Ottawa ON
Canada
Veterans Ombudsman Col (Ret’d) Nishika Jardine
Good afternoon Mr. Chair, Members of the Committee.
Thank you for this invitation to speak with you today. As you know, I was appointed to the Veterans Ombudsman position this past November and this is my first appearance before you. I am honoured to share with you our latest study and report on mental health treatment benefits for family members of Veterans.
The foundational principle for our study is the understanding that when a military member serves, their family also serves. As a result, we believe that family members of Veterans deserve access to funded mental health treatment when their own need is connected to military service. This is something that does not currently exist for those family members not participating in a Veteran’s treatment plan.
This issue is not new to us. It was in 2016 that we first made the recommendation to Veterans Affairs Canada that it provide family members with funding for mental health treatment in their own right distinct from the needs of their Veteran.
In the fall / winter of 2019-2020, our office received a number of complaints around this issue. In February 2020 we launched an in-depth study in order to more fully substantiate our earlier recommendation.
We published our findings on January 19 2021. We found a growing body of Canadian research regarding the impact of service on families. Military families are known to be incredibly resilient, but the evidence speaks to the reality that military service carries with it unique stressors that can impact a spouse or child’s mental health. Frequent postings, long and multiple absences of the military member, and the inherent risk of their illness, injury or death are key factors in the mental health and well-being of military families. The Minister, in his response to our report, acknowledged “the impact that military service has on the well-being of both Veterans and their family members.”
Currently, the department provides limited individual mental health treatment to spouses and children, but only when the family member’s treatment is directly connected to achieving a positive outcome for the Veteran. This policy ultimately has the effect of creating both inequity and a disservice to those Veteran spouses and children who are essentially barred from accessing funded treatment in their own right simply because their Veteran doesn’t need, or isn’t in treatment.
From our perspective as an advocate for fairness, families who are experiencing mental health issues as a direct result of being part of a military family should have independent access to their own mental health treatment benefits.
Let me share some of the stories that we were given permission to relate:
One spouse told us: “I’m not asking for charity. I’m asking to get the help I need to support a man who has already given up too much in the service of his country.” A disabled Veteran shared with us that her young children essentially had to take care of her when she came home broken and as a result have mental health issues of their own. She related how her youngest daughter, who is under the age of 12, has become afraid of being alone. Her daughter needs treatment but she simply cannot afford to pay for it.
Another spouse shared about how her veteran spouse suffers from PTSD, which is made so much worse when his episodes cause severe distress to his children. They desperately need professional and age-appropriate treatment to help them make sense of their father’s condition and this is simply beyond her scope as a mother.
The bottom line is that there is a gap in the way that the department is meeting its obligation to Veterans’ families. We have made three recommendations:
First and foremost, that family members, including spouses, former spouses, survivors and dependent children, have access to federal government-funded mental health treatment when the mental health illness is related to conditions of military service experienced by the family member. This should be independent of the Veteran's treatment plan and regardless of whether the Veteran is engaging in treatment.
Second that the department conduct and publish a Gender Based Analysis of its policies and regulations for mental health support to veterans families.
And finally, that the department continue to demonstrate flexibility in meeting the individual mental health needs of family members.
In summary, we believe that this is an important fairness matter in need of both attention and action. And we are hopeful that, in publishing our findings, we will see progress on this issue that recognizes the cost of service that some family members are paying. Your interest in keeping the conversation going is very important to me as the Veterans Ombudsman and to my office. Again, I thank you for your invitation to share our report with you.
