Days after CBC News reported that veterans on the team will have to buy their own health insurance, Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas-Taylor has now announced that veterans on Canada’s Invictus Games team will have to buy their own health insurance by 2025. It says you can get full health insurance.
“We continue to work with the Canadian Armed Forces, Soldier On, Invictus Games and other stakeholders to… ensure this situation is corrected in time for the 2025 Invictus Games,” Petitpas-Taylor said Thursday. He spoke in the House of Commons.
NDP MP Rachel Blaney called the House of Commons after CBC News reported that Scott Snow, a retired military officer who was a member of Canada’s 2023 Invictus team, was left with thousands of dollars in medical bills. raised this issue.
Snow went to Düsseldorf, Germany to participate in archery, rowing, and wheelchair rugby. During his first rugby match, the wheelchair he was using tipped over and slammed into the court floor, injuring his head, neck and spine.
Snow finished the match without noticing any damage from the fall, but after returning to Canada, X-rays revealed a cervical spine injury.
He underwent surgery to fuse his vertebrae. I had to have a second surgery on my lower spine because my legs wouldn’t stop tingling.
Canadian veteran Scott Snow said he was injured competing in last year’s Invictus Games and paid thousands of dollars for surgery. Under current rules, only active members have medical insurance.
Canada’s Invictus team is managed by Soldier On, a semi-autonomous CAF program. Soldier On helps sick and injured CAF members and veterans recover through sports, recreation, and creative activities.
Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) also supports the Invictus program by providing funding to Soldier On, including Canada hosting the 2025 Games in Whistler BC and funding the team’s participation. Includes $16 million for
Whistler’s competitions include skeleton bobsled, alpine skiing, and snowboarding.
Snow said Soldier On and its officials are well aware that, unlike the military members of the team, veterans are required to have health insurance to cover the cost of treatment for injuries sustained while competing. He said he didn’t explain it.
“It was just a passing point. We were never pulled aside for an explanation. And most people who were paying attention to it knew that credit card insurance or CAA insurance was not health insurance. I just thought it would cover ,” he said.
Snow said her recovery has left her unable to walk up the stairs at home, forcing her to move into a nursing home, which costs nearly $5,000 a month.
He said he also suffers from vision problems in his left eye, which he developed after hitting his head during a fall, but was forced to discontinue vision therapy because he could not afford to pay for it.
During a wheelchair rugby match between Team Canada and Team USA at the 2023 Invictus Games, Snow fell back and slammed his head on the court as he reached to intercept a pass.
“Since I was injured, no one from Soldier On has answered my phone calls. I have sent emails and made phone calls, but they have never contacted me,” he said. spoke.
DND said it is working with Soldier On and its partners and health insurance providers to determine what additional coverage can be put in place to ensure there is no gap for participants after the event.
The statement did not say how long that process would take or whether additional compensation would be in place by February, when Canada hosts the 2025 Games.
