By Canadian Press

Lawyers looking for thousands of families owed money by Veterans Affairs

Jun 26, 2024 | 9:23 AM

OTTAWA — Lawyers are trying to get in touch with hundreds of thousands of people who are owed money through a class-action lawsuit against Veterans Affairs.

The suit was launched after the Veterans Ombudsman found the government had been improperly calculating the disability pensions and benefits of some clients starting in 2003.

The government reached an $817-million settlement in April with a group of former military and RCMP members.

Around 117,000 veterans will get their payouts from the department directly, but another 215,000 eligible people have since died.

Lawyer Michel Drapeau says if their surviving family members don’t file a claim they will miss out on the payment.

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There’s already been an exhaustive search involving social media and mailouts, and the law firms involved have hired management and consulting firm KPMG to help people file their claims.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2024.

The Canadian Press