The Trudeau government is facing new calls to eliminate the backlog of disability claims from ill and injured veterans amid revelations that Veterans Affairs Canada failed to spend nearly $1 billion of its budget l last year.
Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay’s office says the backlog of thousands of unprocessed applications for financial and medical benefits has had no impact on unspent funds.
But veterans’ groups and others are expressing skepticism, saying at least some of the money would have been used to help more ill and injured former soldiers if their claims had been processed in a timely manner.
Instead, many continue to wait months and sometimes years to find out if they qualify for medical and financial assistance from the federal government for injuries and illnesses sustained in uniform.
The Royal Canadian Legion says unspent funds should be used to clear the backlog immediately.
The Legion and the National Council of Veteran Associations are also reiterating past calls for the government to start automatically approving veterans’ claims, something the Liberals have repeatedly refused to do.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on January 31, 2023.
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