meni0n
Sr. Member
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So I've gotten some good advice from someone on this forum with regards to my situation but I would like to post this just to see if someone here knows about a policy as I am unable to locate anything. So here goes. Please bear with me, this might be a bit complicated.
Have about 14 years in the Reg Force, injured on duty in 2016. Got a public service job offer in 2017 and took it. So I transferred from the Regular Force to the Reserve Force in 2017 with no break in service. Since there was no break in service, I continued to be part of the Part I of the CFSA and contribute to the Reg Force pension when I got paid in the Reserves. All the while, I was still having some significant symptoms from the injury I sustained in the Reg Force and a medical A/R was initiated. All of a sudden in the beginning of 2019, I had all of my pension contributions returned to me. I called the Pension Centre and was told that it was due to being in the PSSA and CFSA at the same time but was assured I would be able to access my pension in case of a medical release.
Now come Oct 2019, I finally receive a 3B release message, call the Pension Centre and was told that I am showing as a non-member of the CFSA and that they won't send me a pension package. I have to go through all the details of my account with the person on the phone and they concede that yes, there is no break in service and they're not sure why I am not a member. They now escalate my case. I call back again, now a different person tells me that I should be able to get my pension package and that it's just a system glitch due to being part of the PSSA. Waited a week, called back and told once again, no I cannot get a pension package. And on and on this goes. Finally I'm told file is being sent to advisory section at DND to seek guidance.
All the while, no one at the Pension Centre can provide me any reference to policy that states I cannot be a member of both plans at the same time. I've read both acts and there is nothing that states that. I'm being told CANFORGEN 180/09 also states this. A PSSA special bulletin from 2009 also states this. I've even called the Public Service Pension Centre and was told they don't see why it would be an issue being part of both plans, with the exception of reaching 35 years faster.
Now, through all of this, in case things go South on me I tried to contact someone at DMCA to see if it would be possible to change my Reg Force release item since the injury happened while I was in the Reg Fore and changing the release item would let me access immediate annuity. So far calling the National JPSU, NCR Transition Centre or DMCA 3 has been fruitless. No one has picked up the phone for the past 2 days.
Does anyone know of any policy that is available somewhere which states that you cannot be a member of both plans at the same time? And, also if anyone knows someone at DMCA that could help me, please let me know.
Here is a link to the special bulletin, in case someone wants to read it.
https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/remuneration-compensation/bapr-samb/archiver-archive/bapr-samb-2009-003-eng.html
Have about 14 years in the Reg Force, injured on duty in 2016. Got a public service job offer in 2017 and took it. So I transferred from the Regular Force to the Reserve Force in 2017 with no break in service. Since there was no break in service, I continued to be part of the Part I of the CFSA and contribute to the Reg Force pension when I got paid in the Reserves. All the while, I was still having some significant symptoms from the injury I sustained in the Reg Force and a medical A/R was initiated. All of a sudden in the beginning of 2019, I had all of my pension contributions returned to me. I called the Pension Centre and was told that it was due to being in the PSSA and CFSA at the same time but was assured I would be able to access my pension in case of a medical release.
Now come Oct 2019, I finally receive a 3B release message, call the Pension Centre and was told that I am showing as a non-member of the CFSA and that they won't send me a pension package. I have to go through all the details of my account with the person on the phone and they concede that yes, there is no break in service and they're not sure why I am not a member. They now escalate my case. I call back again, now a different person tells me that I should be able to get my pension package and that it's just a system glitch due to being part of the PSSA. Waited a week, called back and told once again, no I cannot get a pension package. And on and on this goes. Finally I'm told file is being sent to advisory section at DND to seek guidance.
All the while, no one at the Pension Centre can provide me any reference to policy that states I cannot be a member of both plans at the same time. I've read both acts and there is nothing that states that. I'm being told CANFORGEN 180/09 also states this. A PSSA special bulletin from 2009 also states this. I've even called the Public Service Pension Centre and was told they don't see why it would be an issue being part of both plans, with the exception of reaching 35 years faster.
Now, through all of this, in case things go South on me I tried to contact someone at DMCA to see if it would be possible to change my Reg Force release item since the injury happened while I was in the Reg Fore and changing the release item would let me access immediate annuity. So far calling the National JPSU, NCR Transition Centre or DMCA 3 has been fruitless. No one has picked up the phone for the past 2 days.
Does anyone know of any policy that is available somewhere which states that you cannot be a member of both plans at the same time? And, also if anyone knows someone at DMCA that could help me, please let me know.
Here is a link to the special bulletin, in case someone wants to read it.
https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/remuneration-compensation/bapr-samb/archiver-archive/bapr-samb-2009-003-eng.html
