How did we help the Defence Community in 2014-2015?

Transcript

Transcript:

2014-2015 was a big year for our Office.

We helped Regular and Reserve Force Members, veterans, military family members and civilian employees who contacted us from all over the country.

We dealt with 1,820 cases. Eighty percent (80%) of these were new contacts. The other twenty percent (20%) were people who we were helping again, or more complex cases that carried over from the previous year.

We resolved ninety percent (90%) of those cases by providing the contacts with information, referring them to someone who could help, or by investigating their complaint. 

Twenty-nine percent (29%) wanted help with benefits. Fourteen percent (14%) had an issue with release from the military, eleven percent (11%) had a medical issue and seven percent (7%) just needed more information.

We also helped with questions and concerns about harassment, postings, promotions, recruiting, training, leave, vacations, grievances, and disciplinary action.

Most people got in touch with us by phone and through our website. But we didn’t just wait for people to come to us. We reached out to the Defence Community through videos and educational information on our website, Twitter, and visits across the country.

We launched a joint investigation with the Veteran’s Ombudsman to look into military members’ transition to civilian life and the impact of the process on their families.

We weighed in on the crucial question of who should be given the authority to determine whether medical release is attributable to a member’s service.

We published a report on the Board of Inquiry process as it relates to military families, and recommended that a family coordinator position be created for a one-year trial period to help identify the needs of families during Boards of Inquiry.

We investigated the 1974 cadet camp grenade accident at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, the findings of which will be published in the summer of 2015.

And we looked into systemic issues affecting Reservists, including:

  • Compensation,
  • Periodic Health Assessments, and
  • Operational Stress Injuries. 

These are just some of our priorities and activities from the past year. If you want to know more about how we can help members of the Defence community, check out our 2014-15 Annual Report, give us a call, or visit our website. We are ready to help.

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