“People need to hear the hope, the perspective. I can’t change their reality, but I can make their next step easier,” said Jenny Migneault. “If we don’t stand up, if we don’t gather our forces together and have one voice things will never ever change.”
After watching her veteran ex-husband suffer through the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and receiving little to no help from the government, a Quebec woman decided to travel across Canada to both learn from and educate other veteran families who are suffering from PTSD.
Now on her third Canadian trip, Jenny Migneault is traveling across Northern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, talking to families and organizations about the effects of PTSD on both the veteran and the family, and what Migneault said is the absolutely inaccessible resources that Veteran Affairs Canada provides for those who care for veterans with PTSD.
“People need to hear the hope, the perspective. I can’t change their reality, but I can make their next step easier,” said Migneault. “If we don’t stand up, if we don’t gather our forces together and have one voice things will never ever change.”
The problem with the current Veteran Affairs Canada system, Migneault said, is the lack of access for both those suffering from PTSD and their caregivers to the resources needed to survive the illness.
Under the Veteran affairs Canada’s new Caregiver Recognition Benefit which came into effect in April, a veteran must have a disability award and associated assistance with the corresponding injury or illness, and must require ongoing care in four to seven daily living activities. If accepted into the program, the informal caregiver who must be over 18 years old will receive $1,000 tax-free each month to assist with care.
“Basically if you are a veteran and you lost both your legs and both your arms and you cannot feed yourself, then you might have a chance to get it,” said Migneault. “If you are suffering from PTSD and major depression and everything that goes along with it – forget it.”
Even with the money from the Caregiver Recognition Benefit, Migneault said it’s simply not enough to sustain a family while also trying to take care of a spouse suffering from PTSD.
In 1998, Migneault’s husband Sgt. Claude Rainville (since divorced) retired after 20 years of military service in the Royal Canadian Armed Forces (RCAF). Migneault said her husband’s RCAF service included serving a tour in Haiti where he saw the body of a young girl being used to prop open a door. For him, that was the last straw.
Rainville returned home where he continued to have nightmares of the young girl. He had mood swings, he drank a lot, he had trouble adapting to civilian life and he regularly had what Migneault called “bad days”. It wasn’t until 2007 that he was diagnosed with PTSD. Even with her husband’s diagnosis, Migneault said Veterans Affairs Canada insisted there was nothing wrong with Rainville.
“This was quite difficult for me because I was battling something I didn’t understand and at some level didn’t realize was there,” Migneault said. “It is a privilege to be the person who keeps someone alive but it’s also a big burden when you are afraid of that person committing suicide.”
To properly care for her husband, Migneault said she had to quit her job. She was scared to go grocery shopping in fear that while she was gone her husband would commit suicide. Migneault said she felt isolated.
“The ties with the caregivers are really important,” said Migneault. “The battle is really about the identity of those people who are making a huge difference because of the power of love.”
In 2016, Migneault embarked on a six-month trip across Canada to educate herself on PTSD and speak with other families who struggle with PTSD. Migneault continues to travel across Canada as an activist for veterans and caregivers access to resources.
The Caregiver Recognition Benefit
– On April 1, 2018, Veteran Affairs Canada introduced the Caregiver Recognition Benefit, replacing the Family Caregiver Relief Benefit.
– Under the new benefit, a veteran’s informal caregiver receives $1,000 tax-free each month.
– To be considered for the program, a veteran must reach the following requirements:
1. Has a disability award and require assistance for the coordinating injury or illness;
2. Needs care for four of the seven daily living activities which include feeding, dressing, washing, grooming, toileting, taking medication and mobility;
3. Have an informal caregiver over the age of 18 who receives no other payment for the care they are giving;
4. Are not a permanent resident of a nursing home or long-term care facility.
– Applications signed by both the veteran and the caregiver are submitted to Veteran Affairs Canada and are expected to take eight weeks to process.
– If accepted, applications must be renewed every 12 months.