Budget 2017 - Fact Sheet - Veterans’ Education and Training Benefit

[daftandbarmy]

Budget 2017 - Fact Sheet - Veterans’ Education and Training Benefit


Effective Date

Implementation of all Budget 2017 initiatives is expected on April 1, 2018.

Background

The Government of Canada is fulfilling its commitment to deliver an education benefit to Veterans by providing a new Education and Training Benefit. The new benefit will provide support for the costs of up to four years of college, university or technical education to all Canadian Armed Forces Regular Force and Reserve Force Veterans with at least six years of military service.

The proposed changes deliver directly on the mandate commitments of the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.

The Education and Training Benefit is just one step the Government is taking to improve benefits and the career potential of Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans.

Quick Facts

$133.9 million over six years to create a new Veterans’ Education and Training Benefit to provide up to $80,000 to Veterans in support of post-secondary education.

This new benefit will provide Veterans with the funding for college, university or a technical education of their choice. Veterans with six years of service may be eligible for up to $40,000 and Veterans with at least 12 years of service may be eligible for up to $80,000 to cover tuition, course materials, and some incidentals and living expenses.

This benefit will also be available to any Veteran who released on or after April 1, 2006, and before the coming into force date of April 1, 2018. Veterans will have the later of 10 years from the coming-into-force date or 10 years from their date of release, to access funding.

This benefit supports Veterans in achieving their education and future post-military employment goals and positions them to be more competitive in the workforce.

Veterans will not be limited to post-secondary training. If university or college is not their choice, up to $5,000 of the total funding earned would be available for career and personal development courses. This could include small business boot camps, continuing education, etc.

Living expenses, travel, and incidentals will not be covered by the career and personal development funding unless built into the course costs by the institution or organization.

VAC has designed the Career Transition Services and the Education and Training Benefit to complement each other and better support Veterans during their transition to post-military life.

The new Education and Training Benefit will come into effect April 1, 2018.

Examples of who could benefit from this change:

Scenario 1

Julie voluntarily released from the Canadian Armed Forces following a 14-year career. She has some university credits from courses she took while serving. Julie would like to complete a university degree and a master program. The Education and Training Benefit will provide Julie with up to $80,000 to cover tuition, books and living expenses. This way, Julie can focus on her education goals and not the cost. After the completion of her studies, Julie would then also be able to leverage the Career Transition Services to help with her job search.

Scenario 2

Stéphane voluntarily released from the CAF after having served for seven years. He has decided that he would like to start his own business and signs up for a small business entrepreneurial course. After providing the details of the course and provider, Stéphane is able to pay the $5,000 course fee using a portion of the $40,000 he earned under the Education and Training Benefit.


http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-us/department-officials/minister/budget/education-and-training/education-and-training-benefit-facts

 

[ModlrMike]

Definitely a good initiative, but I guess we'll have to wait until April to see the details.

 

[VPSeaforth]

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere, but has anyone heard any details on the Veterans Education and Training Benefit, which is supposed to be in effect April 1, 2018? Considering that this deadline is fast approaching, there is precious little information on this significant benefit on VAC's website (an infographic, FAQs and a brief blurb).

A lot of questions are unanswered, such as:
1. How reserve (Class A) service is counted, if it is counted differently than Reg F/Class C time?
2. What is involved with the application process?
3. Prior approval of VAC is required - what is involved with this? Considering most post-secondary education institutions have a short flash to bang on application to approval (and payment), how long will this process take.

Etc, etc.

One would think that given the significance of this benefit, there would be something by way of substantive information out there by now. Anyone got anything? Thanks.

 

[Teager]

Since the effective date for the benefit is 1 Apr 2018 majority of deadlines for September 2018 school starts have already passed. As for your other questions there is no new information as of yet but you can always give VAC a call and maybe win the lottery and get to speak to someone who actually knows about the details to this benefit.

You can also wait for another Q & A with the Minister and ask him if and when more details will be released. I know this isn't exactly the answer you wanted to hear.

 

[VPSeaforth]

Thanks Teager. I wasn't expecting any new information, but thought there was no harm in asking.

 

[Pusser]

I wonder whether there will be any benefits for ROTP officers who already have degrees?  What if their second careers require additional or different education and training not covered in their degree programs.

 

[ModlrMike]

I wonder whether there will be any benefits for ROTP officers who already have degrees?  What if their second careers require additional or different education and training not covered in their degree programs.

I think that question can be extended to include anyone who holds a degree or certificate, not just ROTP grads.

 

[Teager]

Here is what is being changed April 1st of this year. It may help with those interested in the education benefit.

http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2017/2017-09-06/html/sor-dors161-eng.html

 

[Chanada]

If you go through the "My Vac" account to the "Forms" menu and start to fill out the one related to CTS/education it will give a message that says that this form is only to be used for things to be used/paid before 1 Apr and that the form will be replaced by another one on 1 April that reflects the new CTS programmes.  I would assume there would be a major Ministerial announcement or series of them between now and the end of the week.

 

[Brasidas]

Here is what is being changed April 1st of this year. It may help with those interested in the education benefit.

http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2017/2017-09-06/html/sor-dors161-eng.html

So from there, for reservists we get:

3 (1) Days of Canadian Forces service are
(a) in the regular force, days of service for which pay
was authorized to be paid and days of leave for maternity
or parental purposes granted under the Queen’s
Regulations and Orders for the Canadian Forces; and
3 (1) Les jours de service accomplis dans les Forces canadiennes
sont les jours suivants :
a) s’agissant de la force régulière, les jours de service
pour lesquels le versement d’une solde a été autorisé
et les jours de congé de maternité ou parental
Canadian Forces Superannuation Regulations Règlement sur la pension de retraite des Forces canadiennes
Interpretation Interprétation
Sections 3-3.1 Articles 3-3.1
Current to March 18, 2018
Last amended on June 1, 2016
2 À jour au 18 mars 2018
Dernière modi‡cation le 1 juin 2016
(b) in the reserve force,
(i) days of service for which pay was authorized to
be paid except that any day of service for which pay
was authorized to be paid for a period of duty or
training of less than six hours is considered to be
1/2 of a day,
(ii) in the proportion determined under subsection
(3), days in a period of exemption or leave referred
to in paragraph 2(b) of the Reserve Force Pension
Plan Regulations, and
(iii) in the proportion of 1/4 of a day for each day,
days in a period before April 1, 1999, if the records
of the Canadian Forces or the Department of National
Defence permit the verification of the duration
of the period but not the number of days of service
for which pay was authorized to be paid.

For example, a heavy Cl A during the year, teaching Cl B during the summer guy, with maybe one tour, might qualify for the 6 year benefit with 12 years service.

Thank you for getting me the links to figure that out, while VAC still has "ask us closer to 1 Apr" on their website.