Courtesy of Adsum

On January 16, Brigadier-General Mark Misener presented the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group (CAF TG), the entity he now commands, to several hundred members at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Valcartier.

The CAF TG replaces and expands the mission of the Joint Personnel Support Unit (JPSU).

“In coordinating its efforts with its partners, the CAF TG will deliver personalized, professional and standardized casualty support and transition services to CAF members and their families […] with special attention provided to ill and injured personnel, their families and the families of the deceased,” said BGen Misener.

There is much that is new. Close to 150 new personnel were added nationally to improve the delivery of transition services at 32 transition centres across the country.

Throughout Canada, the Operation TRANSITION directive (internal link) has also been introduced thanks to direction from the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance.

Op TRANSITION will allow the CAF TG to enhance its transition processes and capabilities over the coming months. The fact that it is a named operation speaks to the importance of the mission and ensures that it will be a sustained CAF-wide effort.

Rethinking transition

An initial transition process involving a number of elements will be implemented as of April 1. As part of this transition protocol, an aide-memoire will be distributed to the commanding officers of each unit, and there will also be a new transition guide that lays out the steps to follow for a successful departure from the CAF.

Enhanced online transition training will also be provided to all transitioning members through the Defence Learning Network (DLN).

A mandatory 30-day window during which members can concentrate solely on their transition will also be assigned by the various chains of command. During these 30 days, transitioning members will be not be available for home unit employment or taskings.

The CAF TG web page groups together information from key sources like Veterans Affairs Canada, the CAF and their partners.

The new My Transition app, a real Swiss Army knife of the transition process, is now available. This application contains a wealth of information for military members who want to prepare for their futures after their service in the CAF.

In addition to this new range of tools, a transition process pilot project is also underway at Borden. It should result in a new transition model that, once tested and validated, will be implemented throughout the CAF.

“The end goal is to inform, prepare and empower our members for life after service,” concluded BGen Misener.

Education benefit

The presentation at CFB Valcartier also promoted the new Education and Training Benefit, which has been available since April 2018.

CAF members who were honourably released and who have at least six years of service (paid days only) are eligible for financial assistance up to $40,000.

Members released from the CAF after 12 or more years of service can obtain up to a maximum of $80,000. The amounts can be used to pay tuition, purchase supplies and cover some incidentals and living expenses for most types of programs offered by educational institutions to released members.

All veterans who have been honourably released have up to 10 years following their release to use the benefit for formal programs or short courses. Eligible veterans released between April 1, 2006, and March 31, 2018, will have until March 31, 2028 to obtain funding. Eligible veterans released after April 1, 2018, will have 10 years after their release to obtain funding. The funds cannot be used to retroactively pay for past training.