AFP/AAC Newsletter #32 - English

Armed Forces Pensioners’ / Annuitants’ Association of Canada Issue #32 • March 2019 O ur representative to the An- nual General Meeting of the National Council of Veteran Associations in Canada (held in Toronto, usually in November) provides council members a syn- opsis of our association’s activities during the year past. Here is what we reported for 2018. OUTLINE OF AFP/AAC ACTIVITIES The focus of the year’s Association activities included: n Veterans transferring to the Public Service; n Pensioners health care premiums; n Marriage after 60; n Agent Orange-related conditions; and n Target Benefit (“Shared Risk”) pension plans. TRANSFERS TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE We have explained in earlier edi- tions of this newsletter that vet- erans who transfer their pre-2013 CFSA credits to the PSSA are being penalized by having to work an additional five years in order to receive full pension benefits. A Private Members Bill in Parliament has not yet received second read- ing, and a letter from the Minister of Veterans Affairs on the subject to the President of Treasury Board has been rejected. We are now trying to gain support from DND to right this injustice. PSHCP PREMIUMS One of our partners in the Ca- nadian Coalition for Retirement Security (CCRS) (see below) has challenged in court the decision by our government to increase each pensioner’s share of our Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) premiums from 25% to 50% (which is where it now sits). In an August 2017 decision, Madame Justice McDonald of the Federal Court sided with the Government. That decision was appealed by the plaintiff. On September 18, 2018 the Fed- eral Court of Appeal in Ottawa be- gan hearings in the matter of those who are challenging the decision by the Treasury Board of Canada to increase the health care premiums of retirees. Typically, the Court will reserve judgement following such hearings and will issue a written ruling at a later date. Just don’t hold your breath! MARRIAGE AFTER 60 Despite well publicized promises in the months leading up to the 2015 general election, and despite specif- ic direction in mandate letters from our Prime Minister to each of the ministers of Veterans Affairs since that election, absolutely nothing has changed regarding the mar- riage-after-60 issue. At a “Veterans Summit” hosted by the Minister of Veterans Affairs in Ottawa at the end of October 2018, the Minister was asked directly about this issue. He replied that VAC was “working on it” – which is the same answer that we have been getting from var- ious ministers of National Defence for the past quarter century. So, as of the beginning of 2019, and despite all the promises, we are no further ahead on this issue than we were at the beginning of the last federal election year. Unless there is a dramatic change in the months leading up to the October election, we urge readers in advance to get out to candidates’ town halls and other meetings and question the candidates directly on this issue. AGENT ORANGE Last year began with a revelation regarding Agent Orange and the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB). Readers may recall, from our previous newsletters, the plight of the late Basil McAllister. Basil was afflicted with several Agent Orange-related health conditions for which he had applied to VAC for a disability pension. His application was rejected by VAC and, on appeal, by the VRAB. Fi- nally, out of frustration with VAC, Basil took his case to civil court AND WON! And so did several other veterans in similar circum- stances. At the end of 2017, and in light of the civil court over-ruling of VAC decisions, the Chairman of the VRAB wrote the Minister of Veterans Affairs stating that VAC and VRAB had been incorrectly evaluating applications for Agent Orange-related disabilities (see our full report in newsletter #29 pub- lished last March). This is good news for the dozens of Gagetown veterans whose Agent Orange disability applications have been denied for decades. If you are one of those whose application was rejected (or the survivor of same), you should re-apply. TARGET BENEFIT PENSION PLANS There is concern amongst feder- al, and some major private sector pensioners, that employers may opt to change employee pension plans from “defined benefit” (like our CFSA plan) to a “target benefit” (or “shared risk”) plan (as has already been done to New Brunswick pro- vincial employees). Although the federal government has denied it is planning any such change, many pension experts are skeptical of this denial. AFP/AAC has been a member of the Canadian Coalition for Re- tirement Security (CCRS) since its formation in 2015. This coalition is comprised of 23 organizations, as- sociations, veterans groups, unions, YEAR IN REVIEW 2018