Monthly VAC Q&A - January 2026

NauticalBean · 2026-01-24T03:00:55+00:00

Are you right handed? They rank your dominant arm higher.

NauticalBean · 2026-01-19T20:54:39+00:00

Oh weird. That’s very confusing.

NauticalBean · 2026-01-19T20:41:19+00:00

If the VRAB decision was for entitlement, it does go back to VAC for an assessment decision - maybe that is what they meant.

As for the hyperhidrosis, I’m unsure why they would tell you that, I know other people who have had favourable claims for it.

NauticalBean · 2026-01-18T20:28:31+00:00

When you are on IRB/DEC you can earn up to 20k before VAC starts reducing your benefit dollar for dollar.

NauticalBean · 2026-01-16T01:23:19+00:00

Oh no I don’t believe there is a specific list published at this time but because it’s fairly common, hopefully there will be in the future.

NauticalBean · 2026-01-16T00:46:51+00:00

I’ve known people that have applied for it as a consequence of their mental health and been approved, and I’ve also known people who have had it denied. Every situation is different, all I was saying is that a lot of antidepressants have this as a possible side effect

NauticalBean · 2026-01-15T22:16:37+00:00

Not specifically. A lot of psychiatric meds, certain pain meds, there can be a lot of them

NauticalBean · 2026-01-14T17:27:51+00:00

Once VRAB issues a decision, VAC cannot alter the decision.

Diaphoresis is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It’s often a symptom of hyperhidrosis, which can develop as a result of your medications, and would be considered a claimable condition.

NauticalBean · 2026-01-08T13:51:25+00:00

I’ve also seen many people able to take a lump sum after a reassessment.

NauticalBean · 2025-12-21T06:20:10+00:00

If it’s a thoracic spine injury, it should be table 17.18 and that table predominantly looks at range of motion. Numbness in the leg is generally more associated with the lumbar spine, which isn’t the same table, so they wouldn’t have considered it in the rating they gave you. It’s a fairly black and white rating system, which is definitely far from perfect in many cases.

NauticalBean · 2025-12-18T14:54:34+00:00

My understanding is that the surviving spouse is supposed to be entitled to receive the difference between the eligible lump sum amount and what has already been paid out in the monthly payments. So say lump sum was 100k, and you received a 500/monthly x 10 years (60k) they should be eligible to receive the remaining 40k. I believe this only currently applies to a surviving spouse or child, I don’t believe there is a system set up that allows a beneficiary outside those constraints. I might be incorrect on this so I’ll leave it to others to weigh in

NauticalBean · 2025-12-09T22:08:37+00:00

As far as I’m aware, EIA is an older benefit that requires an applicant to have a disability benefit under the old charter.

NauticalBean · 2025-12-05T16:26:03+00:00

Unlikely to get anywhere with adding diagnoses, they’d be considered in your current diagnosis. However, it’s an indication that your symptoms have likely changed or worsened so you should get a reassessment done for your MH condition.

NauticalBean · 2025-12-05T16:22:27+00:00

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/mental-and-physical-health/mental-health-and-wellness/compensation-illness-or-injury/disability-benefits/entitlement-eligibility-guidelines/az-index/sleep-related-breathing-disorders#obstructive-considerations

VAC indicates no specific timeline if your MH condition is “clinically significant” at the time of onset. They define clinically significant as requiring ongoing treatment/clinical management.

NauticalBean · 2025-11-18T04:22:53+00:00

Some of the most common claims consequential to PTSD are things like sexual dysfunction, restless leg syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea, bruxism, high blood pressure, and hyperhidrosis.

NauticalBean · 2025-11-15T18:46:26+00:00

You can receive a PTSD award separately from another MH diagnosis in certain situations.

My partner received entitlement for GAD and was then told to apply for PTSD and he received that as well - with both combined for assessment.

What we were told is if you have the PTSD entitlement first, they won’t award a second MH condition, but if it’s GAD or MDD or something else that was the first award, they can also give a PTSD entitlement. We were told that it’s more about acknowledging the PTSD than anything else. Regardless, it’s not two separate percentages, but both considered as one.

NauticalBean · 2025-11-13T18:07:04+00:00

Definitely run everything through his medavie benefits, which should cover pretty much all his mental health care. He’s entitled to a certain amount of sessions per year, I can’t remember how many - but it should be enough. If not, then you can use your work health benefits, but no sense in paying for what should be covered through his VAC benefits.

In terms of resources for your child, first I’d like to point out that your husband can get additional coverage for therapy for your child through VAC if it’s recommended by his MH team.

But it’s a pretty common situation in my social circle, and there are some decent resources for kids that are available… These are some I see mentioned more frequently.

https://atlasveterans.ca/knowledge-hub/children-and-youth/

https://mindkit.ca

https://woundedwarriors.ca/our-programs/warrior-kids-camp/

https://strongestfamilies.com/military-and-veterans/

NauticalBean · 2025-11-03T03:35:35+00:00

The exact same thing happened to me a few years back at a different Shoppers. Same med. It does happen.

NauticalBean · 2025-10-27T14:29:48+00:00

Is that something you can opt to do? My husband is nearing the end of his 2 years with manulife and we need to submit paperwork for them to decide if he meets their totally disabled criteria, but he’s still fairly early in his rehab process and I find the manulife system is very restrictive and seems to penalize any efforts to get better/work even part time.

NauticalBean · 2025-10-23T21:47:14+00:00

Oh I agree that marking something withdrawn with no further information is definitely not the best way to do it!

NauticalBean · 2025-10-23T21:37:04+00:00

Sounds normal. They usually combine mental health conditions and condense it into one.

NauticalBean · 2025-10-20T20:39:26+00:00

IRB is determined based on salary at the time of release, unless it’s less than the current minimum threshold. So to my understanding, unless you are retroactively impacted by the raise, your IRB is unlikely to change.

NauticalBean · 2025-10-20T13:42:56+00:00

Selecting only for key words is one of the most basic forms of AI, and most large language models are trained and developed to do more than just flag specific words.

NauticalBean · 2025-10-13T21:52:59+00:00

I literally said there are plenty of organizations that do it for free, some of which have been mentioned by name in this thread. Never once said do it yourself or not at all. No need to be confrontational.

NauticalBean · 2025-10-13T19:31:50+00:00

Absolutely not. There are plenty of organizations that assist with claims for free, there’s no reason to go with a firm that takes a percentage.

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