Updating of the Education Reimbursement Program Policies
Topic
Updating of the Education Reimbursement (ER) Program Policies
Case number
- 2018-046 (F&R date: 2019-03-11)
Issue
In the review of a grievance concerning ER, the Committee found that significant changes had been made to the manner in which the ER program is managed. These changes were not reflected in Canadian Forces Military Personnel Instruction (CF Mil Pers Instr) 17/04, Educational Reimbursement, thus creating a lack of transparency concerning the new policy, especially concerning the maximum allowable reimbursement for given programs.
Recommendation
The Committee recommended that the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) direct the Chief of Military Personnel (CMP) to ensure that CF Mil Pers Instr 17/04 is updated or replaced in an expeditious manner; and, that the new policy provide transparency and consistency in how funding maximums are determined for various degree programs.
Final Authority Decision
The CDS acknowledged that the expected changes to the Individual Learning Plan (ILP) policy have been slow in materializing. However, it was his understanding that ER policy Working Groups are actively preparing a new Defence Administrative Order and Directive (DAOD) that will provide information about the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) ER Program and establish ILP approval authorities and processes. The CDS expected this new DAOD to be released in 2020. He also expected CF Mil Pers Instr 17/04 to be cancelled when the new DAOD is released. To that end, he directed CMP to continue to actively prepare the DAOD in order to address the detailed processes and approvals for the ER Program.
Regarding the fact that the new CAF ER policy should include clear instructions as to how the maximums are to be determined for the various degree programs, the CDS was of the view that the needs of the service are not static, and policy must remain flexible to respond to this. Consequently, he found that it would be counterproductive to attempt to design a one-size-fits-all instruction on how to determine threshold amounts for the CAF ER Program that has evolving demands and constraints. CMP will therefore continue to responsibly administer the CAF ER Program in a manner that is consistent with existing or new policy and that benefits the greatest number of service members while remaining fiscally prudent.