The Trudeau government is facing fresh calls to eliminate backlogs of disability claims from sick and injured veterans amid revelations that Veterans Affairs Canada underspent nearly $1 billion of its budget last year.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Lawrence McAuley’s office says the backlog of thousands of unprocessed financial and medical aid applications has not had an impact on unspent funds.
But veterans groups and others express skepticism, saying at least some of the money would have been used to help more sick and injured veterans 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 health 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 Veterans Associations also reiterated past calls for the government to begin automatically approving veterans’ claims, which the Liberals have repeatedly refused to do.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on January 31, 2023.
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