2,949 Canadian Forces members receiving benefits related to service in Afghanistan
The number of Canadian Afghan war veterans receiving disability benefits has shot up by approximately 35 per cent since February 2009, reports The Hill Times. In all, 2,949 Canadian Forces members who served in Afghanistan are receiving disability benefits, including 449 with psychiatric conditions (including post-traumatic stress disorder) and 31 who have lost limbs. The government has faced pressure lately to offer life-long pensions to injured soldiers, rather than lump sum payments as low as a $40,000. There have been 152 Canadian deaths in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001.