Veterans Affairs sent tax slips to hundreds of deceased veterans — some of them war casualties
CBC
Veterans Affairs Canada mistakenly issued T4A tax slips late last winter in the names of hundreds of deceased veterans across the country, CBC News has learned.
The income benefits notices landed in the hands of nearly 700 appalled survivors and relatives. Some of them lost loved ones in Afghanistan more than a decade ago.
"My first thought was shock and surprise to see a letter addressed to Matthew from Veterans Affairs that arrived in an official Veterans Affairs envelope," said Lincoln Dinning of Wingham, Ont., whose son Cpl. Matthew Dinning died in a roadside bombing in April 2006.
"And from the very organization that is supposed to look after veterans and their families. You would think that Veterans Affairs would know that Matthew was killed in Afghanistan and has been dead for 16 years."
The envelope arrived at the Dinning home in late February. His parents initially thought Matthew's identity had somehow been stolen and his benefits had been collected by a criminal.
That was not the case. Although Veterans Affairs — citing privacy concerns — refused to comment on Matthew Dinning's case, it acknowledged after several email exchanges with CBC News that the tax slip was issued due to a computer error and was part of a much wider problem.
The online portal where former members of the military access their accounts was upgraded in January. That's when a "defect" was introduced, department spokesman Josh Bueckert said in a written media statement.
That defect led the department to issue 687 tax slips in the names of 417 deceased veterans. They include soldiers killed in Afghanistan and those who served on peacekeeping missions and during the Cold War — and may include soldiers who served as far back as the Korean conflict.
Veterans Affairs refused to explain how the error was made, apart from saying it somehow involved the Income Replacement Benefit.
That doesn't explain cases like that of Matthew Dinning, who was not receiving veterans benefits when he was killed.
A preliminary internal investigation was started by the department at the end of February and both the Federal Treasury Board and the Privacy Commissioner were notified, Bueckert said.
Two formal complaints and one privacy complaint have been filed by the families of deceased veterans, he added.
When asked by CBC News about the incident this week outside the House of Commons, Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay said his officials are still trying to work out what happened. He also apologized.
"Of course we're sorry, and of course, that should not happen," MacAulay said. "I apologize.… We're aware of the situation and the breach is being handled appropriately to make sure it does not happen again."
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