Releasing and VAC Benfits

[Benji123]

Hello everybody, I would just like some advice in about two years. I plan to retire from the Reg Force in 2 years so that I can hit 12 years, and want to receive VAC benefits upon releasing. Through my service I have developed a mental disability however I do not want to disclose to doctors at my CDU due to a bad experience, in the past.
My question is how do I go about getting an assessment done to submit to VAC and obtain benefits if this is difficult for me? What is the process like? I know everyone says that medical won’t tell your CoC but it can still affect your career if you open up too much. TYIA.

 

[Jarnhamar]

So to summarize you self-diagnosed a mental health disability of some sort and you're going to hide whatever is going on from your chain of command and doctors for 2 years. Once you hit 12 years in you're going to release and get an assessment and VAC will give you a bunch of benefits?

What kind of benefits are you thinking you'll be entitled to?

 

[Staff Weenie]

Two thoughts:

a. Do you want to get treatment and recover, or do you just want a future bucket of cash? If you want to recover, then get into the clinic now - the longer you go untreated, the harder it is to ever fully recover. A future bucket of cash is pointless if your life is forever miserable and your family avoids you; and

b. If there is nothing on a patient's medical records in the CAF, then proving to VAC that said condition is attributable to service becomes an uphill battle (not impossible, just harder). If it is shown that you are deliberately hiding a condition from the CAF, then you may open yourself up to administrative measures and VAC may not support.

On a less critical note - you aren't released tomorrow if you go to the CDU today. In general, the process is:

• they typically take time to diagnose and start a treatment plan
• they may/may not put you on a Temporary Category (TCat) right away (depends on several factors)
• they do not start a Permanent Category (PCat) until after two unsuccessful TCats
• each TCat is a minimum of six months - so that means at least a year on TCats - I've even seen a third and fourth (rarely) TCat
• if not resolved or progressing by the end of the second TCat, then a recommendation may go to DMEDPOL to assign a PCat. That process will also take a number of months (they are slowly catching up though). That can take you to almost 18 months from the day after you walk into the CDU.
• If you get a PCat and the Medical Employment Limitations (MELs) breach Universality of Service (UoS), then DMCA opens an Administrative Review-MEL (AR-MEL). That process will take only a couple of weeks to initiate, then there are set periods for you to provide representation (DMCA is much faster now).
• If DMCA decides upon a medical (3a or 3b) release, they will give you 6 months, plus an additional 30 days for admin from the date of their decision to the date of your release.

If this process is not expedited for any reason, then start to finish the average timeline is almost 18-24 months from the start of the first TCat to release from the CAF.

So, again, get yourself in to the CDU - get assessed, get help, get a brighter future.

 

[Rifleman62]

Absolutely wonderful advice.

I don't know now, but doesn't it take around 2 years for all the processes/paperwork for a Medical Release from the CAF?

 

[Eagle_Eye_View]

Absolutely wonderful advice.

I don't know now, but doesn't it take around 2 years for all the processes/paperwork for a Medical Release from the CAF?

My first visit to the MIR was back in 2023 and I will be released in 2026.

 

[Staff Weenie]

I work at CAF TG HQ, and I've seen thousands of medical release files over the years and the system is getting faster. The processes at DMEDPOL and DMCA are reducing the backlog, so the average timeline for a release is coming down from 3+ years.

There are actually benefits to that - there are studies showing that once you have been off work for >6 months, the probability of returning to gainful employment ever again drops very dramatically. And, though VAC does index compensation to inflation, if you release as a Cpl, and you get the full deal from VAC - your future payments are based upon Cpl salary - all while the cost of everything goes through the roof. If somebody is truly permanently impaired and cannot work, then that's why we need the safety net. If not, then people need to work hard to get back out there, or they will slowly fall further behind. And that's just the financial impact. Sitting alone in a house for endless years is not good for humans. Too many examples of family collapse, substance abuse, depression, and sometimes self-harm. This is why I always push people to fight tooth and nail for their recovery and thus their future.