The federal government will make it easier for veterans to understand basic information on their disability claim forms after the ombudsman slammed the current system as confusing.
Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney said Tuesday the government will implement all veterans ombudsman Guy Parent's recommendations.
"We accept his recommendations and we intend to move forward with these recommendations so we can better serve our veterans," Blaney said.
On Monday, Parent said he reviewed 213 benefits letters sent out between 2001 and 2010. Most dealt with denied claims and while the letters sometimes explained why benefits were granted, they didn't clearly state why some were rejected.
"All the letters examined failed a test of adequacy," he said, adding that it violates the Veterans Bill of Rights and makes it harder to appeal.
CTV's Mercedes Stephenson said the existing letters gave no reason why a claim was denied. Even though legislation was cited in the letters, there was no specific link to the case, she said.
"In many of the cases it wasn't made clear that veterans had a right to appeal and of course this is particularly difficult in many cases where a veteran may be suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, physical trauma or may be elderly," she told CTV News Channel.
But Blaney said a new format for the letters will include separate sections listing the evidence that was examined, the reasons for a decision and the conclusion.
"We are now breaking the letters into specific items," Blaney said.
Stephenson said the changes may result in more people appealing rejections, but many others may simply accept the decision if clear reasons are given.
