P.E.I. veterans 'ecstatic' district office reopening

Veterans on P.E.I. were thrilled Thursday when Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr announced the district office in Charlottetown would reopen in November.

"I am so happy to see this happening, it is not even funny," said Bill Henry, who served for 27 years as a senior combat arms officer.

• Charlottetown Veterans Affairs office to reopen

Henry, 77, said when the Veterans Affairs district office in Charlottetown was closed by the previous government in 2014, his reaction was "complete dismay."

He said he's had a hard time accessing the services he needs because he's unsure who to contact.

"I've had two recent surgeries, all the result of my service. All happened to really bother me after I was in my old age. And it took a while to get it all sorted out."

Two years of frustration

That frustration is shared by fellow veteran Dave Howatt.

Howatt served as a vehicle mechanic for 36 years, ending his service in 2008. Howatt said after he retired from the military, the staff at the former Charlottetown Veterans Affairs district office "bent over backwards to assist me."

Howatt suffers from PTSD, and said there were many forms he had to fill out in order to receive the assistance he needs.

"When you're not in your right mind, they get very daunting and very hard to fill out," he said.

'Too much of a hassle'

Howatt said he received excellent assistance from staff before the office closed. But after it closed, he wasn't able to access the same assistance as easily.

"It was just too much of a hassle to get to see somebody, that I never bothered going back," he said. "I gave up on that and started doing any forms or whatever myself. Some of them have been turned down and I had to reapply."

Howatt said if the office had still been open over the last two years, he likely would have gone in for assistance about once a month.

He said he's "ecstatic" the office will be opening again.

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