OTTAWA - Veterans Affairs Minister Stephen Blaney says all of the new benefits for wounded soldiers promised last year by the Harper government have now been implemented.
The $2-billion program was rolled out by former minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn as part of an overhaul of the New Veterans Charter, which has long been criticized as short-changing the most severely injured.
Parliament gave a nod to the changes months ago, but Blaney says full implementation of the suite of new benefits was knocked off-track by last spring's federal election.
As part of the changes, the government introduced a new $1,000-a-month supplement for the most seriously wounded veterans who are unable to find a job in civilian life.
It also changed how a $285,000 lump-sum disability award is paid, allowing disabled soldiers to receive it all at once _ or over time.
Critics have charged the lump-sum payment is cheap in comparison to similar benefits in other countries, such as Britain and the United States.
