Minister of Veterans Affairs responds to the Office of the Veterans Ombud (OVO) report on military sexual trauma

Statement

The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, issued the following statement today in response to the Office of the Veterans Ombud (OVO) report on Peer support for Veterans who have Experienced Military Sexual Trauma:

“This is in response to your report entitled Peer Support for Veterans who have Experienced Military Sexual Trauma.

I would like to thank you and your office for this report and its three recommendations. I fully agree with the goal of providing Veterans who experienced sexual trauma during their military careers with equitable access to peer support services. Veterans Affairs Canada is committed to continually improving its programs and services in order to meet the diverse needs of all those who bravely defended the freedom we enjoy today.

In Budget 2021 our Government allocated funding for specific measures to address sexual misconduct and gender-based violence in the Canadian Armed Forces and to support survivors. These measures include a joint Veterans Affairs Canada and Department of National Defence peer support program for Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans who experienced sexual trauma during their military careers.

I enclose a detailed response to each recommendation contained in your office’s report. In short, my department recognizes that we must do more to address the gap in peer support available to Veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma, and our plans to resolve this issue are aligned with your office’s recommendations. To this end, we are acting in accordance with the Prime Minister’s mandate and our Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of National Defence to develop, using Gender Based Analysis+ and a comprehensive performance measurement system, improved peer supports that fulfill the unmet needs your office has helped to identify.

Again, I would like to thank you for preparing this important report and for your ongoing advocacy on behalf of our nation’s Veterans and their families. Please accept my best wishes.”

VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA RESPONSE TO THE OFFICE OF THE VETERANS OMBUD REPORT: PEER SUPPORT FOR VETERANS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED MILITARY SEXUAL TRAUMA
 

RECOMMENDATION 1

That VAC provide a funded peer support program that meets the needs of Veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST).

RESPONSE:

Veterans Affairs Canada recognizes that existing peer support programing for current and former Canadian Armed Forces members does not yet have the specialized expertise and resources necessary to meet the needs of individuals who have experienced MST and agrees with Recommendation 1.

Budget 2021 proposed specific measures to address sexual misconduct and gender-based violence in the Canadian Armed Forces and to support survivors. Through the funding allocated, Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence are jointly piloting an online and in‑person peer support services program tailored to the needs of Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans who experienced sexual misconduct during their military service. The pilot will leverage lessons learned from the existing joint peer support program, Operational Stress Injury Social Support.

Furthermore, the program’s development will be informed by mental health professionals and by individuals who have lived experience with military sexual trauma. This will ensure that all decisions made concerning supports for people affected by MST take appropriate input into consideration. The Department of National Defence’s Sexual Misconduct Response Centre and Veterans Affairs Canada’s Office of Women and LGBTQ2 Veterans are also involved in designing the new program.

The Office of Women and LGBTQ2 Veterans takes part in the Canadian Military Sexual Trauma Community of Practice comprised of researchers, practitioners, representatives from Veterans Affairs Canada and the Department of National Defence, and other subject matter professionals who are working to better understand and address MST and moral injury.

Finally, it is acknowledged in your office’s report that Veterans Affairs Canada has, in recent years, improved access to benefits for Veterans who have experienced MST. The Department is currently processing all disability benefits applications for injuries related to sexual trauma on a priority basis. As well, in September 2019, the Department updated three of its policies to clarify the approach to be taken when adjudicating applications for disability benefits involving claims of sexual trauma. These policy updates include clarification that the occurrence of sexual trauma may be established on the basis of the applicant’s own testimony, without the need for corroborating evidence, and that claims will not be rejected solely on the basis that the incident occurred off Canadian Armed Forces property or at an event that the applicant was not required to attend. In addition, trauma‑informed support training was provided to those adjudicating disability benefit claims.

The new peer support program will mark another significant step as we continue our progress in this area.
 

RECOMMENDATION 2

That VAC conduct and publish a Gender Based Analysis+ of the establishment of a funded peer support program for Veterans who have experienced MST.

RESPONSE:

Veterans Affairs Canada agrees with Recommendation 2, noting that the proposed peer support pilot as announced in Budget 2021 is a joint initiative with the Department of National Defence and, therefore, the analysis that has been conducted and published in Annex 5 to Budget 2021 (www.budget.gc.ca/2021/report-rapport/anx5-en.html) includes both the Veteran and Canadian Armed Forces populations. As well, data collected over the course of the pilot project will be used to conduct further analysis to inform recommendations for any ongoing program.

Gender Based Analysis+ (GBA+) has been a priority for the Department, and it is already being incorporated throughout policy, planning and operations in order to provide a better understanding of how our activities may impact Veterans, Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP members and their families, as well as Veterans Affairs Canada employees. This analytical tool is used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people may experience policies, programs and initiatives.

The Government of Canada’s commitment to applying GBA+ to proposed policies, programs and services was highlighted in the Prime Minister’s December 2019 mandate letter to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. This commitment was reiterated in his January 2021 supplementary mandate letter. The renewed mandate affirms the necessity of ensuring that women, LGBTQ2, Indigenous, Black and racialized Veterans and Veterans with disabilities who are transitioning out of the Canadian Armed Forces receive support that meets their unique needs. This work includes the use of disaggregated research and data to provide tailored programs and services to these Veterans. The newly announced joint peer support program for MST survivors is the most recent example of how Veterans Affairs Canada will uphold this commitment.

The development of the new joint peer support program will use GBA+ to ensure the unique needs of diverse subpopulations of MST survivors are identified and to mitigate any unintended inequities in the program design from the outset. Moreover, the Department believes that GBA+ is critical to launching a successful joint peer support program for individuals impacted by MST. Working in partnership with the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces will allow Veterans Affairs Canada to gather a breadth of information and better design a peer support program that is inclusive of the diverse needs of all who have experienced MST.
 

RECOMMENDATION 3

That VAC fulfill its responsibilities outlined in the National Peer Support Programs Memorandum of Understanding, including maintaining a performance measurement system and statistical reports to support the program’s management and operations.

RESPONSE:

Veterans Affairs Canada agrees with Recommendation 3 and is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of National Defence for the delivery of the Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) Program. This commitment includes the development and implementation of the performance measurement framework, the maintenance of a performance measurement system and statistical reports to support the program’s management and operations.

Of note, Veterans Affairs Canada has been a Canadian pioneer in the implementation of an evidence-based, client-reported, outcome-monitoring information system (CROMIS) in its network of Operational Stress Injury Clinics. The Department is building on what it has learned from CROMIS by establishing a detailed implementation plan that integrates change management principles and proper training, and by developing a standardized approach to performance measurement.

We are also collaborating with the Department of National Defence and the Centre of Excellence on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder to identify best practices and options for the implementation of this performance measurement system within OSISS. Additionally, Veterans Affairs Canada is working in close partnership with the Department of National Defence on the continuous improvement of its data collection system for the OSISS program to support better reporting. A timeline for the system will be developed as part of the performance measurement framework.

Through these measures, Veterans Affairs Canada will implement enhanced and innovative reporting and performance measurements, modeled on the success of CROMIS in the network of Operational Stress Injury Clinics, for OSISS and for the new peer support program for Veterans who have experienced MST.

Contacts

Media Relations
Veterans Affairs Canada
613-992-7468
media@veterans.gc.ca

Cameron McNeill
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Veterans Affairs
cameron.mcneill@veterans.gc.ca

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