Veterans Affairs Ombudsman and former Army colonel Pat Stogran has revealed he is under treatment for operational stress injury stemming from his Army service, including combat in Afghanistan, and says he fears the Veterans Affairs Department may have improperly shared his medical files and other information during his recent high-profile fight to improve veterans' benefits.
Mr. Stogran, whose term is not being renewed when it expires on the eve of Remembrance Day in November, following his recent criticism about controversial aspects of financial support for Canadian veterans, disclosed his medical condition to The Hill Times as well as his concerns over the security of his personal files after another veteran revealed last week the department gave files on his medical treatment to two former Cabinet ministers, former Liberal veterans affairs minister Albina Guarnieri and former Conservative veterans affairs minister Greg Thompson, and several bureaucrats.
Mr. Stogran, popular with veterans for the work he has done on their behalf since his term as the country's first veterans ombudsman began on Nov. 11, 2007, became a lightning rod for veterans at odds with the bureaucracy after a news conference he held in August following the government's disclosure it would not keep him in the post for another term.
Source: The Hill Times
0 comments:
Post a Comment