Nearly 100 Canadian veterans are being told to repay tens of thousands of dollars in benefits — some dating back more than five years — in a wave of repayment notices from Veterans Affairs Canada that advocates say blindsided many former service members.
Veterans Affairs Canada has sent 90 letters to veterans receiving the Income Replacement Benefit since October, warning they owe money because the department says they failed to report additional income, including Canada Pension Plan payments.
Navy veteran Angus Cameron, who regularly supports others coping with service-related challenges, told Global News the sudden surge in repayment letters has been startling.
“I’ve never heard so many veterans getting overpayment letters — in the thousands and thousands of dollars,” he said.
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Veterans Affairs maintains it is the veteran’s responsibility to report any change in income. But Cameron says several of the veterans he has spoken with insist they did report the change in income and were told everything was in order.
“They reported it and only to be told, yeah, no problem, that falls within the guidelines, thanks for your service.”
Global spoke to a New Brunswick veteran who received notice of more than $65,000 in alleged overpayments dating back to April 2019. He says he kept his income information up to date but the department failed to process it.
Canadian Veterans Advocacy’s Walter Callaghan says his organization has seen multiple similar cases. “Veterans have reported all of these offsets … and for some reason, Veterans Affairs never processed,” he said.
Another veteran told Global News the department informed him his Quebec disability income “didn’t count,” yet he now owes nearly $70,000, including a first payment of $3,600 due this month.
Advocates argue veterans shouldn’t be forced to repay money when departmental errors appear to be the cause of the problem. They also say annual checks would prevent debts from accumulating over years.
“Maybe if they did that, you wouldn’t have these cases that are suddenly five, six, seven years in arrears,” Callaghan said.
Cameron said he worries the complexities of Veterans Affairs’ system may leave many veterans vulnerable, especially those coping with PTSD or other conditions.
“Some of these veterans are fragile,” he said, adding the department should take a more compassionate approach “rather than just slapping veterans with a bill.”