Advocacy
In a critical election year, The War Amps continued to be a strong voice for seriously disabled veterans.
Sgt. (Ret’d) Gaétan, a leg amputee, laid a wreath at the 2019 National Remembrance Day ceremony on behalf of The War Amps.
As a leader in advocacy for veterans’ rights and legislation, as well as the driving force behind the National Council of Veteran Associations in Canada (NCVA), The War Amps fought tirelessly for veterans in 2019. It was a critical election year that provided an opportunity for us to push for legislative changes that would satisfy the financial needs of our veterans and their dependants. With more than 100 years of experience in this area, The War Amps continues to be represented on four of the six ministerial advisory groups of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), co-chairing two of these advisory committees.
Sgt. (Ret’d) Gaétan, a leg amputee, laid a wreath at the 2019 National Remembrance Day ceremony on behalf of The War Amps.
This year, The War Amps and the NCVA, which is comprised of more than 60 distinct veterans associations, urged all parties and candidates running in the federal election to stand up for our veterans. An op-ed by Brian Forbes, Chairman of The War Amps Executive Committee and of the NCVA, was published in the Hill Times, and he was quoted in stories by other major news outlets in the lead-up to the election, including the National Post and CBC News.
We strongly advocated that VAC resolve the arbitrary distinctions between veterans injured before and after 2006, the date of enactment of the New Veterans Charter. Our goal is to prompt the government to “think outside the box” and create a comprehensive compensation and wellness program model that treats all veterans with the same disabilities in the same manner.
It remains our position that there is much to do to improve veterans legislation in order to address the financial and wellness requirements of Canada’s disabled veterans and their families. Given the results of the election and the establishment of a minority government, The War Amps believes a genuine opportunity still exists for a commitment to meaningful improvement to the legislation so as to eliminate the inequity and discrimination suffered by disabled veterans since the enactment of the New Veterans Charter and subsequent Veterans Well-being Act.
The War Amps is an integral source of support for amputees as we advocate for legislative changes to improve their quality of life.
In addition to our contributions to systemic improvements to prosthetic funding, The War Amps assisted 258 individual amputees with their requests for advocacy support in 2019 in areas such as government benefits and human rights.
With more than 100 years of expertise in the field of amputation, The War Amps leads the way in advocating for improvements to prosthetic funding standards and accessibility legislation across the country.
In addition to our contributions to systemic improvements to prosthetic funding, The War Amps assisted 258 individual amputees with their requests for advocacy support in 2019 in areas such as government benefits and human rights.
Due to the high cost of artificial limbs and inadequate funding from government and private insurers, many amputees in Canada are struggling to pay the balance for the artificial limbs that have been medically prescribed for them. This means that those who have already suffered the loss of a limb are faced with punishing and ongoing debt, or with the physical and psychological consequences of going without the needed limb. Having the appropriate artificial limb or assistive device can improve an amputee’s sense of security and mental health significantly, as they are able to be mobile and participate in everyday activities such as walking, getting groceries or going to work.
With the support of our donors, The War Amps fills the gaps where it can, contributing thousands of dollars towards the cost of artificial limbs so that amputees do not have to take on a substantial personal financial obligation or resort to crowdfunding. As a charity relying on public donations, however, our funds can only go so far. That is why, through our Crusade for Reform, we are proactively working to educate funding agencies to ensure their policies on artificial limb and assistive device coverage reflect a true understanding of the reality of living with amputation. We share our knowledge and expertise in this area with funding decision-makers so that individuals can receive the artificial limbs and devices they need for their independence and overall well-being.
This year, The War Amps continued its outreach in the provinces to improve outdated funding guidelines, specifically in Ontario, New Brunswick and British Columbia.
Prosthetic funding in Ontario and New Brunswick
Building on our work from last year to push for changes to the Ontario Assistive Devices Program, The War Amps issued an op-ed regarding the inadequate prosthetic funding standards in the province. Ontario’s funding guidelines for artificial limbs are grossly outdated and leave many of the province’s amputees in dismal circumstances, often having to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for the artificial limbs that have been medically prescribed to them.
The War Amps was interviewed by the CBC on this topic, in which we raised further awareness that the policy is failing to cover the cost of modern-day essential components.
“Even if there is a policy in place, it’s often outdated. As an amputee myself, it’s evident that [the province has] never spoken to an amputee in the creation of this policy.”
Annelise Petlock, War Amps Advocacy Program Manager, in an interview with the CBC
In addition to our outreach in Ontario, The War Amps op-ed appeared in the major daily newspapers in New Brunswick. The province offers no coverage for artificial limbs, except limited funding for those on social assistance. We provided a submission to the government in 2017 outlining the major deficiencies in its policy at the time; unfortunately, these deficiencies remain as policy updates have been deprioritized. The War Amps continues to monitor this situation closely and will be contacting the province to request that they resume efforts to update the policy.
It continues to be our position that Ontario and New Brunswick, as with all provinces and territories, have a legal and moral obligation to improve their policies on artificial limb coverage so that amputees have affordable access to the prosthetic care prescribed for them by their medical team.
Accessibility legislation in British Columbia
The War Amps has been at the table throughout the development of accessibility legislation at the national and provincial level, providing input this year for the drafting of British Columbia’s first accessibility legislation. We provided a position paper addressed to the minister responsible that described the issues faced by amputees in the province today, including a lack of access to appropriate assistive technology. The War Amps advised that a provision to this new legislation must guarantee that BC ensures appropriate coverage for artificial limbs is available to all amputees. The province has an opportunity for leadership in this area that should be used to set the standard across the country.
Following their review of our submission, the BC government made our paper publicly available through their website, allowing us to reach a broader audience with this important information.