TORONTO, ON, June 24, 2004 - The 81st National Convention of The War Amputations of Canada today approved a resolution which would see the establishment within Veterans Affairs Canada of a division responsible for programs dedicated to assist widows where the pensioner has predeceased her.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Act states: Our mission is to provide exemplary, client-centred services and benefits that respond to the needs of veterans, our other clients and their families, in recognition of their services to Canada; and to keep the memory of their achievements and sacrifices alive for all Canadians.

It is noted that, under existing legislation, Veterans Affairs has the mission to provide services to the families of veterans “and to keep the memory of their achievements and sacrifices alive for all Canadians.”

Official reports indicate a rising number of deaths of seriously disabled veterans, leaving spouses who require assistance above and beyond the pension cheque paid to them under the Veterans Pension Act. This significant group of women have devoted their lives to the care of veterans. Veterans Affairs has failed to recognize its responsibility to these widows, despite the fact that they furnished many years of assistance to heavily disabled veterans, thus saving the Federal Government a considerable amount of money.

“It would appear that Veterans Affairs Canada is failing to carry out its duty in the Veterans Affairs Act to provide for the widows of veterans,” Cliff Chadderton, Chief Executive Officer of The War Amps said, noting that there are a significantly large number of women who have devoted their lives to caring for the heavily disabled veterans but who have neither a division nor staff under Veterans Affairs who are specifically dedicated to their special needs.

Chadderton, in quoting the comments at this convention, stated that it was tragic that these widows who gave so much to assist in the war effort have no representation in Government. “The only recognition for them is the receipt of monthly cheques, which flow from the Veterans service,” he said.

“We consider that this group of women deserves proper consideration as an official part of the day-to-day operation of Veterans Affairs Canada,” Chadderton continued.

While married to the veteran, a portion of his disability pension was allocated for the support and maintenance of his wife. When he dies, however, the income of the family decreases drastically. For example, a fully incapacitated veteran due to war disabilities would be in receipt of the following monthly amounts: 100% pension at married rates is $2,491.53, Exceptional Incapacity Allowance of $1,055.16 and Attendance Allowance of $1,318.93, totalling a family income of $4,865.62. Upon the veteran’s demise, that income could drop to widows pension paid under Schedule 2 of the Pension Act of $1,494.92 a month.

The Government, in mid-2004, voted to continue funds for housekeeping and groundskeeping where the widow remained in her own home or required household help. Accordingly, therefore, Veterans Affairs Canada is currently administering cash payments without having to accept responsibility for other ongoing needs of this very significant number of spouses whose husbands required constant medical and nursing services due to their war-caused disabilities.

“Such widows form a homogenous group and are subject to special problems which arise from advancing age,” Chadderton said. “For example, many of them could not accept employment and spent a considerable part of their time looking after their husbands.”

Chadderton said, “At the same time the Government does not seem to be prepared to offer them any assistance for the other needs which come as part of the aging population.”

The practice of The War Amps from its inception in 1919 has been to include wives and widows as part of their national meetings. This has created a situation where the ‘caregiver’ widows – spouses who provided care-giving for 25 years or more -- have been able to express strong feelings at the National Conventions.

The widows consider they have been abandoned by the Government and are recommending support of a resolution by The War Amps that Veterans Affairs Canada should establish a section to monitor the ongoing needs of this worthy group of former spouses of veterans. This would include counselling and the provision of information which would normally have been the prerogative of the husband had he not predeceased his wife.

“This recommendation comes at a time when Veterans Affairs Canada obviously has decreasing needs for staff to look after World War II and Korean veterans,” Chadderton said.

He stated that it was a travesty of justice to have Veterans Affairs ignore the needs of the spouses who gave so much to Canada’s war effort in supporting heavily disabled veterans who otherwise would have been candidates for institutional care under the auspices of Veterans Affairs Canada.