A Soldier's Fight Continues Off the Battlefield
For many Canadian Armed Forces veterans, the hardest battles don't happen overseas — they happen in waiting rooms and appeal queues back home. One former combat engineer stationed at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick knows this all too well. Two years after filing an appeal for disability benefits related to his epilepsy, he's still waiting — and still having seizures.
The veteran says his seizures began while he was on base, yet Veterans Affairs Canada has not approved his appeal. The prolonged process has left him managing a serious neurological condition without the full support he says he's owed.
The Human Cost of a Delayed System
Epilepsy is not a condition that pauses while paperwork is processed. Seizures can be unpredictable and debilitating, affecting a person's ability to drive, work, and live independently. For this veteran, every month the appeal drags on is another month of uncertainty — medically, financially, and emotionally.
"It's been two years," he told CBC News. "Two years of my life on hold."
His case is not an isolated one. Veterans across Canada have long raised concerns about the pace and fairness of the Veterans Affairs adjudication and appeals process. Advocacy groups have repeatedly called on the federal government to reduce wait times and streamline the system so that former service members receive timely access to the support they were promised.
A National Issue With Local Roots
CFB Gagetown — one of Canada's largest military bases — is home to thousands of soldiers and veterans in the Fredericton area. Many of them cycle through the same Veterans Affairs system that this former combat engineer is navigating. The base has a long history and deep ties to the surrounding community, making cases like his particularly resonant for Atlantic Canadians who have watched family members serve.
The situation also intersects with broader national conversations about how Canada treats its veterans. Federal budgets in recent years have included increased funding for Veterans Affairs, and the department has pledged to reduce backlogs — but for veterans already mid-appeal, those promises can feel abstract.
What Needs to Change
Advocates say meaningful reform requires more than money. It means simplifying the evidence requirements for service-related conditions, giving veterans the benefit of the doubt when a medical condition first appears on base, and ensuring appeal timelines are measured in weeks — not years.
For a former combat engineer who served his country and came home with a condition that disrupts his daily life, the current system feels like a second betrayal.
His appeal is still active. He's still waiting.
Source: CBC News — Canadian veteran in a years-long appeal for disability benefits
