Support to Bereaved Military Families

March 2017

The Office of the Ombudsman has been tracking and reporting on issues related to the Canadian Armed Forces’ engagement of families during a Board of Inquiry process for the past 12 years. In short, engagement of families varied wildly from case to case, often unnecessarily resulting in heartache and confusion for those simply trying to understand next steps in the investigation and if, at all, they have a role to play in it.

Progress report on the status of recommendations

June 2024

•  3 Recommendations Made
•  3 Recommendations Accepted
•  3 Recommendations Partially Implemented

Progress report definitions

Recommendation 1

It is recommended that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces take concrete steps to better meet the information needs of families by:

• Producing plain language information for families on the specifics and impacts of key administrative documents that Canadian Armed Forces military members are required to complete in case of serious illness, injury or death; as well as make this information available to Canadian Armed Forces members as part of the Annual Personnel Readiness Verification
• Providing readily-accessible information based on bereaved families’ frequently asked questions. This needs to be consolidated into a single access point where families can find information explaining what to expect after a Canadian Armed Forces member dies; whether in the context of Canadian Armed Forces operations or not
• In addition to the information being provided as part of the board of inquiry process, developing clear guidelines and timelines for Commanding Officers to meet with families who express the desire for information about the circumstances of the death of a loved one, in a setting outside the board of inquiry process
• Providing families with information regarding bereavement and grief support programs, and services available for families
• Committing the resources required for the development and implementation of a communications plan. This would include activities, products, timelines, and metrics to better reach and inform family members on all the above documents, processes, benefits and support for families

Recommendation 1 status:   Partially Implemented

In our 2022 progress report, we noted that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces had made significant progress in providing information to military families. However, further progress on the outstanding elements of this recommendation has been slow. Defence Administrative Orders and Directives 5009-0, ‘Personnel Readiness’, and Canadian Forces General Messages 102/18 – ‘Completion of CF 742 Emergency Contact(s) Notification (ECN) and DND 2587 Next of Kin (NOK) Identification Forms’ have been updated. The CAF continues work on the outstanding elements such as: 

• making information available to CAF members on the impacts of key administrative documents they must complete as part of the Annual Personnel Readiness Verification (since 2019);  
• updating the Commanding Officers guide and training resources with clear guidelines and timelines outside the board of inquiry process to meet with families who express the desire for information about the circumstance of the death of a loved one (since 2021); and  
• ensuring that the CAF continues their efforts to provide families with updated information regarding bereavement and grief support programs and services (since 2018).  

We will continue to monitor progress on this recommendation. Families looking for information on the key administrative documents that Canadian Armed Forces military members must complete can access this through the Ombudsman Educational information page Canadian Armed Forces members - Canada.ca. This page offers Military life documents, Service Estates, and "What happens after a Canadian Armed Forces member dies".

Recommendation 2

It is recommended that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces take concrete steps to provide the necessary tools to personnel responsible for Casualty Administration, inquiries and bereavement services by:

• Reviewing and updating simultaneously all Casualty Administration guides, investigations directives, the related references and training material to: accurately reflect the roles of the stakeholders, investigations, authorities, expected timelines, benefits entitlements for bereaved families, key service providers
• Providing adequate support to Designated Assistants, including: training, trained Casualty Support Administration Officers and earlier collaboration with Family Liaison Officers (before Designated Assistant disengagement)
• Building transferable expertise with regards to providing Casualty Support within Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces
• Reviewing employment competency requirements, workload, and training of Integrated Personnel Support Centre Services Manager positions to ensure they are provided with the necessary tools to assist individuals dealing with crisis

Recommendation 2 status:   Partially Implemented

Since our 2022 progress report, the department has made some progress to ensure that personnel involved in Casualty Administration have the tools and support that they need. The Department has identified training requirements and needs for those who have a role in Casualty Administration and have streamlined efforts to review, prepare, monitor, and evaluate training strategies for both Transition Advisors and Services Coordinators. An example was the completion of the pilot Transition Advisor course. However, updated guides and policies such as a guide for Commanding Officers and Defence Administrative Orders and Directives (DAOD) 5018-1 and DAOD 7002-0, Boards of Inquiry and Summary Investigations have progressed slowly. Additionally, much remains to be done to implement this recommendation in areas such as the merger and update of the commanding officers and Designated Assistant’s guides and relevant courses such as those for Service Managers and Service Coordinators. We will continue monitoring their progress.

Recommendation 3

It is recommended that the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces take concrete steps to enhance collaboration among stakeholders with a family-centric focus by:

• Ensuring all Command Teams are trained for casualty notification and administration upon assuming a command role
• Establishing a permanent Families in Focus working group, extend participants to operational commands, to meet a minimum of once per year to ensure policies, guides and training are consistent and remain responsive to needs
• Formally recognizing and including bereaved families, along with families of medically released ill and injured members, as families who are transitioning from military to civilian life

Recommendation 3 status:   Partially Implemented

Since our 2022 progress report, the CAF has made little progress towards implementing the outstanding element of this recommendation. The CAF has reoriented its approach on providing Command Teams with the necessary training for casualty notification and administration. They determined that merging the following guides would be sufficient for Command Teams to carry out their responsibilities in Casualty Notification and Administration: the Commanding Officers and Designated Assistants guide, the Casualty Administration Manual and The Guide to Benefits, Programs and Services for Ill, Injured or Deceased CAF Members, Veterans, and their Families. However, this approach may not provide Command Teams with the opportunity to learn how to deliver news about a lost loved one to families, how to communicate with bereaved families, or what to communicate to families about Boards of Inquiries. As updates continue to be made in the Commanding Officers and Designated Assistants guide, we will monitor progress on this recommendation to determine if the updated guide meets the family-centric intent of this recommendation.