Welcome again to our newsletter.As usual, all of our executives andworkers are hard at work, represent-ing your interests. There are toomany ongoing initiatives for me tolist in this short introduction, soplease read the full newsletter andcheck our website regularly to keepupdated.
As you know, you and I, andevery other Vet, depend on the fed-eral government for our post-servicebenefits. We must hold them respon-sible for shortfalls. Please keep inmind items such as the lump-sumdisability pension and the reluctanceof our present government to expe-dite the benefit process, and ensure
the fair treatment of loyal Canadiansinjured and damaged while servingthis wonderful country. Your votecounts! That’s what we, and manyothers, served and fought for. Pleasevote your conscience.
Thank you.
Tony HuntleyNational ChairmanAFP/AAC
1ARMED FORCES PENSIONERS ’/ANNUITANTS ’ ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
Chairman’s Message
ISSUE 21 | 2015
AFP/AACIN THIS ISSUE:
How to Join Affinity ProgramsEnjoy the discounts and savings that come with membership!
PTSD ~ Crisis ManagementLearn how the senses can trigger past trauma.
Voting for Veterans Read up on the issues that may change your future.
Canadian Coalition for Retirement Security Guess who’s looking out for your nest egg?
ARMED FORCES PENSIONERS’/ANNUITANTS’ ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
Visit our website: www.afpaac.ca
Like us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter
NOTICE OF THE2015 ANNUAL
GENERAL MEETING
NCVA Submission to theNVC Standing Committee
The amendments proposed for the
New Veterans Charter (NVC) have been
a source of controversy in the past
months. On May 26th, Brian Forbes ap-
proached the standing committee for
Bill C-59 with concerns over the half-
measures offered in the bill. Forbes is
Chairman of the National Council of
Veteran Associations in Canada, and
Chairman of the Executive Committee
of The War Amputations of Canada.
Mr. Forbes’ submission to the stand-
ing committee commends them for fo-
cusing on our badly injured Veterans,
and notes that most of the proposed
changes in the bill are positive. He notes,
however, that even these positive
changes fall woefully short of meeting
these Veterans’ needs.
Looking at
the changes
proposed in
Bill C-59 as a
first step to-
ward meeting
the needs of
Canadian Vet-
erans, Mr.
Forbes laid out
six actions leg-
islators should
take as their
second step:
1. T h e
Earnings Loss
Benefit to be
raised from
75% of former
military in-
come to 100%.
2. In the
NVC, the SISIP Long Term Disability
benefit for service-related disabilities
needs to be replaced by the enhanced
Earning Loss Benefit.
3. Disability awards commensu-
rate with Civil Court’s general damages
to be facilitated by VAC.
4. Improved access to Permanent
Impairment Allowance and entitlement
to higher grade levels of the allowance.
5. Further re-evaluation of the
Family Caregiver Relief Benefit, to pro-
vide adequate financial support for fam-
ilies of seriously disabled veterans who
need a caregiver present.
6. Further review of the Retire-
ment Income Security Benefit to ensure
that seriously disabled veterans have
sufficient post 65 financial security.
Mr. Forbes has asked that the Stand-
ing Committee on Bill C-59 urge Min-
ister O’Toole
to continue
viewing the
New Veterans
Charter as a
living charter,
and continue
making posi-
tive steps to
improve the
lives of seri-
ously injured
Veterans. This
submission to
the standing
committee was
well received.
“The Commit-
tee noted that
the gaps and
inequities that
we had identi-
fied in the new Bill would continue to be
a priority early in the year 2016.”
The AFP/AAC Annual General
Meeting will be held on Thursday
15 October 2015 at 2:00 PM EDT
by teleconference call. For those
members wishing to participate,
please contact us by calling 1-613-
432-9491 or email us at execu-
[email protected] to receive
the call-in information. There will
be no costs incurred for members to
call-in.
A motion to approve the 2014
audit will be made at the AGM. The
audit was conducted by Nephin
Winter Bingley and subsequent
draft financial statements were pro-
vided to the board. The auditor re-
ported that, “In our opinion, these
financial statements present fairly,
in all material respects, the balance
sheet of Armed Forces
pensioner’/Annuitants’ Association
of Canada as at December 31, 2014
and its results of operations and its
cash flows for the year then ended
in accordance with Canadian gener-
ally accepted accounting principles
for not- for-profit organizations.”
The financial statements are avail-
able to members upon request.
AFP/AAC
P.O. Box 370, 3-247 Barr Street Renfrew, Ontario K7V 4A6
Phone: 613-432-9491Email: [email protected]
Website: www.afpaac.ca
2 ARMED FORCES PENSIONERS ’/ANNUITANTS ’ ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
3ARMED FORCES PENSIONERS ’/ANNUITANTS ’ ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
AFFINITY PROGRAMSDiscounts and Deals for Members
Several members have asked about discounts and deals
available through their AFP/AAC membership. In addition to
our group rates for property insurance available through TD In-
surance, the CF Appreciation Program (see our 2011 newsletter
Issue 10) offers special deals on a variety of goods and services.
The program, launched in 2011, is open to CF members,
former members, surviving spouses, dependent children and
civilian employees of DND (see a detailed listing at
https://www.cfappreciation.ca/en/aboutus/pages/about-us.aspx).
You need a “CF One” card to access the CF Appreciation
Program. If you have not yet applied for yours, go to the CF
One website: (https://www.cfmws.com/en/OurServices/ CFOne/
Pages/JoinNow.aspx) and complete the application on-line.
The following is a more complete description of the pro-
gram.
In 2013, the CFOne Card was launched by Canadian Forces
Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) as the one card needed
to access a variety of morale and welfare programs and services.
More specifically, this card provides access to the CF Appreci-
ation Program and the CANEX Rewards Program.
As the official discount program of the Canadian Forces
Community, the CF Appreciation Program offers discounts and
special offers on a wide variety of goods and services available
locally, nationally and internationally. The program offers dis-
counts on cruises, leisure travel accommodation, car rentals, ve-
hicle purchases, dining out, ski lift tickets, furniture, and sports
equipment – the list goes on. There are currently more than
2,300 Industry Partners and the list is growing daily. Information
on the offers from Industry Partners can be found at www.cfap-
preciation.ca; however, only card holders can access it. For more
information on the Program, please call one of the CF Appreci-
ation Industry Partner Specialists at 1-855-235-3099.
Did you know?• On average, a CFOne member can save over $1000 on
the purchase of a new vehicle.
• CFOne members save on travel with discounted travel
tickets, waived baggage fees, and reduced rates on accom-
modations.
• A night out on the town is even more affordable with
over 80 partnering restaurants across Canada, plus dis-
counted movie tickets, theatre tickets, and sporting events.
Launched in Nov 2014, CANEX – Canada’s Military Store
– now has an online ecommerce site; enjoy shopping at
www.CANEX.ca from the comfort of your home! CANEX.ca
offers a compelling online selection of military affinity products,
such as military gear and accoutrements, optional military cloth-
ing, Pride of Association Kit Shop merchandise, as well as brand
name merchandise and more. Log on to CANEX.ca with your
CFOne Card and access the CANEX No Interest Credit Plan,
and for extra savings, watch for CF1FC MEMBERS ONLY
prices!
CANEX Rewards offers points on purchases made at any
of the CANEX locations across Canada or online at CANEX.ca.
Collect and redeem points while shopping at CANEX. For more
information on CANEX Rewards, visit www.CANEXRe-
wards.ca.
CFOne members are entitled to the benefits of the CF Ap-
preciation Program and CANEX Rewards. Please apply online
today at www.cf1fc.ca and get more information on eligibility
and the many savings and benefits!
4 ARMED FORCES PENSIONERS ’/ANNUITANTS ’ ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) is caused by a traumatic expe-
rience creating intense feelings of fear,
helplessness, and anxiety. It is one
form of Operational Stress Injury
(OSI), which can also include anxiety,
depression, and a range of other, less
severe, conditions. PTSD has many
possible symptoms, grouped into three
categories:
• Intrusive – flashbacks, night-
mares, unwelcome memories, and
physical symptoms of anxiety
• Avoidance – numbness, de-
tachment, avoiding all reminders,
gaps in memory
• Hyper-Arousal – anger, easily
startled, poor sleep, watching for
signs of danger
Symptoms of PTSD and other
OSIs come and go, but certain things
might trigger a memory, sparking new
or worsened symptoms, even years
later. Any sound, smell, or sight that
reminds the sufferer of the traumatic
event could be a trigger. In CAF Veter-
ans, there’s an increased risk when
watching traumatic events on the news,
including reports of terrorism or war.
When the news is focussing on a
tragedy, especially if it reminds you of
your own traumatic experiences, turn
the television off and walk away.
"When PTSD symptoms got worse for
some Veterans, it may have been re-
lated to how closely what they were
seeing on the news reflected what they
had gone through while serving,” the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
found.
After witnessing traumatic events
on the news, many Veterans reported a
return of PTSD symptoms, new PTSD
symptoms, anxiety, depression, and
being troubled by bad memories. Other
risk factors can include memorial
events, such as Remembrance Day and
the Heroes Highway Ride.
If you’re experiencing a flashback,
whether it’s the result of a news story
or any other trigger, there are ‘ground-
ing techniques’ you can use that can
help you to break free and get help.
Having a plan in place is as important
in a mental health emergency as in any
other. These grounding techniques will
use your senses to distract your mind,
grounding you in the present moment.
They can include:
• Sound – choose a song you
don’t associate with the traumatic
event. Playing this music loudly
can help to drag your conscious-
ness back into the present, and out
of the past.
• Smell – “Smell is the strongest
sense tied to memory.” If you smell
something strong, such as pepper-
mint or eucalyptus, it can be
enough to interrupt the intrusive
memories. Be careful to choose a
scent that doesn’t remind you of
your traumatic event.
• Touch – As long as ice won’t
make your flashback seem more
real, holding a piece of ice in your
hand can be good for grounding
you, shutting down unpleasant
physical memories.
• Sight – Pay attention to things
around you. It may help to list the
things that you can see, and de-
pending on the severity of the
flashback, remind yourself that
these things were not there in the
traumatic event, and the event is
over.
• Taste – Biting into a lemon or
grapefruit may be enough to shock
your senses back into the present
moment.
Each of these tactics is only meant
to stop the immediate flashback. It’s
important to seek a mental health pro-
fessional if you’re having new or wors-
ening symptoms of OSIs.
Eight percent of CF members that
have been deployed develop PTSD
within five years. Most either return to
normal duties or take on modified du-
ties. Others are given medical dis-
charge and VAC takes over their care.
If you, or someone you know, have any
of the symptoms described above, con-
tact your primary care physician or
Veterans Affairs, because help is avail-
able.
See www.osiss.ca for more infor-
mation about operational stress injuries
and the support that is available.
If you know or suspect that some-
one is suffering from OSI, you should
refer him to the nearest OSI Peer Sup-
port representatives listed on the above
website. If you do not have Internet
access, please phone us at AFP/AAC
(613-432-9491) for details on who to
contact in your area.
PTSD ~ Crisis Management
5ARMED FORCES PENSIONERS ’/ANNUITANTS ’ ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
Voting for Veterans ~ The Issues that Count
In preparation for the 2015 Federal
Elections, Veterans’ advocacy groups
are turning up the heat, pressuring the
government to fill gaps in veteran care,
support, and benefits. Tom Eagles, the
Dominion President of the Royal
Canadian Legion recently released a
position paper on issues that it hopes
will be addressed in the upcoming
election.
Three issues in veteran care and
support that need immediate govern-
ment attention are improving the Earn-
ings Loss Benefit (ELB), increasing
the maximum disability award to
match those of injured civilian employ-
ees, and ending the inequality in the
ELB for Class A and Class B Re-
servists with service-related injuries.
Other veterans’ care issues that the
Royal Canadian Legion are pushing to
have resolved include:
• Eligibility for Veterans Inde-
pendence Program (VIP), both for
the veteran and the surviving
spouse, should be based on need,
not income
• Easier access to long term care
beds, for Veterans with service-re-
lated injuries
• All CAF members whose
deaths are service-related be eligi-
ble for the death benefit under the
NVC, marital status notwithstand-
ing, retroactive to 2006
• Re-opening VAC district of-
fices in areas with an increased
need for case managers (please let
us know if these closures are af-
fecting you personally!)
• Legislation to protect military
pensions
The Legion is also advocating for
military and veteran families, and is-
sues that will impact their lives. “Fam-
ilies deserve our full attention as they
are an integral component of the over-
all military family,” states the position
paper, and our government must pro-
vide the extra care and support that
military families often need.
• Offering a Veteran’s Family
Identification Card as well as the
Veteran’s Identification Card
• Providing priority access to
healthcare to veterans and their
families and simplifying the eligi-
bility criteria for family health care
benefits
• Additional support during the
transition to civilian life
• VAC should give due consider-
ation to surviving spouses applying
for VIP benefits not in place before
the veteran’s death, which is an
issue the AFP/AAC and NCVA
have been promoting for many
years
Also, when a veteran has a service-
related disability, the government
should provide families with psychoso-
cial and vocation rehabilitation, coun-
selling for the extended family, and
better financial support for spouses that
become primary caregivers.
Federal elections are opportunities
for every Canadian to make his/her
opinion count. These are veteran-spe-
cific issues, and hopefully they’ll be
addressed during the upcoming cam-
paigns. Vote your conscience.
Community Mailboxes – How Might They Affect You?
As part of their Five-Point Action
Plan, Canada Post has decided to
switch much of their door-to-door mail
delivery to community mailboxes over
the next five years. Depending on your
individual situation, this may directly
affect you.
Addresses that won’t be affected will
include:
• Apartment buildings and con-
dominiums with mail delivery to
the building’s lobby
• Rural buildings with a standing
mailbox at the end of the driveway
• Retirement homes, long-term
care facilities, and seniors’ apart-
ments with mail delivered to the
lobby
• Businesses with a lot of mail
traffic
• Businesses that are part of a
business corridor, building, or
shopping centre
Making the Transition – Veterans
with Mobility Concerns
Canada Post understands that
many Canadians have safety concerns
about transitioning to community mail-
boxes. This is especially true for many
of our Veterans with mobility chal-
lenges.
CP is willing to make individual
accommodations, on either a perma-
Continued on next page...
6 ARMED FORCES PENSIONERS ’/ANNUITANTS ’ ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
Our last newsletter included an
‘Internal Message to Coalition Mem-
ber Organizations’ that outlined the
composition and intent of our Coali-
tion for Retirement Security. Since
last September our AFP/AAC Ottawa
representative has been meeting with
representatives of various federal trade
unions and other veterans associations
in order to develop a strategy to thwart
attempts by the federal government to
alter the basic structure of CFSA ben-
efits programs to which we CF annui-
tants/pensioners are currently entitled.
This concern was triggered by the gov-
ernment’s action last year to increase
our monthly premiums for health in-
surance beginning this year (as de-
scribed in our 2014 newsletter #17)
and some recent changes enacted to
federal pension regulations.
In an effort to placate those voters
who believe that all federal pensioners
have gold-plated fat-cat retirement
benefits, our federal government has
enacted legislation to facilitate the
abandonment of “defined benefit”
pension plans (our CFSA being one
such plan) in favour of “target benefit”
plans. Provincial employees and pen-
sioners in New Brunswick have re-
cently been forced into a “target bene-
fit” plan referred to by their politicians
as a “shared risk” plan. If we CAF
pensioners sit idly by over the next few
months during the lead up to October’s
federal election, we can expect to be
handed a new pension plan with no
guarantees for annual indexing or con-
tinuance of our defined pension bene-
fit.
Our Coalition partners, working
through the National Association of
Federal Retirees (NAFR – formerly
the Federal Superannuates National
Association (FSNA)) have agreed to a
strategy to obtain assurances from
leaders and candidates in the upcom-
ing election that our accumulated fed-
eral pension benefits will not be
changed without our consent. We
hope to achieve this aim by inviting all
our members (that’s you!) to write to
their current MPs and other candidates
running for federal office in October.
A web site has been created at
http://honouryourpromise.ca that you
are invited to visit soon. By clicking
on “Tell the Politicians”, you can sign
the Support Pledge for our Coalition as
well as learn about what is happening.
You can also sign up for e-mail alerts
from the Coalition. Click on ‘Volun-
teers’, then on ‘Register”. Complete
the details, and when you get to
‘Branch or Organization’, select
“Other”.
The NAFR, through its local chap-
ters, will organize a number of All
Candidates Meetings at a dozen cities
beginning in September. We encour-
age our AFP/AAC members to partic-
ipate in these gatherings, and we will
post details on our website as they be-
come available.
We have recently posted several
coalition-related notices on our web-
site along with parallel announcements
on Facebook and Twitter – be sure to
check these out.
Come October, the party we want
to win is the one that promises to not
change our existing pension benefit
package.
Canadian Coalition for Retirement Security
nent, temporary, or seasonal basis. In-
dividual accommodations may include:
• Assigning mailbox compart-
ments at a height the individual
identifies as appropriate
• Providing an individual with a
sliding drawer in their compartment
to prevent the need to bend, stretch,
or reach for mail
• They will provide a key-turning
device for those with dexterity con-
cerns, including arthritis
• They can redirect your mail to
an office or a designated person of
your choice
• Weekly delivery of your letters,
directly to your door
Safety and Maintenance
Canada Post is committed to main-
taining safe, accessible community
mailboxes year round. This includes
keeping the area surrounding the mail-
box clear of snow and debris, and re-
pairing the boxes in the case of damage.
If you notice damage, graffiti, or unsafe
ground around your community mail-
box, contact Canada Post.
If your home has door-to-door mail
delivery, you’ll be transitioned to a
community mailbox within the next
five years. Canada Post will be notify-
ing residences by mail, to give you time
to prepare. For more information on
whether and when your neighbourhood
will be transitioned, how to get your
mailbox key, visit the Canada Post
website at www.canadapost.ca. To re-
quest individual accommodations, call
1-844-454-3009.
...Continued from previous page