Veteran Resources

Learn more about the veteran services and programs offered locally and through VAC Assistance

Veterans’ Services Contact Information

Kevin Piccott

Branch Service Officer

rcl632orleanssvc02@gmail.com
613-830-9984

Pat Royle

Provincial Service Officer

proyle@on.legion.ca
1-888-207-3703
613-591-0144

The Legion’s Definition of a Veteran

“A Veteran is any person who is serving or who has honourably served in the Canadian Armed Forces, the Commonwealth or its wartime allies, or as a Regular Member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or as a Peace Officer in a Special Duty Area or on a Special Duty Operation, or who has served in the Merchant Navy or Ferry Command during wartime.”

If you are a Veteran, the Spouse or Dependant of a Veteran, or you know a Veteran who needs help, please contact a Legion Service Officer

Veteran’s and Aging

The members in this category are veterans aged 65 and over. The information in the section on Seniors is applicable and is not repeated.

The community we support includes residents at the Perley and Rideau Veterans Health Centre (abbreviated hereafter as “Perley”). This is based on some of their activities that are supported by all Branches in Zone 5.

Specific Activities

We host some entertainment events intended for veteran members of a certain age and to preserve the participation to the intended participants, they are by individual invitation only.

This reception for an afternoon typically occurs in early September. Due to space limitations and the generally small number of guests, we do not seek many member participants. This will be reflected in how we manage invitations. Typically, the Ladies Auxiliary, and supported Cadet units provide goodies, decorate tables, and manage food services.

Our Branch typically provides entertainment and general support at “Happy Hour” and a “Bingo Night”, typically in the spring/early summer.

Birthday Party for member veterans 80 years of age or over effective 1 December (and companion).

There are many retirement residences in Orleans. Our age categories are difficult to apply here because many of them accept residents from age 55. Also, due to privacy measures, many residences do not tell us how many veterans they have and/or who they are. We have a good working relationship with managers at all facilities so can know “in the ballpark” how many and who. Our main interest is in Branch members who are residents, and we know which members live in a resident, if their address is provided to the Membership member.

We typically have visited all local residences in December and presented a modest and useful individual gift to each veteran resident.

Most residences conduct in-house Remembrance Day ceremonies in many impressive ways. Most request Branch participation, from just attending and playing a minor role, to organizing and conducting a ceremony. The Branch position is that it cannot support so many events on top of its major resource-intensive main ceremony. Therefore, it devolves onto individual members to support the residences as is possible. Some events occur on different days around 11 Nov.

We typically have a Branch Service Officer participate in visits in order to remind the audience of changes to VAC or other services and to make contact with anyone who has questions or needs guidance in handling a current or new claim for support. See “Service Officer” in the Branch Executive list.

Click the button below to go to our Branch Calendar and filter the calendar for all upcoming Seniors’ Club events.

Legion Policy on Stolen Valour

WE CARE

The Legion Service Bureau Command Service Officers are here to serve Still Serving CF members, Veterans, RCMP Members and dependants while representing your interests in any dealings with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB) in claiming disability benefits under the Pension Act or the New Veterans Charter.

FREE REPRESENTATION SERVICES

The Legion professional Service Officers provide counselling, assistance and representational services free of charge, whether or not you are a Legion member. Our representation role is mandated through legislation.

LEGION SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL

The Dominion Executive Council (DEC) adopted a model of service delivery which recognizes that, because of the complexity of the current service delivery process within Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), and the increasing reliance on such Information Technology (IT) tools as the Client Service Delivery Network (CSDN), the Legion Branch Service Officers should be “Referral Agents” for Command Service Officers who represent clients in their attempt to secure disability benefits from VAC.

Through its network of Branch Service Officers operating across the country since 1926, The Legion Command Service Officers come into contact with potential applicants. The Branch Service Officers are the people who often first come into contact with Veterans, spouses and dependants. They are the eyes and ears of the Service Bureau Network at the grass roots.

All claims initiated by The Legion start with the completion of the Legion Claim Form. Careful completion of this form is of great assistance to the Command Service Officer who will represent the Veteran to initiate a disability claim. The RCL Claim Form should be completed as fully as possible and all authorities must be signed. These authorities give The Legion the right to act as the applicant’s representative, to review Service Health records and other documentation.

CALL US

If you require assistance in gaining access to VAC benefits, including Legion benevolent assistance, or if you have a friend or family member who needs help, please see above for information on how to contact a Service Officer.