than simply a case manager-to-Veteran ratio.

• We are improving our tools and processes to reduce administration, allowing frontline staff to spend more time in direct service to Veterans and their families.

BACKGROUND – VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA CASE MANAGEMENT

As of December 2020, the Veteran-to-case manager ratio is 33:1 (source: Veterans Affairs Canada December 2020 Facts & Figures Book).
Veterans Affairs Canada provides Case Management Services to support those facing complex challenges. It is a collaborative process between the client and Case Management Team to identify needs, set goals, and create a plan to help clients achieve their highest level of independence, health and well-being.
Our case management efforts are aimed at ensuring all Veterans receive the support they need, when they need it. Over the last number of years, we have approximately doubled the number of case managers in order to meet the increasing demands for Case Management Services.
In Budget 2018, as part of Service Excellence (Surge) we received temporary funding for additional case managers. Currently, there are 476 case managers (426 permanent and 50 temporary).
However, we recognize simply increasing staff numbers will not meet the increased demands for these services. As such, we implemented several initiatives which will improve efficiencies and case management practices, while ensuring the appropriate level of service is provided to Veterans and their families.
The implementation of Guided Support in December 2018 ensures Veterans with moderate needs have the appropriate supports in place provided by Veteran Service Agents, allowing Case Managers the capacity to focus on Veterans with more complex needs.
A screening tool implemented in January 2019 improves our ability to identify Veterans’ level of risk, needs and complexities so they can be triaged to an appropriate level of support.
A Case Management Renewal initiative will create a more balanced delivery model for case management services to Veterans. The initiative will introduce a new team approach, and improved tools and features from now until March 2022. The aim is to sustain the quality of Case Management Services by ensuring an interdisciplinary team works with Veterans so they receive the appropriate level of service based on their needs, risk and complexity.
In April 2021, we launched a new case management assessment, which uses digital initiatives to reduce administrative burden for case managers, thereby increasing their capacity to work directly with Veterans and their families.
Change of this magnitude takes time to implement. All of these strategies aim to create a more sustainable approach to Case Management Services, leading to a decrease in the ratios over the next few years.

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