# 2022-082 Pay and Benefits, Separation Expense

Case summary

F&R Date: 2024-10-25

The grievor contended that they were owed an outstanding balance of $1,500 in Separation Expenses for a rent payment for August 2018. They stated that they had originally opted for a cash advance, but during their visit to the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Borden cashier's office, amended their request to receive the payment via a Direct Funds Transfer (DFT) instead. Several days later, the grievor received four DFTs of $1,500 each, which led to confusion over which month's rent payments they had in fact received, and delayed their realization that they had not yet received the DFT for August rent. The grievor noted that they had not signed any paperwork for these additional DFTs prior to them being paid out. In support of their claim that they had not received the August rent payment, the grievor provided detailed banking records showing that the $1,500 payment never passed through their bank account, and stated that they had not signed a log sheet acknowledging receipt of the alleged cash funds, as they had been required to do for a previous cash advance. The grievor noted that the cashier's office was subsequently unable to produce the log sheet they had signed for the previous cash advance. As redress, the grievor requested the outstanding $1,500 payment, and that CFB Borden financial procedures be reviewed to ensure proper safeguards are in place and proper accountability for the funds held there.

There is no Initial Authority (IA) analysis or decision on file. The grievor requested his file be elevated to the Final Authority (FA) after being informed the IA would not be able to meet its required deadline to render a decision.

The Committee sought input from the CFB Borden Comptroller to better understand how the cashier's office operated at the time of the alleged non-payment. The Comptroller informed the Committee that at the time, the only method of tracking cash payments was via a Department of National Defence Request for Accountable Advance of Public Funds (DND 432) form. With respect to the additional log sheet referenced by the grievor, it was not believed that such log sheets were in use in 2018. The Committee learned through its enquiries that it was in fact due to this grievance that the CFB Borden cashier's office began using a log sheet to track all cash advances, and not solely cash payments for salary. There was no video footage available for the Committee to review. Given the issues raised and how multiple payments to the grievor were mishandled, including the processing of four $1,500 DFT payments that were not officially requested by the grievor via a signed DND 432, the Committee found, on a balance of probabilities, that it was more likely than not that the grievor did not receive the rent payment in question. The Committee therefore recommended that the FA afford the grievor redress by directing payment of the outstanding $1,500.