ACVA Committee Report

Supplementary Report of the New Democratic Party (NDP)

New Democrats are concerned Veterans and their families are not being properly served by Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) through the outsourcing of the rehabilitation program to Partners in Canadian Veterans Rehabilitation Services (PCVRS). The implementation of this contract has been problem-plagued from the beginning, including rollout delays, alarms raised by Veterans Affairs case managers, and mass confusion of service providers. There have been numerous media reports of Veterans upset that VAC is not heeding their concerns, expressing their fears and apprehensions about the rollout of the outsourced rehabilitation program.

When Veterans, service providers, and VAC workers say the same thing, the Minister and the department must listen.

PCVRS is a joint venture between WCG International, an Australian owned job-training corporation, and Lifemark Health Group, owned by Loblaws Companies Ltd. At the heart of both companies is profit-making, not service delivery. With this contract, the Liberal government has chosen profits over people. Awarding $560 million to a private for-profit company to deliver services to Veterans is more important to the Liberals than building up the resources within the department and addressing the worries of Veterans.

Consider the poor investments VAC has made in its human resources. As Virginia Vaillancourt, president of the Union of Veterans Affairs Employees (UVAE) testified,

“The latest report from Veterans Affairs Canada shows that there are a total of 494 case manager positions on the payroll. Of those, 441 are indeterminate, and there are 53 term positions. However, positions are not people. From May 3 to August 30, 2022, VAC hired 13 case managers. During the same time period, 24 case managers left the department due to retirement or resignation, or moved to other departments. Yes, VAC hired case managers but still ended up with a net loss of 11 people.

Another 90 case managers are on some form of disability, long-term sick leave or other leave. That means we have fewer than 400 case managers to serve the needs of almost 15,000 veterans and their families. It shouldn't come as any surprise that we have lengthy backlogs, frustrated veterans and psychologically wounded and demoralized staff.”[1]

For years, the Union of Veterans Affairs Employees (UVAE) has been asking the department to develop a plan to attain a caseload ratio of 25:1 for each case manager. Yet the Liberals are more focused on helping their corporate friends than they are in setting up a service delivery model for Veterans that meets their needs. Testimony from the union indicated that this outsourced contract is costing taxpayers 25% more than if VAC had hired more case managers. As well, the contract has no penalties for non-compliance, and the contractor will be doing its own quality assurance.

VAC’s rollout of this contract has been marked by a lack of preparedness for the change in services. The department has done a poor job of communicating the changes to everyone involved in this process. Computer systems were not ready so the rollout had to be delayed by a week, staff had not received training on critical components of the rollout even as the rollout had begun, Veterans were not made aware of the new process, and service providers were not receiving answers to their questions.

Amanda Logan, a case manager at VAC, told the committee about her concerns,

“Right now we are under tremendous pressure to meet deadlines for the transition of case management services to the third party contractor. We are doing this at the same time as we are trying to help veterans and their families. Since June, we have asked questions about the implementation of the new contract, only to be told that this information is forthcoming—a time that has not yet come.

 There has been no meaningful consultation with case managers. We've been instructed to adhere to the changes and to do it quickly. We have not been properly trained on this new rehabilitation contract.

I am afraid that veterans will be forced to adhere to rehabilitation plans that are guided by specific and hard timelines, and that their rehabilitation plan will be prescribed by a contract that was awarded through a tendering process, not developed from the veteran's physical and mental health needs. I am afraid that if they are not able to participate in the streamlined process, they will face cancellation of the program and file closure, a financially and emotionally devastating measure.”[2]

The contract was already being rolled out when a service provider with over 20 years of experience with VAC and Veterans testified,

“As a clinical care manager (CCM), I work in conjunction with other people working with the veteran, including psychologists, social workers, family physicians when needed, and in the past with the March of Dimes vocational staff when needed, and case managers and those who may be involved with the veteran through community agencies or community services. To date, I have not been able to identify how the CCM role, and subsequently my role as this provider, may be impacted by the new contract.”[3]

And worries about the outsourcing were expressed by a Veteran who testified,

“I had asked my psychologist if she had any information about the new program provider, as she had a lot of experience with other veterans going through what I am going through. She told me she had already attempted to contact the PCVRS for another client, had left voice mails and emails, and had received no reply to her queries.

Last week, I received a letter from the PCVRS telling me that I am being enrolled. I went out for information myself, and all I could find was what limited information was put on the website, but every bit of information I'm hearing says it's going to be more of the same, maybe a little worse.

I want to leave it at this. I'm scared. I'm scared I'm going to be forced into another program that will not help me succeed, and will only put me at new risk. The obscurity in this new contract, and the gradual removal of case managers from the process who, in my experience, have been the only people who truly care about us, leads me to believe that this is just another predatory company taking advantage of a vulnerable group in order to make a profit at the expense of veterans.”[4]

New Democrats are severely disappointed that VAC and the Minister responsible have not listened to the fears and worries expressed by many involved in the rollout of this contract. Not addressing these concerns sends a message to Veterans, VAC workers, and service providers that their uncertainties and distress do not matter.

That is why, the NDP recommends the following:

That, in light of the ongoing and persistent concerns about the contract by Veterans, case managers and service providers, Veterans Affairs cancel the outsourcing of the rehabilitation program to PCVRS.

In addition, New Democrats believe the relationship between case manager and Veteran is critically important to the health and well-being of the Veteran and their family. That is why we recommend:

That Veterans Affairs follow the advice of the Auditor General and the union to develop a plan to establish a permanent, stable workforce at VAC to meet the needs of Veterans and their families.

When Veterans, service providers, and VAC workers say the same thing, the Minister and the department must listen.