Entitlements of injured cadets

Health Care

Canadian cadets who suffer an injury or illness due to an authorized cadet activity receive certain health care entitlements from the Canadian Armed Forces.Footnote 1  These entitlements are defined in the Queen’s Regulations and Orders for the Canadian Cadet Organizations, also known as the QR Cadets, which are only available on the Canadian Cadet Organization (CCO) Extranet. (The CCO Extranet requires users to create an account to gain access.) This policy indicates that a cadet performing cadet duty is entitled to the same care as a Class A or B Reservist.Footnote 2

Information on the entitlements of Reservists and, by extension, cadets is provided in the Queen’s Regulations and Orders, Chapter 34, subsection 7 and the Queen’s Regulations and Orders, Chapter 35, subsection 4.

Another key regulation is the Canadian Forces Health Services Group Instruction 2500-05 – Cadet Care Invoice Payment.Footnote 3  This instruction states that the Canadian Forces Health Services Group is responsible for emergency care for cadets attending summer training programs. This includes the cost of the health services that exceed provincial/territorial coverage and that are covered under the Canadian Forces Spectrum of Care for injuries or illnesses resulting from all authorized activities.

The information below serves as a guide only on the health care services available to cadets who suffer an illness or injury arising out of an approved cadet activity. Cadets and their parents or guardians are encouraged to verify cadets’ entitlements as well as the process to access those entitlements with the Commanding Officer of their cadet corps/squadron. 

Entitlement to Health Care 

Corps/squadron activityFootnote 4

  • First aid by qualified cadet instructor/supervisor.
  • Any subsequent care by the Canadian Armed Forces must be for an injury or illness related to a cadet activity. Therefore:
    • Care will be limited to that injury or illness.
    • Care will be provided only until the cadet can be safely transferred to a civilian care provider.
    • Once transferred to a civilian care provider, coverage by the Canadian Armed Forces will continue for expenses above and beyond provincial/territorial health care coverage, based on Spectrum of Care benefits.
    • After the end of cadet duty, care will be limited to such medical care at public expense as the attending physician may consider necessary and as authorized by the officer commanding the command.
    • For dental care, treatment will be limited to what is necessary to restore a state of dental fitness comparable to that which existed prior to the injury, if such injury is not attributable to misconduct or imprudence.
  • For chronic medical conditions as well as injuries or illnesses unrelated to a cadet activity, cadets are required to follow up with a civilian care provider.
  • In the event of serious illness, injury, or death, a Canadian Armed Forces member will be appointed as a Designated Assistant to provide support to the cadet and his or her family as they access the Canadian Armed Forces Spectrum of Care benefits.Footnote 5

Cadet Training CentreFootnote 6  (summer training)

  • Same as above, plus immediate medical care (i.e. first aid and initial assessment) at a Canadian Armed Forces walk-in clinic specifically for cadets.

Additional information on benefits, reporting an injury, submitting a claim form, and the Regional Cadet Support Unit contact information can be found on the Medical Care offer to Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers website.

In 2017, our Office published a report entitled Cadets: An Investigation of the Support Provided to Cadets Who Suffer an Illness or Injury as a Result of a Cadet Activity. For an update on the progress made by the Canadian Armed Forces in implementing our recommendations, see the Response from CDS: Cadet Follow-up Apr 2018.

Accident Insurance

In addition to health care services from the Canadian Armed Forces, cadets also have accident insurance coverage by way of their applicable Leagues.Footnote 7

The accident insurance coverage is designed to be complementary coverage that, in most cases, picks up where other coverage may leave off, including Canadian Armed Forces coverage, provincial/territorial health coverage, and private coverage.

As with health care, eligibility for accident insurance benefits is dependent on the injury being attributed to a cadet activity. Another important condition of eligibility for League insurance is that the injury must not have resulted from an illness. For example, under normal circumstances, a cadet who faints on parade and suffers an injury will not be covered under the policy because the insurer considers fainting to be a result of illness, not an accident.Footnote 8

The information below provides examples of benefits available through the Leagues’ accident insurance policies:

Categories and Examples of Benefits

Death, Dismemberment, and Specific LossFootnote 9 

  • Loss of life
  • Loss of limbs
  • Loss of senses (e.g. hearing, sight)
  • Paralysis

Health Care Benefits

  • Medical reimbursement (e.g. ambulance fees, equipment rentals, prescription medications, services of a licensed chiropractor or physiotherapist)
  • Dental care reimbursement
  • Rehabilitation

Other Benefits

  • Tutorial
  • Home alteration (e.g. to suit the associated disability)
  • Vehicle modification
  • Weekly accident indemnity (to cover some lost wages if the cadet was employed)

Additional information such as the Cadet League Insurance Comparison Table, the Amounts Comparison Table, and the Entitlements Comparison Table can be reviewed here.

For more information on accident insurance coverage and the process to file a claim, please contact the appropriate Cadet League National Office:

Navy League

Toll Free: 1-800-375-6289
Email: info@navyleague.ca
Website: www.navyleague.ca

Army Cadet League

Toll Free: 1-877-276-9223
Email: national@armycadetleague.ca
Website: www.armycadetleague.ca

Air Cadet League

Toll Free: 1-877-422-6359
Fax: (613) 725-3777
Email: leaguehq@aircadetleague.com

Website: http://aircadetleague.com/

Note: All Leagues have standardized their current coverage by way of an agreed-upon amalgamation of Navy, Air, and Army coverage. Implementation of a single insurance policy is currently under review.

Government Employees Compensation Act

As temporary/casual DND employees, staff cadets are entitled to their respective provincial workers’ compensation by way of the Government Employees Compensation Act. Additional information can be found in CANCDTGEN 007/18 and Compensation Options for Ill and Injured Reservists

If you would like more information or have any questions, our Office is ready to help.

1-888-828-3626

ombudsman-communications@forces.gc.ca

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