We can help

Who we serve

At the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman, we work to ensure that Veterans, serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP, and other clients of Veterans Affairs Canada, are treated respectfully, in accordance with the Veterans Bill of Rights, and receive the services and benefits that they require in a fair, timely, and efficient manner.

Our services

• Information: We can help you navigate through the often complex Veterans Affairs Canada system by providing information about your rights and redress options, and about the benefits and services provided by the Department and other organizations.
• Referrals: We assist those who call for help, often as a last resort, by acting as quickly as possible to facilitate referrals to service providers that can best assist them.
• Complaint resolution: We address complaints from individuals who believe they have been treated unfairly by Veterans Affairs Canada or other service providers. To bring closure as quickly as possible, every attempt is made to resolve complaints informally and at the lowest level possible, most often through inquiries and mediation with service providers.

Interventions to address systemic issues

When the facts of a case raise systemic issues that can potentially affect many other Veterans and clients of the Department, or when there are multiple complaints about the same issue, or when issues emerge as a result of the Office's interaction with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Veterans community, my Office will intervene using various approaches based on the complexity of the issue:

• Simple procedural issues, for example, are discussed informally with the Department to bring resolution as quickly as possible. A discussion over the telephone or an exchange of correspondence is often all that is required to affect a change;
• Complex issues may require thorough investigation, leading to a formal report with recommendations to the Minister. These reports are published 60 days after submission to the Minister.

Submit a Complaint

If you are a client of Veterans Affairs and you feel you have been treated unfairly, or you would like information about how to solve a problem, the Office of the Veterans Ombudsman is here to help. Please note that you must try to have the problem solved using one of the various ways offered by Veterans Affairs before coming to our Office. Submit a Complaint

Telephone

Toll free from within Canada: 1-877-330-4343

Collect from outside of Canada at 1-902-626-2919

Office hours (Monday to Friday):

• Atlantic time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Eastern time: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Pacific time: 4:30 a.m to 12:30 p.m

Email

If you would like to share information with us or find out more about:

• an existing complaint, or to request or share information, email us.
• upcoming events, meeting the Ombudsman, Web site, publications, email us.

Mail

Office of the Veterans Ombudsman 
360 Albert Street, Suite 1560 
Ottawa, Ontario  K1R 7X7

Submit a Complaint 
P.O. Box 66 
Charlottetown, P.E.I.  C1A 7K2

Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator 
P.O. Box 66 
Charlottetown, P.E.I.  C1A 7K2