The disability award "top up".....not until 2017?

[Fishbone Jones]

Until I have the money, tax free in my account, I don't believe it. With the liebrals, we're always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

 

[PuckChaser]

Who here trusts Trudeau's promises for anything, let alone the Liberals election promises to woo the Veterans' vote? Who here trusts VAC?

The bill recieved Royal Assent on 22 Jun 16, the money has to be paid out (unless someone puts another bill in to cancel it). Whether VAC screws it up completely and no one sees any cash until 2019 remains to be seen.

 

[Rifleman62]

Return to lifetime pensions with survivors benefits?

Anyone finding the reopening and the establishment of a new VAC office in the Minister of National Defence riding helpful?

 

[slayer/raptor]

There's a lot of debate on how it will be calculated. The big problem is VACs example of someone receiving a 25% award would receive a $11000 top up doesn't matter the year you recieved it. No one can figure out how they came to a top up of $11 000 but that's what they are saying.

So BinRat you would be looking at $22 000 total for a top up.

Link for VACs example http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-us/department-officials/minister/budget/disability-award

I would hope that the way you and Puckchaser are calculating it is correct but VAC has thrown many with there example.

Have they removed the example? I went to the link but it just explains the top-up and shows no example.

 

[Teager]

Have they removed the example? I went to the link but it just explains the top-up and shows no example.

Strange when I posted I checked the site and the example was there. So it looks like it has now been removed.

 

[CampCricket]

I'm not sure how you came up with the numbers below. I started receiving my top up yesterday. Looks like it's back dated to October 1st. On my VAC account online its listed as TEMPORARY INCOME LOSS benefit

I was medically released 12 months ago. My release salary was 62,232 MCpl pay
Looks like I'm getting $470 a month after tax of which only $32 is being held back.

I'm greatful to receive the amount and my intent is not to complain - but I'm just curious as to how this amounts to a 15% top up - it looks more like 10%. There is no reference on my online account and I have no letter from VAC yet to explain this to me... so I'm just super curious on how they arrived at this calculation and what others are receiving. Since I'm a recent release - there is no indexing involved...  I figure this might be an easier example to explain.

Any insight would be nice

Well exemple April 2017 assessed at 15% =$54000  let's say you got your desability payment in 2013. Look at the CPI for

2016= 1.3 so 54000 X 1.3 $702
2015= 1.1x 54000 = $574
2014 = 2.0x 54000 = $1080
2013 = .9 X 54000= $486

Add all the result $2842

Now $54000- $2842 = $51158

So $51158 - whatever you received then 15% in 2013 was $44788 so $51158 -44788= $6370 vice if they would have taken 2017 rate minus 2013 rates then it would have been $9212.  Hope it make sense.

 

[Tilap61]

Campcricket we are talking about 2 different things. What I a am taking about it the disability award which will come into effect april1st. You are talking about ELB. ELB is topping up to 90% of your pre release salarY taking into account your pension, CPP disability , SISSIP and any other income.

 

[Occam]

I'm not sure how you came up with the numbers below. I started receiving my top up yesterday. Looks like it's back dated to October 1st. On my VAC account online its listed as TEMPORARY INCOME LOSS benefit

I was medically released 12 months ago. My release salary was 62,232 MCpl pay
Looks like I'm getting $470 a month after tax of which only $32 is being held back.

I'm greatful to receive the amount and my intent is not to complain - but I'm just curious as to how this amounts to a 15% top up - it looks more like 10%. There is no reference on my online account and I have no letter from VAC yet to explain this to me... so I'm just super curious on how they arrived at this calculation and what others are receiving. Since I'm a recent release - there is no indexing involved...  I figure this might be an easier example to explain.

Any insight would be nice

Completely different program at VAC.  You're talking about the ELB top-up.

There will be a retroactive top-up to any lump sum disability award(s) you have received since the NVC took effect in April 2006.  You will receive a top-up sometime after April 2017.  VAC already knows who has received these awards, and will send the top-ups out automatically.

 

[CampCricket]

That's simply my guess.  The wording is so ambiguous they could do it either way and substantiate the way they decided to do it.  Who knows what their actual intent was when writing it up.  Hopefully there will be a detailed calculation sent out for everyone when it's time to make the direct deposits, so we aren't forced to look at the top up sum awarded and wonder "Just how did they arrive at that?".

I'm not sure how you came up with the numbers below. I started receiving my top up yesterday. Looks like it's back dated to October 1st. On my VAC account online its listed as TEMPORARY INCOME LOSS benefit

I was medically released 12 months ago. My release salary was 62,232 MCpl pay
Looks like I'm getting $470 a month after tax of which only $32 is being held back.

I'm greatful to receive the amount and my intent is not to complain - but I'm just curious as to how this amounts to a 15% top up - it looks more like 10%. There is no reference on my online account and I have no letter from VAC yet to explain this to me... so I'm just super curious on how they arrived at this calculation and what others are receiving. Since I'm a recent release - there is no indexing involved...  I figure this might be an easier example to explain.

Any insight would be nice 

 

[slayer/raptor]

Unless I missed it, they still haven't mentioned whether or not they are bringing back the pensions for those who received a one time disibility award correct? Even though it was in the Liberals promises.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Unless I missed it, they still haven't mentioned whether or not they are bringing back the pensions for those who received a one time disibility award correct? Even though it was in the Liberals promises.

I think they're trying to make it disappear. Once they looked at it and realized the Reserve Pension fiasco was just a warning of the bureaucratic boondoggle that would come with the implementation of life long pensions.



DISCLAIMER: The preceding, posted by me, has not been fact checked. It is not based on identifiable sources, but simply my own opinion. Feel free to try change my mind, on important subjects, I’ll listen, but still may not agree with you, so don’t be offended. It’s not personal. This disclaimer will shortly be replaced with this smilie,  at the beginning of my posts (as above) that require it. Cheers.

 

[Occam]

I think they're trying to make it disappear. Once they looked at it and realized the Reserve Pension fiasco was just a warning of the bureaucratic boondoggle that would come with the implementation re-implementation of life long pensions.

FTFY.

As I understand it, there are some stakeholder members of the VAC Policy Advisory Group who are not pushing the reinstatement of disability pensions for all those affected by the the NVC.  It would be a travesty if we got the Liberal government to commit to restoring full disability pensions for those who wish them as an election promise, only to have the whole thing torpedoed by veterans themselves.

 

[slayer/raptor]

Does anyone on here know how the disability pension used to work? Was it kind of like today? As in 100% disability was a fixed priced per year and then everyone would receive a monthly amount depending on how much of a percentage of loss they were assessed?

Did the pension have a problems? Why is it so hard to go back to the way it was before? Was it too expensive for the gov't?

 

[QV]

The old life long disability pension costs a lot more then the current lump sum award.  The government of the day realizing casualties were going to be very expensive decided to cut costs with respect to veterans benefits.  They did this while Canadian troops were in combat. 

Pro patria. 

 

[Fishbone Jones]

The old life long disability pension costs a lot more then the current lump sum award.  The government of the day realizing casualties were going to be very expensive decided to cut costs with respect to veterans benefits.  They did this while Canadian troops were in combat. 

Pro patria.

Yup. Changed the rules of the game while we were playing.

 

[Rifleman62]

Here is the VAC link to five pages of the 2016 rate tables for future reference. PDF attached. First page indicates a single pensioner e.g.  @100 % would receive $2695.73 per month. With spouse, 2 children it would be $3976.20 per month and so on. The Tables also include survivors pension amounts. The pensions are indexed annually at the same rate as all federal government pensions. This year it was 1.3%. The 2017 Tables have not been published yet.

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/services/rates      then scroll down to " View the complete Disability Pension rate tables"

 

[slayer/raptor]

Here is the VAC link to five pages of the 2016 rate tables for future reference. PDF attached. First page indicates a single pensioner e.g.  @100 % would receive $2695.73 per month. With spouse, 2 children it would be $3976.20 per month and so on. The Tables also include survivors pension amounts. The pensions are indexed annually at the same rate as all federal government pensions. This year it was 1.3%. The 2017 Tables have not been published yet.

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/services/rates      then scroll down to " View the complete Disability Pension rate tables"

Thanks for the link. I suppose a big problem, if they were to go back to pensions, is to figure out how do they start compensating those who got a lump sum. Do they A: Take the money back and then put them on a pensions, B: Not give them a pension for several years until they make up for the money they were given etc... So I could see how "Just returning to how it used to be" would not be as simple as that.

 

[Teager]

Thanks for the link. I suppose a big problem, if they were to go back to pensions, is to figure out how do they start compensating those who got a lump sum. Do they A: Take the money back and then put them on a pensions, B: Not give them a pension for several years until they make up for the money they were given etc... So I could see how "Just returning to how it used to be" would not be as simple as that.

The Minister and VAC stakeholders have been down this path already. The pension is NOT coming back at least in terms of the previous system. Here is what has been proposed to the minister so far.

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-us/stakeholder-engagement/policy

 

[Occam]

The Minister and VAC stakeholders have been down this path already. The pension is NOT coming back at least in terms of the previous system. Here is what has been proposed to the minister so far.

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-us/stakeholder-engagement/policy

Those are only recommendations, though.  Implementing only those recommendations would represent a major renege on the promises made during the election.  There is absolutely no mention of a return to any kind of pension in those recommendations whatsoever.

Strangely enough, it does mention the following:

To achieve “one veteran one standard” it is our ongoing task to ensure that no veteran under the New Veterans Charter should receive less compensation than a veteran under the Pension Act with the same level of disability or incapacity

I don't see how they can achieve equitable compensation for the same level of disability while only acting on the recommendations they've made.

That's why I've referred to being torpedoed by our own.

 

[Teager]

Those are only recommendations, though.  Implementing only those recommendations would represent a major renege on the promises made during the election.  There is absolutely no mention of a return to any kind of pension in those recommendations whatsoever.

Strangely enough, it does mention the following:

I don't see how they can achieve equitable compensation for the same level of disability while only acting on the recommendations they've made.

That's why I've referred to being torpedoed by our own.

For those wanting to go back to the old pension system I believe the Stakeholders (I want to avoid saying our own as many stakeholders are not veterans) torpedoed it the second they said no to when the Minister said he would bring back the old system. I believe the reason tho was bringing back the old system meant getting rid of some of the current programs in place.