Introducing the Military Benefits Browser

Ombudsman Message | April 9, 2018

A large part of my Office’s mandate is to serve as a direct source of information, referral, and education for the men and women of the Defence Community. Since I began my tenure as Ombudsman, I have placed emphasis on enhancing the awareness of programs, benefits, and services available to all members of my broad constituency base. This has been achieved through increased outreach and engagement activities, as well as through various web, social media, and print media platforms.

Additionally, our Office has recently stood up an Education and Collaboration directorate to help maintain and further enhance this essential part of the mandate. This directorate, working closely with the Director Casualty Support Management of the Canadian Armed Forces, has developed a Military Benefits Browser search icon to support our ongoing efforts to keep the Defence Community as informed as possible.

Today, I am happy to announce that the Military Benefits Browser is now available on our website, and ready to use. The Military Benefits Browser provides easily accessible information related to benefits and services for military members who are ill, injured, or transitioning out of the Canadian Armed Forces, their families, as well as families of the deceased.

Members of this important constituency group are often searching for information pertaining to benefits they may be entitled to during times of stress and uncertainty. My Office handles between 10,000-12,000 inbound phone calls every year. Stemming from those calls we investigate and bring to resolution nearly 2,000 individual cases from our broad constituency. Since the Ombudsman’s Office opened its doors in 1998, the number one category of requests for information and complaints have been related to end of career, including benefits.

The newly launched Military Benefits Browser, available on our website, and accessible through multiple devices, including smart phones, was specifically designed to render information concerning transition benefits accessible in user-friendly manner. Our Office sought broad feedback from members of our constituency through user testing to ensure that the tool adds value and enhances their understanding and awareness of benefits that they may be eligible to.  The Military Benefits Browser sources its information directly from The Guide to Benefits, Programs, and Services for Serving and Former CAF Members and their Familiesbook icon. It also complements existing Canadian Armed Forces “Know Your Benefits” initiative, as well as Veterans Affairs Canada’s Benefits Navigator. We hope the Military Benefits Browser proves useful for our constituency.

If you have any questions about the Military Benefits Browser, or general questions about the Ombudsman’s Office, you can call us at 1-888-828-3626 phone icon. You can also reach us through Live Chat comment o icon or our Online Booking Tool mobile icon at ombuds.ca.

 

Gary Walbourne
Ombudsman