What is the pension like for medical releases?

[canucksfan250]

Without getting too much into it. I injured my leg real bad and will have ongoing pain for the rest of my life. It looks like I’ll be getting a medical release. I’m looking at 8 years of pensionable service right now so I’m hoping to get the ball rolling and from there will ask for a period of retention to reach that 10 year marker so I can have that full medical release.

Probably just dumb, but I can’t figure out the pension formula. Anyone know a rough estimate or good at the formula? 67512 would be my best 5 years, 10 years of pensionable service (hopefully unless I get screwed over)

 

[brihard]

2% per years of service, multiplied by average of your best five.

10 years of service = 20%. I think if you do 10 and a day it’s 22%, someone else can confirm. ( @Staff Weenie ?)

So that would be 20% of your best five average, which you say is $67512. So $13,502 a year pension. $14,800 if I’m right about the ten and a day thing.

If the injury was duty related, obviously get the ball rolling with VAC as early as possible. Aside from the financial benefits, stuff like retraining for a new career can be hugely valuable.

Don’t forget that with your service you’ll have something like $45k available from VAC to go to school as well, though you can’t access that while on VAC vocational rehab. Still, if can be a useful part of a multi-stage life plan.

I’m sorry this has happened to you. Good luck!

 

[dapaterson]

You are incorrect about the 10 +1 day, it's total days, no rounding up.

Inquire about vocational rehab, a separate set of benefits to the educational benefits @brihard mentioned.

Also start looking at potential public service jobs, and what qualifications you'd need to qualify for them. Those may be areas to focus voc rehab training, to let you slide in using injured veteran priority hiring.

 

[Jarnhamar]

from there will ask for a period of retention to reach that 10 year marker so I can have that full medical release.

Keep in mind you need to be working 5 full days a week in uniform in trade to be eligible for a period of retention (up to 3 years).

Reaching 10 years of service isn't one of the reasons Ottawa will support you staying in the CAF longer but you should be okay if you meet the criteria and find a unit to take you.

Good news for you is everything is backed up so you might still hit that 10 year mark before your release date comes.

 

[canucksfan250]

Keep in mind you need to be working 5 full days a week in uniform in trade to be eligible for a period of retention (up to 3 years).

Reaching 10 years of service isn't one of the reasons Ottawa will support you staying in the CAF longer but you should be okay if you meet the criteria and find a unit to take you.

Good news for you is everything is backed up so you might still hit that 10 year mark before your release date comes.

I can still do most things in my every day job, just can’t do anything crazy or meet the continuity of service or whatever they call it so hopefully that’s enough that they are able to keep me on the pay roll.

 

[canucksfan250]

You are incorrect about the 10 +1 day, it's total days, no rounding up.

Inquire about vocational rehab, a separate set of benefits to the educational benefits @brihard mentioned.

Also start looking at potential public service jobs, and what qualifications you'd need to qualify for them. Those may be areas to focus voc rehab training, to let you slide in using injured veteran priority hiring.

Thanks I will look into that.

I was hoping to stray away from the federal govt but it’s all too early to say right now.

If I were to go PSAC do you know what happens to the immediate pension you’re eligible for after 10 years?

 

[canucksfan250]

2% per years of service, multiplied by average of your best five.

10 years of service = 20%. I think if you do 10 and a day it’s 22%, someone else can confirm. ( @Staff Weenie ?)

So that would be 20% of your best five average, which you say is $67512. So $13,502 a year pension. $14,800 if I’m right about the ten and a day thing.

If the injury was duty related, obviously get the ball rolling with VAC as early as possible. Aside from the financial benefits, stuff like retraining for a new career can be hugely valuable.

Don’t forget that with your service you’ll have something like $45k available from VAC to go to school as well, though you can’t access that while on VAC vocational rehab. Still, if can be a useful part of a multi-stage life plan.

I’m sorry this has happened to you. Good luck!

Thank you. That cleared up the formula makes sense now. I will look into the VAC rehab services.

 

[dapaterson]

If you are medically released at the 10 year point you could draw your indexed pension for life, then build a second 25 year pension in the PS.

 

[Staff Weenie]

Make sure you link in to your supporting Transition Centre to find out the range of benefits and services you may be eligible for. Without knowing the nature of your injury (don't post your medical info here - we have no right to know it), does it impact your ability to do yardwork, shovel snow, clean your house, drive a car, get up/down stairs, and into the tub? If so, make sure you talk to your Doc and see about getting set up with a Nurse Case Manager. They can get the ball rolling for an Occupational Therapist assessment which can then guide the application of benefits and services under Compensation And Benefits Instruction (CBI) 211. Also think about how your condition may progress - will it slowly recover, or get much worse? What is the time frame involved? While we are technically limited to providing only those things required for the member's current condition, it is good if we can lean forward a bit because VAC does not do Home or Vehicle Modifications at anywhere near the scope we do.

Retention is never a guarantee. As noted above, you need to be able to work 40 hrs per week (usually in an 'office environment'). Depending on your rank and MOSID, that may or may not be possible. There are a few factors in your favour at the moment - the CAF is very short of personnel, and there are vacancies everywhere that need to be filled. There have also been a very few cases where Career Managers have found an open 'any MOSID' position for retaining a member.