Clarification Bulletin - CBI 208.992 Posting Allowance - Service Spouse Employment Program (SSEP)

Dated 20 September 2024

Issue

The current policy instruction contained in CBI 208.992 (Posting Allowance) does not sufficiently define the entitlements to Posting Allowance in relation to a service couple when one member is posted OUTCAN, and the service spouse is employed under the Service Spouse Employment Program (SSEP).

IAW CBI 208.992(4) (Entitlement), the member is entitled to receive a Posting Allowance, which consists of one or both of the following elements: (a) one Member Element, which is payable to all members to whom this instruction applies; and (b) one Dependant Element, which is payable to a member who, in relation to the posting, moves one or more dependants at public expense and, at the time of the move, that dependant is not: (i) a member of the Regular Force who is also entitled under subparagraph (a); or (ii) a member of the Reserve Force who is entitled to receive the Reserve Relocation Allowance under Chapter 13 of the CAFRD.

IAW CBI 208.992(7) (Dependant Element — Service Couples) In relation to two members of the Regular Force who are spouses or common law partners, and who, when posted from the same former place of duty to the same new place of duty, are accompanied by a dependant who satisfies the requirements under paragraph (4), only the member who has the higher monthly rate of pay is entitled to receive the Dependant Element under paragraph (4). For greater certainty, this paragraph does not impact the entitlement of either member to receive the Member Element under paragraph (4).

(TB, effective 1 April 2021)

Clarification

The SSEP is partly designed to allow service spouses to be gainfully employed when they would otherwise be placed on Leave Without Pay. The program exists as an initiative to maximize the employability of CAF members who are accompanying posted members.

1. Service spouses posted under SSEP who are living overseas and are either teleworking in a position at another OUTCAN location or employed in a position at the same place of duty as their spouse (SSEP OUTCAN) are entitled to a posting allowance. Both members of the service couple receive the Member Element of the posting allowance and if they are accompanied by another dependant, they are entitled to one Dependant Element of the posting allowance calculated based on the member with the higher monthly rate of pay.
2. Service spouses posted under SSEP who are living overseas on Leave Without of Pay or are teleworking for a unit in Canada (SSEP INCAN) are not entitled to their own posting allowance and are considered a dependant. The posted member shall receive the Member Element of the posting allowance, and the Dependant Element of the posting allowance based on their own monthly rate of pay. If the service spouse under the SSEP subsequently gets posted locally to the same place of duty where they were initially teleworking or they become employed under an OUTCAN position outside of their living area without a move, they remain disentitled to their own posting allowance.
3. When service spouses posted under SSEP who are living Overseas on Leave Without of Pay or are teleworking for a unit in Canada (SSEP INCAN) return to Canada, they remain disentitled to their own posting allowance except if they are posted to a new place of duty where they had not been teleworking.

This clarification bulletin is policy direction that conveys the intent of the specific CBI provision as confirmed by the Treasury Board Secretariat. An amendment to CBI 208.992 will follow in due course.