# 2021-018 Releases, Release, Release - Medical, Vocational Rehabilitation Program

Case summary

F&R Date: 2021-07-15

The grievor argued that he should receive a six-month extension to his medical release date and to his Vocational Rehabilitation Program for Serving Members (VRPSM). He submitted an extension request and his Commanding Officer subsequently denied it.

The Initial Authority (IA) determined that the grievor's request for extension should have been sent to the Director Military Careers Administration (DMCA), as the authority for such a decision. The IA forwarded the grievor's request to the DMCA, along with their recommendation that the grievor's extension request be retroactively granted. The IA afforded partial redress. 

The DMCA subsequently found that the grievor's extension request could not be approved retroactively and it would not have been granted at the time of release. As the grievor was lawfully released, there was no mechanism to overturn a release decision. In addition, the DMCA would not have supported an additional extension, as the grievor's chain of command did not support it. 

The Committee found there was no authority to retroactively extend the grievor's release date as, in a previous file, the Committee had found that the period of retention offered to the grievor was justified and in accordance with the applicable policies. The Committee further found that the grievor was appropriately granted a six-month period, prior to his medical release, for the VRPSM. As such, the Committee recommended that the Final Authority (FA) not afford redress.

FA decision summary  

The FA, Director Canadian Forces Grievance Authority, agreed with the Committee's analysis and with its recommendation not to afford redress.