June 14, 2016 by admin

Ottawa rejects decorated Halifax veteran’s application for community care

HALIFAX — A family’s bid to gain entry to a veterans’ hospital for a 94-year-old man decorated for his service in the Second World War has been rejected.
The son of Petter Blindheim said in an email statement Monday night that his father’s application to receive nursing home care in one of 13 empty beds at the federally funded Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial hospital in Halifax has been turned down.
Veterans Affairs initially refused to admit Blindheim because his service was as a member of the Royal Norwegian Navy, saying veterans of that force were “resistance” fighters rather than veterans of Allied forces.
His son Peter Blendheim says Ottawa has since stated that Blindheim could only be admitted to Camp Hill if he required specialized care that can’t be provided in a provincial long-term care facility.
Blendheim says the family is shocked by the decision, but their fight does not stop here.
He says an appeal is in the works, but the process could take months.