For the brave men and women who answered the call to serve in Canada’s armed forces, help is available through the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. For some though, it’s a little tricky to maneuver through the forms and websites of benefit entitlement and that’s where local veteran, Steve Lumb comes in.
Lumb is the Service Officer with Branch 210 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Lake Cowichan. He is quick to point out that we need to rethink our picture of exactly what a veteran is. The aging vets of World War II are what spring to mind for most but there are many others as well.
“For those Canadians who served in Afghanistan or were career forces personnel, the term is ‘modern veteran,” said Lumb.
The DVA is also there to assist veterans of the Merchant Navy, other Allied forces, the RCMP as well as their families and survivors. Group health care insurance, disability and health care benefits and funeral assistance are available, as well as the Veteran’s Independence Program which is a national homecare program aimed at keeping veterans healthy and independent in their own home.
“Our World War II vets don’t have a lot of time left,” explained Lumb. “So let’s just give them what they need.”
It was a visit with family in Barrie, Ontario that got Lumb to thinking about a fresh round of spreading the word about the benefits and assistance that is available to Canada’s veterans.
“There were full page ads in the Ontario newspapers about Veteran’s benefits and I haven’t seen anything out here,” said Lumb.
Lumb feels that the government has softened up on it’s criteria on benefits entitlement and he encourages people who were turned down in the past to reapply or at the very least make enquiries into the status of their claim.
Lumb spent 28 years in the military, retiring in 1999 as a physician’s assistant in the Canadian Forces Medical Services.
“I was a paratrooper, a sailor for 10 years and have even flown a few patients around, so I have done all the parts of it.”
Lumb has been a member of Branch 210 of the Legion for about six years and feels that acting as the branch’s service officer is something he can do to help give back. He and his wife do what they can to make the area a better place. Lumb’s wife Margaret is also Lake Cowichan Animal Rescue Society’s past president.
If Lumb doesn’t have the answer to a veteran’s question, he’ll help find someone who does. He can refer queries to the Command Service Officer in Victoria for help with appeals and claims. Information on benefits for veterans can be found on the DVA’s website at www.veterans.gc.ca or by calling their toll-free number-1-866-522-2122. Lumb can be reached at 250-749-6228.
“My wife and I believe in family, community and country. Belonging to the Legion is part of that,” said Lumb. “ It’s my turn to give back.”
