Canada's first Veterans Ombudsman has one serious concern over what awaits injured or disabled service people when they come home.
Retired Col. Patrick Stogran worries government agencies will start to view injuries sustained during military service as workplace accidents, something to be dealt with by the Workers' Compensation Board or provincial health services.
Yet Stogran said the level of service and commitment demanded during military service, a willingness to accept the likelihood of death or serious injury, makes it different from anything in civilian life. And that commitment demands a special kind of compensation for injuries.
"Such a commitment, that kind of acceptance of the same kind of unlimited liability, in any other job, I don't think it exists," he said in a telephone interview this week.
Stogran will be in Victoria Tuesday for a meeting at the Royal Canadian Legion, part of his national series of town hall meetings to hear from veterans about the issues they're facing.
Stogran was appointed as Canada's first Veterans Ombudsman on Nov. 11, 2007. His role is to review and address complaints of veterans, help them gain access to services and programs and identify problems within the system administered by Veterans Affairs Canada ....
