Canadian Veteran Commits Suicide And The Government Demands Repayment Of Her Benefits

Retired Cpl. Leona MacEachern of Calgary committed suicide on Christmas Day. Following her funeral a few days letter, her husband Tom MacEachern received a letter from Veterans Affairs telling the family they must repay a portion - $581.67- of her monthly disability cheque.

The letter, as printed by CTVNews, states that “Earnings Loss benefits paid under the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act are payable up to the day of Mrs. MacEachern’s death. Therefore, an overpayment of $581.67 has been created for December 2013.”

Yesterday, the office of Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino told CTVNews that the decision to collect the money had been reversed.

MacEachern had served her country for 20 years in the Canadian Armed Forces and suffered from post traumatic stress. She drove her car intentionally into an oncoming trasnport truck on the Trans-Canada highway. Her husband and family have been very critical of the treatment she received for her illness and her husband stated that the letters “shows Canadians how this department trivializes the humanity of these situations.”