# 2024-061 Careers, Regular Officer Training Plan, Relinquishment of Rank for Military Training Plan

Case summary

F&R Date: 2025-05-26

The grievor disputed the decision not to grant Acting Sub-Lieutenant (A/Slt) on component transfer to the Regular Force from the Cadet Organization Administration and Training Service (COATS) through the Regular Officer Training Plan (ROTP). The grievor argued that it was unfair to reduce her rank from A/Slt to Naval Cadet. She cited previous grievances that she believed demonstrated a flexibility in the application of enrollment and component transfer policies and asserted that her service as a COATS Officer merits recognition beyond the current policy entitlements. As redress, the grievor requested to either be granted A/SLt retroactive to her transfer date, or to have her entry plan changed to the University Training Plan for Non-Commissioned Members (UTPNCM). 

The Initial Authority (IA) denied redress, stating that as the grievor did not have the prerequisite degree required for her chosen occupation, the only option was for her to enroll under the ROTP. The IA explained that there are no entry plans that support subsidized education at a higher rank and confirmed that the grievor had been awarded an additional pay increment (PI) as well as time credited towards the next PI in recognition of her previous service. 

The Committee noted that the circumstances of the previous cases cited by the grievor did not apply to her case. The Committee found that as the UTPNCM provides an opportunity to Non-Commissioned Members to obtain their commission and transfer into an officer military occupation, and the grievor was already a commissioned officer with a degree at the time, she was not eligible for the UTPNCM. The Committee further found that the grievor had to relinquish her rank, to which she had agreed, in order to pursue subsidized education through the ROTP, the only entry program available to her circumstances, referencing Canadian Forces General Message 002/14. The Committee found that the grievor's past service had been appropriately recognized and credited, and recommended that the Final Authority not afford her redress.