Those that have seen combat in Afghanistan or been involved in a gun battle would definitely parallel what a veteran would experience, but the RCMP has programs that are better equipped for this sort of thing and they have been around a very long time. The Armed Forces, in particular Canada's Veteran's have been virtually ignored.
So what precisely do you propose?
I'll take some guesses here, but feel free to correct me where I go wrong.
I take it you would support replacing the lump sum payment with a yearly income to start I presume?
At least that would take care of the lump sum being wasted on any possible addiction stemming from PTSD or other mental health problems? Or at least help the vet to control the flow somewhat.
In cases of extreme emotional or other debilitating leading to the streets, should the Government have a right to temporarily take care of his finances for him (i.e. pay his rent, etc. and curtail it from his savings) so as to provide him with shelter? Or maybe you'd propose abother solution in such a case?
Moving away from the matter of housing, what about mental health services?
Given that military personnel know a different culture from the general population, would it make sense to provide separate services on bases and in military buildings off-base that would specialize in combat-related PTSD?
How should we deal with vets who live off base and for whom on-base services would be inconvenient? Should we just ensure quality civilian care for addictions stemming from PTSD, whether from combat, police, fire, paramedics, indigenous peoples, etc.?
You also hinted at transgenerational trauma when you mentioned spousal and child abuse. What kind of services, whether civilian or military, should be provided to the spouses, ex-spouses, children, and adult children of military personnel who may suffer transgenerational trauma?
Now going on to education and advertizing.
I don't know how soldiers are taught about addiction or other mental health services. Do they receive formal courses o the subject? Posters in mess halls? Booklets and pamphlets in high-traffic public areas? Predominant ads on the military's main webpages?
I don't, but it would be interesting to read your perspective on how it's done, how effective you think it is, and how you would propose improvement on the mental-health education front among vets.
What kind of outreach are you aware of, whether civilian, military, or coordinated, to educate the spouses, ex-spouses, children and adult children of military personnel who may suffer transgenerational trauma? How effective is it in your opinion? How could it be improved? How might it also fit in with the treatment of the veterans themselves given that spouses, ex-spouses, and children suffering PTSD and the vet's PTSD will likely feed off of one another so as to undermine each one's treatment in their interactions with one another?
I would imagine that estrangement within the family (spouse, children) likely exacerbate the addiction or other mental health problems if they might all be suffering vatying degreen of PTSD wI thin the family. How should that be dealt with?
Again on the outreach front, given that the spouse and children of military personnel might not necessarily keep in the loop on military services available to them, would it make more sense for them to be served through local civilian mental health services except in the context of family counseling where civilian or military would both be acceptable?
Given that targeting such groups in outreach through the usual channels of posters, pamphlets on base or at the local libraey, etc. might be very hit and miss, what kind of legislation might you support to ensure advertizing of such services precisely where they might be looking (on beer bottles, lottery tickets, at casinos, etc.)?
Though I have ideas, I could be wrong on them, and I'm sure you have some insight on the matter yourself.
