The NDP is calling on the federal government to immediately change how veterans are billed for long-term care costs after CBC News reported that many veterans may be paying more than they are entitled to. I’m looking for it.
During Question Period Wednesday, NDP MP Rachel Blaney asked whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau intended to “immediately end this gutting of long-term care.”
CBC News has uncovered accounting errors that may have caused tens of thousands of Canadian veterans to be overcharged for long-term care costs since at least 2005.
With some exceptions, veterans participating in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ long-term care programs only have to pay for lodging and meals. Its cost should be set at a certain level Equal to the lowest room and board cost in the least expensive state..
A CBC analysis found the government did not include the Northwest Territories in its calculations. Long-term care food and lodging costs are low in the area, meaning individual veterans may be paying $260 more per month than they should.
When CBC News asked the Department of Veterans Affairs about the discrepancy, the department said it would launch an investigation, but did not immediately make any changes to the program.
“The Minister of Veterans Affairs has asked authorities to further investigate this matter,” Trudeau told the House of Commons on Wednesday. “We are committed to supporting our veterans. We have been doing so since day one.”
Defense Minister Bill Blair said he had discovered news of a possible error that was “concerning”.
“I think there’s clearly work to be done to respond to these findings,” he said in a scrum with reporters Wednesday.
Two sources with ties to Veterans Affairs Canada told CBC News that the agency has been made aware of issues with veterans being overcharged for long-term care costs. The ministry has known about the discrepancies “for years,” the people said.
A group of lawyers has filed a class action complaint in federal court alleging that the federal government made errors in calculating long-term care costs.
“It’s no surprise that Prime Minister Trudeau continues to fail our veterans,” Conservative veterans affairs critic Blake Richards said in a media statement.
“Veterans deserve far better than significant delays and a Liberal government’s chaos,” he said in a statement.
He also said that many veterans live on fixed incomes and are burdened by the high cost of living.
