Pension Transfer Value / Lump Sum Pymt [Merged]

[Jay_N3000]

Normally until the end of the fiscal year in which you retire and the messes and other financial organizations (supply, benefits, claims etc.) close their fiscal accounts you continue to receive a zero sum pay statement in case there are outstanding recoveries.  The end of fiscal year is not 31 Mar but April/May when year-end SAs are normally completed.

Thanks Simian,

So this has to do with the pay statements one usually gets on the 15th + 31st of each month??

 

[Blackadder1916]

I actually contacted the BOR's Release Clerk, and he told me that they still need to process my Record Of Employment.
He said he didn't have any clerk qualified to do Record Of Employments for the release paperwork.

There is no disagreement here that reserve pers admin and pay apparently continues to be the clusterfuck that I remember and it is likely that it will never improve as long as it is the red-headed stepchild of the CF.  However, the CF still has to abide by regulations established for other government programs, such as the issuing of Record of Employment which is not a CF document.  And the preparation of same is not rocket surgery.

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/reports/roe-guide/understand.html#s1_8

What is my deadline for issuing an ROE?

If you issue ROEs on paper

If you issue ROEs on paper, you must issue an ROE within five calendar days of:
•the first day of an interruption of earnings; or
•the day the employer becomes aware of an interruption of earnings.

If you issue ROEs electronically

If you issue ROEs electronically and your pay period is weekly, biweekly (every two weeks), or semi-monthly (twice a month, usually the fifteenth and last day of the month), you have up to five calendar days after the end of the pay period in which an employee's interruption of earnings occurs to issue an electronic ROE.

If you have a monthly pay period or 13 pay periods per year (every four weeks), you must issue electronic ROEs by whichever date is earlier:
•five calendar days after the end of the pay period in which an employee experiences an interruption of earnings; or
•15 calendar days after the first day of an interruption of earnings.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/pyrll/hwpyrllwrks/pnlty/pnlts/rcrdfmplymnt-eng.html

Failure to file the Record of Employment (ROE)

When an employee has an interruption in earnings, you have to issue a Record of Employment (ROE) for employment insurance purposes.

If you fail to issue the ROE as required, you could be fined up to $2,000, imprisoned for up to six months, or both.

If you are having difficulties because the numpties at your previous unit have failed to complete a relatively simple form then that is unforgiveable.  My advice is that you shouldn't continue to make the clerk at said unit your point of contact to resolve this.  You should be talking to someone at the next higher headquarters.

 

[CountDC]

3 Months may not be so unreasonable depending on the unit and the mbr.  Some units have 3 locations.  If mbr is at location 3, waits until last minute (or even after his releases date) to clear the unit and sign off everything that is a delay.  The CO is at location one so the paperwork has to go in the mail to that location, be vetted and put in for CO signature further delay.  CO is away for a week or two and you have another delay.  Once all signed a final verification has to be done, hope there is no error, then file sent up the chain.  3 Months could be the normal mark for some locations.

The ROE is issued electronically but is not a totally simple form.  That said the issue of not having anyone qualified in the unit is a really lame excuse.  The C Clk should be contacting bde and requesting assistance in the form of someone going to the bde for a day to learn it (at unit cost as it is a unit issue).

Going higher than the clerk is good advice but you should start at the unit CofC level instead of going direct to bde.  RSMs/COs need to be made aware from the mbrs and given a chance to deal with issues rather bombed from above.

 

[Jay_N3000]

There is no disagreement here that reserve pers admin and pay apparently continues to be the clusterfuck that I remember and it is likely that it will never improve as long as it is the red-headed stepchild of the CF.  However, the CF still has to abide by regulations established for other government programs, such as the issuing of Record of Employment which is not a CF document.  And the preparation of same is not rocket surgery.

https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/ei/ei-list/reports/roe-guide/understand.html#s1_8
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/pyrll/hwpyrllwrks/pnlty/pnlts/rcrdfmplymnt-eng.html
If you are having difficulties because the numpties at your previous unit have failed to complete a relatively simple form then that is unforgiveable.  My advice is that you shouldn't continue to make the clerk at said unit your point of contact to resolve this.  You should be talking to someone at the next higher headquarters.

Hi Blackadder1916.  Would you suggest I reach out to the CO as my point of contact than??  Or somebody outside of the unit, maybe at Div level??

 

[Jay_N3000]

UPDATE ** 

Still nothing.  Attempted to contact RPPO within the last two weeks by both phone and email, no reply.

Currently left in the dark regarding my severance pay.  I do not know if it is in process or even pending.

Recently received a copy of my release paper work from my former unit though.. so maybe that is a good sign???

I wish there was an online system where you can check your status with RPPO, because this trying to chase people for simple answers is very stressful.  Especially if nobody answers. 

I will do my best to contact them again

 

[George Wallace]

Today on CBC:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/military-pension-backlog-1.3996097

Backlog in military pensions won't be cleared until end of year
'Humiliating and insulting': ex-naval officer says he prepared for pension delay, but still ended up in debt
By Murray Brewster, CBC News Posted: Feb 23, 2017 5:02 PM ET Last Updated: Feb 24, 2017 7:44 AM ET

It will be the end of the year before the enormous backlog of military pension payment files is cleared up, National Defence officials say, and it will likely be October before a similar stockpile of outstanding severance payment claims are rectified.

Both of these long-standing logjams have left an increasing number of newly retired military members in a financial lurch.

CBC News has learned of at least one veteran who was tired of waiting and recently threatened legal action — something that jolted the system into action and resulted in delivery of his outstanding payments.

The veteran declined an on-the-record interview, but military ombudsman Gary Walbourne said he was aware of the case and voiced concern that frustration among those affected has reached a boiling point.

Others, such as retired naval lieutenant Stephen Wight, say waiting more than five months for his pension, severance and Veterans Affairs benefits caused him financial chaos.

Wight is now receiving his military pension, but is still waiting for a separate top-up of benefits for injuries received while in the navy, as promised by the Veterans department.

Wight says he has maxed out his credit, borrowed from family and even took a job to stay afloat. Yet despite all of that, he has missed mortgage payments and is about to miss a car payment.

"It's unacceptable, it's insulting — no matter how much time you've put into the military," said Wight, who lives in Fredericton and spent 34 years in uniform. "Departing with dignity ends at the gate. We're just a number. It's insulting and humiliating."

The last five years of his career were spent as a human resources manager in Halifax.

Wight says he was well aware of the problems in the system and prepared to meet them by budgeting and setting aside money. But the wait turned out to be even longer than he anticipated, and promised benefits have arrived piecemeal, if at all.

"I did everything I possibly could not to be in this position," said Wight, who conceded it will be a year or more before he can dig himself out of debt.

Backlog is shrinking

Documents and slide presentations, obtained by CBC News, show the National Defence department has thrown at least 50 extra clerks at the buildup.

But the impending relocation of staff this month to the new national headquarters building in Ottawa is expected to slow the processing of severance payments.

Military pensions are now being administered by Public Services and Procurement Canada, which has whittled the backlog of cases down to 5,264, from about 13,000.

"I understand backlogs and I understand the people who are doing the paperwork are probably doing three jobs. I know, I was there," said Wight.

"Nobody should have to wait three months for money that they have contributed. From the time I started filling out the paperwork, to the time I received my first cheque, it was almost a year. That's unacceptable."

Professionalizing release of members

Since Public Services took over the processing of military pensions, National Defence says 96 per cent of new claims are being turned around within 30 days, according to an email statement.

Internal documents, however, take a wider view and attempt to capture the scope of the problem. Currently, there are approximately 10,000 to 12,000 troops released each year. A 2013 study commissioned for the federal government show nearly one-third of military members (27 per cent) "reported a difficult adjustment."

The country's top defence chief acknowledged the growing public complaints in a recent speech, saying his objective is to overhaul and "professionalize" the process of releasing military members.

"We want to make certain — I have the same ambition that anybody else would have: I'd love for your pension cheque to be ready the next day, all of your care in place, everything from your move," Gen. Jonathan Vance told the Conference of Defence Associations Institute. "That is our aspiration and it has improved a great deal even this past year."

The country's military ombudsman is worried that patience has been exhausted and that more ex-soldiers will see the courts as a reasonable recourse instead.

"It's just going to gum the system up with a whole of bunch of litigation," said Walbourne. "It's going to cause more delays and more bureaucracy to come to bear. So I'd rather we didn't find ourselves having to get to that extreme."
Walbourne has been advocating for the military to not release members until all of their financial and health arrangements are in place.

An impersonal process

Vance, in his speech, countered that the system has been trying to do that.

The internal documents say a variety of factors caused the pension and severance backlogs.

Staffing cuts under the former Conservative government, the introduction of pensions for reservists in 2007 and the increasing number of soldiers released on medical grounds — roughly 2,500 per year — have made the system ungainly.
The internal documents acknowledge the system is impersonal and "intended to terminate employment rather than assist the member from military to civilian life."

The role and expectations of well-meaning politicians and military brass have also made things worse, according to one presentation contained in the documents, dated Dec. 16, 2016.

"The many significant personnel initiatives encouraged by senior leadership to look after our people have incrementally complicated the release/transition process to the point where a radical revision was warranted … re-engineering rather than tweaking," the presentation said.

More, including video, on LINK.

 

[Swingline1984]

UPDATE ** 

Still nothing.  Attempted to contact RPPO within the last two weeks by both phone and email, no reply.

Currently left in the dark regarding my severance pay.  I do not know if it is in process or even pending.

Recently received a copy of my release paper work from my former unit though.. so maybe that is a good sign???

I wish there was an online system where you can check your status with RPPO, because this trying to chase people for simple answers is very stressful.  Especially if nobody answers. 

I will do my best to contact them again

I released (Regs) in August of 2016 and finally received my severance approval letter 2 weeks ago, but I'm still waiting for the cheque to be mailed to my financial institution and deposited in my RRSPs. If it's any consolation (probably not) I also could not get in touch with the RPPO even after multiple phone calls and messages. To summarize; it took 26 weeks to get my approval letter and the RPPO is a black hole.

 

[Ping Monkey]

I'm in the same boat:  Released in Aug 2016, just spoke with RPPO yesterday and found out my Severance Audit is complete, but because they do everything by snail-mail the cheque won't be sent to SISIP for RRSP deposit until after the Mar 1st deadline. 

Jay_N3000:  I'll PM you the phone number & email addresses that I've had success with.  Hopefully you'll get an answer from one of the clerks.

Good luck!

 

[Swingline1984]

...the cheque won't be sent to SISIP for RRSP deposit until after the Mar 1st deadline. 

Point to note ref the above statement. My Financial Advisor in concert with our Accountant didn't recommend to attempt to claim the money on this years taxes even if it did beat the deadline. This is due to the T4 not being cut until 2018 as income for 2017. Our FA said it's not impossible, but that he's seen tax nightmares (double tax) resulting from severance and RRSPs due to improper accounting.

 

[Ping Monkey]

Point to note ref the above statement. My Financial Advisor in concert with our Accountant didn't recommend to attempt to claim the money on this years taxes even if it did beat the deadline. This is due to the T4 not being cut until 2018 as income for 2017. Our FA said it's not impossible, but that he's seen tax nightmares (double tax) resulting from severance and RRSPs due to improper accounting.

Thanks for the tip!  I'll certainly check with our FA when I meet him next week. 

 

[navig8ur]

Released this morning and the clerk suggested it would be somewhat less than 6 months for the pension; however, the severance and buy back of leave will be at least six months.  I've had a great career and thoroughly enjoyed the folks I worked with, but a 6 month wait for a pension payment is not the way I planned on finishing up.  Not once in 37 years did I miss paying my share of the CFSA. 

 

[OldSolduer]

Released this morning and the clerk suggested it would be somewhat less than 6 months for the pension; however, the severance and buy back of leave will be at least six months.  I've had a great career and thoroughly enjoyed the folks I worked with, but a 6 month wait for a pension payment is not the way I planned on finishing up.  Not once in 37 years did I miss paying my share of the CFSA. 

That makes two of us that pulled the pin this morning!! CHeers!!!

 

[Lightguns]

Gentlemen, expect to wait another 3 months after your first pension cheque before you have dental and drug benefits.  Also check the drug coverage of the pensioners plan and ensure everything the military prescribed is covered or you will be in for a big financial disappointment once you do have a drug plan.  Finally, check with your civie doctor and get prescribed cheaper alternatives for everything possible.  That chemmy crap costs money and a lot of military prescribed drugs are brand name.

 

[navig8ur]

More great news.  I think we have stumbled on the new retention strategy..........make it completely unpalatable to release.

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Valley,

I released in November and had my first pension cheque in 16 days. I think I am the current record holder.

My medical and dental took about 3.5 months.

I am still waiting for SISIP coverage after release to be deducted, but they claim I am fully covered anyhow and trust the money will catch up.

My severence is nowhere to be seen. A friend of mine who released in Jul 16 finally got his in Feb 17-8 months later.

 

[navig8ur]

First deposit today. Just over 40 days. 

 

[SeaKingTacco]

Valley,

I released in November and had my first pension cheque in 16 days. I think I am the current record holder.

My medical and dental took about 3.5 months.

I am still waiting for SISIP coverage after release to be deducted, but they claim I am fully covered anyhow and trust the money will catch up.

My severence is nowhere to be seen. A friend of mine who released in Jul 16 finally got his in Feb 17-8 months later.

My payment in lieu of severance arrived this week, just over 5.5 months after release.

I am told that there are just a total of 2 x Sgts processing all releases from the CF (Reg and Res), which is why the wait times are the way that they are.

 

[navig8ur]

Thanks for the update.  Rx the SISIP details last week from their HQ. 

 

[Retired and Broken]

Did anybody catch this today? Seems to be only for medical releases but maybe a preview of what is to come forces wide?  :dunno:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/injured-soldiers-won-t-be-forced-to-wait-months-for-pensions-1.3378119

Injured soldiers won't be forced to wait months for pensions

CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Thursday, April 20, 2017 9:00PM EDT
Last Updated Thursday, April 20, 2017 10:31PM EDT

Ill and injured soldiers will no longer be forced to leave the Canadian Forces until their pension cheques are set, closing an administrative loophole that left some veterans without incomes and no way to pay bills for months.

It’s a major policy shift for the Department of National Defence, which had been criticized for the delays.

CTV’s Mercedes Stephenson has reported on personal stories of soldiers who came close to losing their homes and had to turn to charities to cover mortgage payments. Military ombudsman Gary Walbourne said last year that he had received 1,300 complaints about similar delays since 2007, with many veterans waiting up to three months for their cheques.

Lieutenant General Chuck Lamarre, the new head of military personnel, says the payment system will be up and running before ill and injured military personnel leave their jobs.

Sources also say a new face will take over the much-criticized Joint Personnel Support Unit, which handles cases of ill and injured soldiers.

CTV News has learned that the directive came from Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance, who has pledged to overhaul the system.

Afghanistan veteran Kevin Sweeney spoke to CTV News last year. He said his family nearly lost their home while he waited five months for his pension to kick in. Sweeney, who suffered mental health injuries, eventually turned to Veterans Emergency Transition Services (VETS) Canada, which bought food for the family and helped with their mortgage.

“It looked very, very close,” he said. “My wife was very scared about (losing the home). I was crossing my fingers.”

At the time, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, a veteran himself, called the delays “unacceptable.”

“We can’t immediately change the backlog,” Sajjan said. “We’re going to put all the resources in the right areas to making sure that those backlogs are taken care of.”

With a report from CTV’s Mercedes Stephenson

 

[Gunner98]

The challenge is that every day you spend in uniform takes you closer to the next mess bill, pay incentive, year of service completion and leave entitlement, won't there always be a requirement for a transition period to audit and settle the pay and leave books and calculate the severance and pension entitlement?