Special Duty Operations (SDO) and Special Duty Areas (SDA)
The Compensation Principle Section 45(1) of the Veterans Well-Being Act enables the Minister to pay compensation for pain and suffering for a veteran who establishes that they are suffering from a disability resulting from a service related injury. Under this principle, in order to establish that a disability is service-related, the veteran must demonstrate that the disability was caused by military service and not simply that the condition had its onset during service. The Insurance Principle A veteran is eligible for a disability pension and/or pain and suffering compensation for a disability or death resulting from injury or illness which was incurred during, attributable to, or aggravated during Wartime Service or Special Duty Service. This eligibility is referred to as the Insurance Principle, as individuals are covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and only need to demonstrate that their disability had its onset during the qualifying period of service. Unlike the Compensation Principle, no causal link needs to be established between the disability and military service. So, What Does This Mean for Veterans with Cancer Simply said if you were participating in Special Duty Operations or serving in a Special Duty Area you only need to show that you were exposed to a carcinogen that likely caused your cancer. Those veterans who were not involved in SDA/SDO come under the Compensation Principle and must show that the disability was caused by military service. This is why VAC and BPA were asking veterans with cancer for letters from their doctors stating that their cancer was caused by their military service. Fortunately, we have been able to convince VAC to abandon this practice. more information is available on the VAC website from the links below. |
