Four Conservative MPs are calling for an investigation into the Commons Committee of the Vaccine Injury Assistance Program (VISP), and the pivotal nonprofit foundation says the effort requires an urgent overhaul.
The group, led by conservative health critic and vice-chairman of the Commons Health Committee, Dan Mazier, requested in a letter that liberal lawmakers and committee chair Heady Frye would be convened for an emergency hearing. Fry did not respond to their requests.
“This is more than a mismanagement,” their letter read. “It looks like a blatant misuse of taxes. Liberals handed out tens of millions of dollars to high-priced consultants while the very Canadians that the program intended to support.”
Other conservatives who signed the letter included Kitchener Area Rep. Dr. Matt Strauss, South Okanagan Rep. Helena Conanz, and Red Deer Rep. Burton Bailey.
A political aide to Hedy Fry said she was not available for interviews.
“Dr. Frye currently spends time with her family in a place where there are connectivity issues and unreliable receptions. I'm struggling to get to her, so it seems she can't discuss it,” Frye political official responded in an email.
Criticism came this week following a five-month global news survey that would generate a decision by VISP and the Canadian Public Health Agency to outsource the administration to Ottawa consulting firm Oxalo in 2021.
Oxalo did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
A five-month global news survey that urged protests revealed:
Oxalo has received $50 million from taxpayers. $33.7 million was spent on administrative costs, and the injured Canadian received $16.9 million. Canada's Health and Health figures released Thursday showed that the company currently receives $54.1 million, spending $36.3 million on administrative costs, $18.1 million paid to injured Canadian Anfak and Oxalo, underestimating the number of injuries claims VISP can get, initially projecting a valid claim of 40 per year. Over 3,317 applications have been submitted. Of these, more than 1,738 are awaiting decisions regarding injured applicants. Others said their applications were unfairly rejected by a doctor they had never spoken to or met.
In a previous email sent to Global News, Oxaro said it was tailored to the program process, procedures and the challenges of staff (VISP) receiving more applications than originally planned.
“Oxalo and PHAC have worked closely together to assess how programs can maintain agile to handle workloads they have while respecting budget constraints,” he added.
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Oxalo also said the monthly bill to the government includes documents and details.
In response to questions from Global News, Health Canada spokesman Mark Johnson responded by PHAC via email: “We will continue to analyze the program and identify both opportunities to better support Canadians who have experienced serious and permanent injuries following vaccination,” he replied.
A Global News study found that despite decades of demand for vaccine injury support programs, the federal government has put it together during the pandemic and underestimated the number of claims it receives.
Daryl Bedford, president of Canada's GBS-CIDP Foundation (GBS), is calling for an overhaul of the program four years ago, calling for improved speeds of decision-making and support for injured vaccines.
“We're very concerned, and I think we need to look closely or overhaul this,” said Bedford, who runs a nationally registered charity that supports people with neurological disorders such as GBS.
“I don't feel like I'm working for us.”
Daryl Bedford, president of Canada's Guillan Ballet Syndrome Foundation, discussed Global News and VISP's efforts.
Global News
Bedford said the liaison people and volunteers on the ground told him they didn't feel the visp was “consistent enough.” Several people who received the Covid-19 vaccine developed serious side effects, including GBS. This caused serious side effects, including GBS, which could cause paralysis and bring to life, according to a Health Canada database that reported adverse reaction events of special interest.
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Global News revealed questions about Oxaro's equipment that fully provides the program's mission, why the Canadian Public Health Agency (PHAC) chose this company over other companies, and internal documents suggesting an inadequate plan from the start.
Former Oxalo workers described workplaces that lacked gravity in programs intended to support serious injuries and chronic illnesses: office drinking, ping pong, slushies, netflix streaming streaming at desks.
VISP prepared this pamphlet to explain the process of getting financial support to those injured by the Covid-19 vaccine.
Global News
Bedford said those affected by these vaccines need help and prompt support.
“When you experience a sudden tragedy that rips your life apart, you need assistance within days or weeks. It is completely unacceptable that you will have to wait months or years for a financial aid decision from the visp,” he said.
“It doesn't feel like (VISP) is responsive,” he added. “I don't feel that the main goal is support.”
“I feel like a large part of the money goes to (program) administration. I don't feel like there's an organized process to get information, make decisions, and get money through the door,” Bedford added.
Bedford revealed that members of the GBS Foundation were surprised and that the liberal government has decided to outsource the program to Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Consulting, Inc.
“When Oxalo or Grant Thornton subsidiaries were appointed because there are public and private entities experiencing a claim for processing, we were internally concerned. These are the organizations that know and establish the process by which Canadians manage cases and make decisions about cases,” Bedford added.
“It was a surprise to us because there's a common name that you know and can think about the health benefits claims of that process.”
Global News reported that one of the failed bidders was Green Shield Canada, the National Health Claims Benefits Manager in the business for over 60 years.
In its proposal to the government, Oxaro (then called RCGT Consulting Inc.) noted that his previous claims experience was included in processing health insurance claims from small local insurance companies that were insolvent and went into liquidation between 2012 and 2015. It also runs a much smaller program for the government to subsidize families of the dead First Reponders.
PHAC said six committees that reviewed proposals from the four companies “unanimously” have chosen through RCGT Consulting, Green Shield and three companies.
PHAC says that next year they are reviewing Oxalo's five-year arrangement to manage the VISP, which will be renewed. A compliance audit also began last month after Global News began asking questions about Oxaro's billing management.
Would you like to contact us? Email Andrew.mcintosh@globalnews.ca or carolyn.jarvis@globalnews.ca
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