Providers & Professionals

Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) works in partnership with other government health care authorities, health care providers and research professionals to ensure that eligible clients receive appropriate health care benefits and services.

At the federal level, the Department is active in interdepartmental discussions on matters affecting seniors, including the Interdepartmental Committee on Aging and Seniors Issues (IDC-ASI). VAC also is an active member of the IDC-ASI's National Framework for Aging Working Group and the lead department in a Caregiving Working Group.

In recognition of the benefits gained through the sharing of knowledge, the Department has been active in consultation and partnership collaboration. Consultation sessions with the key Veteran stakeholder groups create visibility, solicit input, develop consensus and gain support for ongoing improvements. The groups consulted on a regular basis are: Royal Canadian Legion; Army, Navy and Airforce Veterans in Canada; National Council of Veterans’ Associations; Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association; Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping, and the Gulf War Veterans Association of Canada.

Specific consultations are designed to do one, or a combination of, the following: provide information; obtain input or feedback; create opportunity for stakeholders to contribute to proposed solutions, and ensure that proposals are responsive to clients’ needs as seen from a stakeholder perspective; position stakeholders to assist clients through communication and advocacy activities; and facilitate a value-added sounding board.

These same Veterans’ organizations participate on VAC advisory bodies, particularly the Gerontological Advisory Council (GAC) and the New Veterans Charter Advisory Group (NVCAG). These groups bring academics together with representatives from key Veterans' organizations and other stakeholders, providing VAC with advice and recommendations on Departmental priority areas. Another advisory body, the Special Needs Advisory Group (SNAG), comprised largely of seriously disabled clients, has also provided the Department with recommendations aimed at ongoing improvement, a number of which have already been implemented.

VAC's reputation for expertise on the subject of aging is solidified by Departmental Gerontologist, Dr. David Pedlar. As the winner of a prestigious international award for a research paper on care giving, Dr. Pedlar notes that as part of VAC's Client Centred Service Approach both clients and their family caregivers are now included in the client needs assessment process.

Additionally, the Review of Veterans' Care Needs (RVCN) is a policy and research effort that is facilitating our commitment to best meet the changing needs of all clients. To respond to our clients' demographic and health changes, VAC is adopting a service philosophy built on best practices in Client Services, one that identifies individual client's needs and then determines how best to provide assistance. Abstracts of a number of research papers can be found on this site along with access to obtaining the entire report.

We anticipate the development of evidence-based programs and policies will further cement the Department's reputation as a centre of excellence in the field of aging, as well as facilitate Departmental efforts to maintain a national treatment and services program that recognizes the evolving needs of all clients.