Language selection

Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada

Search

Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group 101

On this page

Aim

Provide a general overview briefing on the Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group (CAF TG) and Operation TRANSITION.

Agenda

  • Background
  • CAF TG Organization and footprint
  • New transition process and roll-out overview
  • Casualty Support/Caring for the Ill & Injured/NMC
  • Partners, CAF and VAC collaboration
  • Discussion/Questions

CAF TG Mission

In coordination with our valued partners, CAF TG will deliver personalized, professional, and standardized casualty support and transition services to CAF members and their families to enable seamless transition and enhanced well-being with special attention provided to ill and injured personnel, their families and the families of the deceased.

Organizational and Reporting Structure

Caption
  • Top level: Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS)
  • Under the CDS, there is the Commander Military Personnel Command which is the Level 1 under which the Transition Group operates
  • Below the Commander Military Personnel Command there is:
    • Commander Canadian Armed Forces (FAC) Transition Group
    • Director General Military Transition
  • Under the Commander FAC Transition Group:
    • 9 Transition Units
    • Deputy Commander
      • Under Deputy Commander: Veteran Affairs Canada (VAC) liaison officer (LO) to Canadian Armed Forces
    • Executive Staff and Advisors
    • Chief of Staff
    • Joint staff
    • Soldier on – Sans limite
  • Under Director General Military Transition
    • Director Transition Services and Programs
    • Director Casualty Support Management
    • Operational Stress Injury – Social Support
    • Helping our Peers by Providing Empathy (HOPE)
    • The National Military Cemetery

The Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group (CAF TG) is a Level 2 Formation, reporting to the Commander of Military Personnel Command.

Commander CAF TG also fulfils the role of Director General Military Transition and Senior Advisor to VAC.

CAF TG National Footprint

VAC operates 38 Area Offices across the country and is working at 24 Transition Centres, on or near CAF bases, where VAC is generally co-located with CAF colleagues.

  • 9 Regions / Transition Units
  • 27 Transition Centres
Caption

Map Details:

  • Regions and Transition Units:
    • The map is divided into 9 regions, each represented by different colored dots.
    • Each region has several transition units marked by these dots.
  • Transition Centres:
    • 27 Transition Centres are indicated across the map.
  • Connections:
    • Lines connect various cities and regions, showing the network of transition units and centres.

    • Specific Locations:

  • Major Cities:
    • Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, and Halifax are marked.
  • Regional Distribution:
    • Each region has a cluster of dots indicating the presence of transition units and centres.

Military to Civilian Transition (MCT) Process

Caption

Member – Active service

Members informed, prepared, and empowered about retention & transition throughout their career.

Member and Family (if applicable) immersed in military life and culture.

Fully supported by military services and infrastructure.

Including ill or injured member currently in the path to Reintegration (P2R) and outcome is Transition.

  • Step 1: Decision to Transition
    • Return to service with duty reassignment and accommodation option for ill & injured.
  • Step 2: Understand Transition
  • Step 3: Transition Plan (TP)
  • Step 4: Monitor / Training
  • Step 5: Support Continuum
  • In step 4 and 5, if Personal situation changes and/or new learnings require re-assessment and TP modifications return to step 2

Veteran – Desired End State

Successful integration into civilian life.

Well-being and quality of life maintained or enhanced.

Positive post-transition in all domains of well-being.

Continuity of support when and where required (national, regional, & local ecosystems).

CAF – MFS (Military Family Services) – VAC transition support

Domains of Well-Being

Caption
  • Finance – Achieve financial security
  • Social Integration – Maintain mutually supportive relationships and being engaged in the community
  • Life Skills – Adapt, manage and cope within civilian life
  • Housing and Physical Environment – Live in safe, adequate and affordable housing
  • Culture and Social Environment – Be understood and valued by Canadian
  • Health – Function well physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually
  • Purpose – Engage in activities one finds beneficial and meaningful
  • Inter-dependent areas of consideration that are important for a successful transition
  • Key factors to consider when building a transition plan, arguably a better life
  • Understanding their importance much earlier in our careers will contribute transition readiness
 

Back to top

CAF and VAC Collaboration

Caption

A list of committees, teams and initiatives with the intent to demonstrate the collaboration of the Transition Group with other Government of Canada groups.

  • CAF-VAC Steering Committee
  • CAF-VAC DG Joint Working Group
  • Seamless Transition Task Force
  • Career / Employment Implementation team
  • Education / Training implementation team
  • Digitization / Online tools implementation Team
  • Communications Implementation Team
  • Other Key Transition Initiatives (direct report, admin, not joint)
  • Transition Centres / Process Implementation Team
  • Health Support Initiatives Implementation Team

CAF TG is part of an overall series of Government of Canada initiatives to improve the lives of CAF members, veterans and their families including:

  • Closing the Seam
  • Seamless Canada
  • Pension For Life

Staff Integration

  • Senior CAF Advisor to DM VAC – Lieutenant-General
  • VAC Liaison Officer to CAF; CAF Liaison Officer to VAC
  • Transition Centres (TC) including Transition Trial
  • Combined teams for Outreach, Engagement and events
  • Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS)

Governance / Joint Efforts

  • Joint Steering Committee – Co-chairs DM VAC/Commander Military Personnel Command
  • Subordinate DG Joint WG, Seamless Transition Task Force and Implementation Teams implement joint priorities
  • Invictus Games and numerous high profile activities

My Trusted Support Network

Caption

Network Community of Trusted organizations: Engagement & Collaboration

Types of organizations from which members in the process of transition to civilian life can receive support:

  • Civilian Employers
  • Government Veteran Initiatives & Programs
  • Federal Provincial Municipal
  • Veteran Support Organizations
  • Veteran Focused Charities / Non-Profits
  • Veteran Networking Organizations
  • Educational Institutions
  • Entrepreneurs Support Organizations
  • Skills Certification Bodies
  • Civilian Industry Networks

Core Partners:

  • Veteran Affairs Canada, VEU & other elements
  • Public Service Commission & other Government of Canada Department
  • CRES Director Employer Support / CFLC
  • CFMWS Military Family Services

Military Transition Engagement & Partnerships (MTEP): Alignment & Partnership

  • Validate, Collaborate, Synchronize

Each of these groups offer the potential to assist CAF in Recruiting, Retention, and Transition via Partnerships.

Each of these groups offer the potential for multi-directional relationships – they do not have to be purely recruiting, retention, or transition-focused

Cross-Sectoral considerations: National Employment Strategy & Education initiatives

 

Casualty Support & Caring for the Ill and Injured

CAF TG provides advice, assists, and provides casualty support administration in the event of an illness, injury or death of a service member.

Casualty Administration & Support

  • Casualty Reporting
  • Next of Kin (NOK) travel benefit when a CAF member dies (QR&O 209.02)
  • Funeral & burial entitlements (CBI 210.20)
  • Designated Assistant training & oversight
  • CBI 211 – Service Benefits for Ill and Injured Members:
    • Home modifications benefit and related move benefit (211.01, 015)
    • Vehicle modifications benefit (211.02)
    • Home assistance benefit (211.03)
    • Attendant care benefit (211.04)
    • Caregiver Benefit (211.05)
    • Spousal Education Updgrade Benefit (211.06)
    • Next of Kin Travel Benefit (211.07)
  • Reserve Force Compensation and Class C extensions (CBI 210.72)
  • Review and safekeeping of CF-98 Reporting of Injury or Illness

CAF TG Programs for the Ill & Injured

Return to Duty (RTD) Program

  • A rehabilitation initiative that helps convalescing members ease back into the workplace by adapting schedules and duties to their level of ability
  • The more supportive the work environment is, the greater the potential for success

Vocational Rehabilitation Program for Serving Members (VRPSM)

  • For eligible CAF members who have been notified of an impending medical release
  • Allows ill or Injured members to prepare for their next career by gaining education, experience and skills

Operational Stress Injury Social Support

  • OSISS provides a national peer support network for CAF members, veterans and their families who are experiencing an Operational Stress Injury (OSI). Services can be a complement to other mental health and family support services
  • The OSISS program has a network of employees and volunteers in multiple locations across Canada who provide mentorship, first- hand lived experience and practical knowledge of what life is like with an OSI
  • The OSISS program is for peers, by peers

Helping Our Peers by providing Empathy (HOPE)

  • The HOPE program provides social support assistance to families that are affected by the loss of a loved one
  • HOPE matches trained peer volunteers who offer confidential peer support to bereaved families
  • HOPE peer volunteers understand the grieving process because they have experienced it
  • HOPE peer volunteers are there to support the family with compassion, without judgment and to help them normalize their pain by being a model of HOPE
  • Eases isolation: Provides access to a community of support who have "been through it"
  • Focuses expectations: Provides realistic and honest expectations about their grieving experience, and how to confront the reality of their loss
  • HOPE is always needed: Needs of the families don't end with the mission; the member may be gone but the family is not

Back to top

National Military Cemetery (NMC)

The NMC is a national focal point of honour which recognizes the service and sacrifice of CAF members and other eligible persons who have served Canada with distinction in war or other armed conflict and in peace. The NMC is governed by a memorandum of understanding between DND and the Beechwood Cemetery Foundation.

Soldier On

  • Soldier On is a program of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) which contributes to the recovery of ill and injured CAF members and Veterans by providing opportunities and resources through sport, recreation and creative activities.
  • Many ill/injured members credit Soldier On with helping in their recovery, overcoming their challenges, opening doors to other life opportunities, and assisting in their transition to civilian life.
  • IG2023 and 2025

Partners & Stakeholders

  • Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)
  • Military Family Services (MFS) and local MFRCs
  • Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS)
  • Wing/Base Personnel Selection Officers
  • Base/Wing Administration Personnel and Release Sections
  • SISIP Financial
  • Manulife / CAF LTD
  • Personnel Support Staff and Reconditioning Managers and Specialists
  • Trusted Third-Party Support Organizations

Family Programs

Programs and Services which support challenges related to the military lifestyle offered at Military Family Resource Centres

  • Information, Education and Awareness
  • Referral and Support Services
  • Intervention

MFRC Family Liaison Officer partnership – collaborating with and supporting ISPC teams.

Enhanced Services to ill & injured personnel and their families:

  • Access to a Veteran Family Program Coordinator
  • Veteran Family Journal
  • Programs
  • Mental Health First Aid for the Veteran Community
  • Care for the Caregiver Education and Self-help Tools
  • SISIP Financial Services Partnership to support financial planning approaching or after a medical release
  • Living Life to the Full
  • Continued access to the Military Family Services Program through Military Family Resource Centres

Visit Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare National programs and services webpage.
Call the 24/7 Family Information Line: 1-800-866-4546

Back to top

Veteran Service Card Program (VSC)

Background

  • Formerly the NDI 75 - Record of Service Card (discontinued Feb 2016)
  • Veteran Service Card (VSC) program was jointly launched with VAC in Sep 2018
  • The intent was to contribute to the seamless transition to post-military life by providing a symbol of the veteran's enduring affiliation with the CAF

Way Forwardm

  • Transfer of responsibility between Director General Defence Security and CAF TG in progress
  • There is a 24k application backlog
  • VSC production will be centralized under CAF TG no later than summer 2025
  • Key enablers are infrastructure, personnel, funding and portal modernization
  • Potential MOU with VAC on funding

Back to top

Page details

Date modified: