Advocacy
The War Amps continues its work to achieve fair compensation for seriously disabled veterans.
The War Amps proudly serves war amputees from past and more recent conflicts. (Maj. Blaise and Montreal Branch Secretary Jean‑Marie Paul are pictured.)
The War Amps is the driving force behind the National Council of Veteran Associations in Canada (NCVA), a growing umbrella organization of more than 60 distinct veterans’ associations formed to ensure a strong, independent voice on veterans
issues. We continually engage with the Minister and senior hierarchy of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) to attain legislative reform for war amputees and their families. We are represented on four of the six advisory groups to VAC, including
the Policy Advisory Group, for which Brian Forbes, Chairman of The War Amps Executive Committee and of NCVA, is co‑chair.
The War Amps proudly serves war amputees from past and more recent conflicts. (Maj. Blaise and Montreal Branch Secretary Jean‑Marie Paul are pictured.)
Pursuing more inclusive legislation
The New Veterans Charter of 2006 changed the way the Canadian government issues financial support to veterans. The charter has been criticized by veterans’ groups since its enactment, and despite our frequent calls for reform, many of its
shortfalls remain.
Early this year, The War Amps and the NCVA again urged VAC to correct the unjust disparity in compensation for veterans with the same disabilities or incapacities under the charter as compared to the pre‑2006 Pension Act.
“The government has failed to fulfill veterans’ expectations with respect to the prime minister’s 2015 election commitment to ‘re‑establish lifelong pensions’ under the charter to ensure that a comparable level of financial security is provided
to all disabled veterans and their families over their life course,” says Forbes.
The “Pension for Life” simply converts the amount of the lump sum disability award into a form of lifetime annuity as an option for those disabled veterans who are eligible. Additionally, the announcement of two new benefits (which essentially
duplicate existing benefits) will still have limited applicability and will not materially impact the majority of disabled veterans.
The War Amps and the NCVA’s position, as stated in numerous submissions to VAC, remains that this glaring disparity requires that the government seize the moment and satisfy the financial needs of our veterans and their dependants. We continue
to pursue much‑needed changes to the legislation to make it more inclusive prior to its formal implementation.
The War Amps advocates on behalf of all amputees to create widespread, positive changes in funding for artificial limbs both provincially and through private insurers. (Matthieu and Amélie are pictured.)
Crusade for Reform
Building on our long history of advocating for veterans’ rights, The War Amps created the Advocacy Program to formalize this practice and to expand the work to include all amputees who have encountered discrimination or red tape in accessing
the services and benefits to which they are entitled. Through this program, The War Amps has continued to reveal many gaps in prosthetic funding and set out on a “Crusade for Reform” to educate the government and private insurers so that
all amputees have access to the artificial limbs they need for their safety, security and well‑being.
The War Amps advocates on behalf of all amputees to create widespread, positive changes in funding for artificial limbs both provincially and through private insurers. (Matthieu and Amélie are pictured.)
Calling for changes to provincial funding guidelines
This year, as a first step towards gaining improvements to prosthetic funding across all provinces, The War Amps pushed for changes to the Ontario Assistive Devices Program through media outreach as well as providing feedback to the Office
of the Auditor General. We took the Ontario election as a timely opportunity to draw attention to the province’s grossly outdated funding guidelines for artificial limbs, which leave many amputees in desperate circumstances.
The 20‑year‑old funding guidelines cover outdated and obsolete technology while failing to cover the cost of modern‑day essential components. The result is that amputees – if they have the means – must pay thousands of dollars out of pocket
for the proper artificial limbs that have been medically prescribed to them. For many, crowdfunding has proven necessary, pointing to a shameful state of affairs for the province’s health‑care system.
“The current funding has been quite accurately referred to as a tiny Band-Aid on a gaping wound, and it means that many Ontario amputees are literally unable to afford a leg to stand on. We’re certain most Ontarians would be shocked to
know that if they or a family member lost a limb, they could be faced with a personal balance of thousands of dollars for even the most basic artificial limb that will restore only a semblance of their previous function.”
Annelise Petlock, War Amps Advocacy Program Manager
The War Amps attempts to fill the gaps where it can, contributing thousands of dollars towards the cost of artificial limbs. As a charity relying on public donations, however, our funds can only go so far. To best serve the needs of all amputees,
the Association continues to communicate with the provinces to improve the standards of care across the country.
Dispelling the myths of amputation
Education is an integral part of The War Amps advocacy efforts, as many funding agencies make decisions without a complete understanding of how and why artificial limbs are used and needed. By providing more information about this complex
area of health care as the centre of excellence in amputation, The War Amps has continued to help improve insurance policies so that amputees receive the essential artificial limbs they need to lead independent lives.
One case from this year involved Sam, who was eligible for prosthetic care through his employer – a national banking institution. However, the insurance policy excluded some of the artificial limbs he and many other amputees need for daily
life, such as knee components. Sam scheduled a meeting with the benefits committee at his workplace to discuss the issue, and The War Amps assisted by providing our new resource booklet Dispelling the Myths: The Reality of Living With Amputation and Prosthetic Care to inform their evaluation of the coverage.
After this meeting and a review of our comprehensive information about amputation, the employer made considerable changes to their prosthetic care policy by updating restrictive language that limited coverage for common limbs and components,
increasing payment maximums and frequencies for adults, and increasing replacement frequency for children who outgrow their limbs. The support and co‑operation of this well‑known banking institution in this situation demonstrates that
with education, employers can be receptive to updates to their insurance policy coverage for amputees.