BackOn 26 February 2025, the Veterans Ombud Colonel (Ret’d) Nishika Jardine released a report on Additional Dependant Care, a reimbursement mechanism designed to provide relief for additional dependant care costs incurred by Veterans participating in the Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) Rehabilitation Program. The report found unfairness in the rules for reimbursement that could result in some Veterans not being afforded the same relief as others.
Additional Dependant Care reimbursement is intended to help Veterans participate fully in their Rehabilitation Program. But the reimbursement rules discriminate between types of rehabilitation services. A Veteran who attends training services can be reimbursed beyond the maximum rate in certain circumstances, but a Veteran who accesses non-training services cannot. This is unfair. No Veteran should have to choose between paying the extra care cost out of pocket or foregoing treatment.
These restrictions, as well as maximum rates set in 2006—unlike other rates that are adjusted for the cost of living—are more likely to affect Veterans with higher dependant care costs, including single parents, women, and those with multiple dependants or dependants with high support needs.
The Veterans Ombud recommends that the Minister of Veterans Affairs resolves this unfairness by amending the Veterans Well-being Regulations to include discretion to exceed maximum rates for clients attending all rehabilitation services. The Veterans Ombud also recommends that the Minister ensures that regulatory provisions for maximum rates do not cause an increased cost burden for Veterans as a result of inflation.
“VAC needs the flexibility to support all Veterans, particularly as family structures evolve alongside societal changes. No Veteran should have to choose between paying the extra care cost out of pocket or foregoing treatment under the VAC Rehabilitation Program.” – Veterans Ombud Colonel (Ret’d) Nishika Jardine.
Source: The Office of the Veterans Ombudsman, Canada
