Reservists shortchanged by military health-care system: ombudsman
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Last Updated: Thursday, April 3, 2008 | 12:21 PM ET Comments0Recommend15
CBC News
Canadian reservists get far inferior health care than regular members of the military, a double standard that is unacceptable, the military ombudsman says.
Mary McFadyen, who released a report on Thursday, said reservists are often denied medical benefits and care, and are receiving far less compensation for their injuries.
Citing one example, she said a reservist who loses a hand while serving will only get $50,000 in compensation, while a regular member who loses a hand gets $125,000.
"It's unacceptable that the limb of a reservist is not worth the same as a limb of a regular force member," McFadyen said in a telephone interview from Ottawa. "Frankly the rule should be if you break them, you fix them."
She said the discrepancies do not apply to those serving in Afghanistan, where reservists have a contract that affords them equal care to regular force members.
The ombudsman's office launched the study after receiving complaints from reservists in 2006.
McFadyen said ombudsman investigators interviewed more than 400 people, most of them reservists, and went through hundreds of documents.
More to come
