Phase 2: From medical release decision to release date

During this period, if your Medical Employment Limitations (MELs) breach the Universality of Service requirements, you have three potential options for medical release. You will work with a transition advisor to create a Personalized Transition Plan (PTP) tailored to your post-service goals. Your PTP will outline the transition process and available support options. You can also meet with a CAF LTD VRP counsellor to formulate a 30-month education plan.

The three options available are:

• Retention due to occupational shortage: 
  • If your occupation is critically understaffed, you may be temporarily retained before you release.
• Supported six-month transition period (non-complex or standard transition):  
  • A structured six-month transition plan. 
  • Includes guidance on transition activities and available support.  
  • A structured 30-month education plan (CAF LTD VRP counsellor). 
• Complex transition:  
  • If you have more intricate transition needs, you may be granted up to three years for your transition before you release. 
  • Eligibility is based on specific Complex Transition criteria. The CFHS Nurse Case Manager will conduct a Complexity Assessment Grid tool for all eligible CAF members.    
  • Reach out to a CAF LTD VRP counsellor to discuss options in case your medical condition becomes more stable. 

Prior to your release date, you have 30 calendar days to focus solely on transition activities and administrative tasks. During this 30-day period, you will be unavailable for tasking or employment within your unit. You may also consider doing the following: 

• Visit the nearest CAF TC to learn about your eligibility for benefits and programs, as well as programs available to support your family through this transition. 
• Discuss your MELs with your CFHS Nurse Case Manger to better plan your transition to civilian life. 
• Contact SISIP FINANCIAL as early as one year before your release to determine if you are eligible for CAF Long Term Disability (LTD) insurance.  
• If you are medically released, SISIP will be notified. SISIP will verify your eligibility for LTD and inform Manulife. 
• Your CFHS Nurse Case Manager will provide you with an LTD claim package and will help you coordinate your medical assessment. 
• Attend your initial release interview with the CAF Release Section and review your Release Statement of Understanding (SOU), which confirms:  
  • Your official release date and category.  
  • Cessation of medical and dental treatment through the CAF. 
  • Supplementary Death Benefits for annuitants and non-annuitants.  

If you have questions, you can get answers at your progress interview before your final release interview on your last working day.  

Review the Life Skills section of My Transition Guide for more information on the release process and release interviews. 

Learn more by consulting page 27 of the Operation TRANSITION Directive, which is accessible only on the Defence Network. 

Transitioning to the civilian workforce requires career planning, skills assessment, education opportunities, and job search assistance to ensure a smooth transition. As you prepare to enter the civilian workforce, consider:  

Career options and transferrable skills 

• Meet with a career counselor to explore potential civilian career paths. 
• Take skills assessments to determine how your military experience translates to civilian jobs. 
• Identify transferable military skills and certifications that align with civilian employment.  
• Use online career transition tools:  
  • My Skills & Education Translator (MySET)—Helps identify which post-secondary institutions recognize your military training. 
  • Military Occupational Structure Identification Code (MOSID)/National Occupation Code (NOC) Equivalency Tool (MNET)—Translates military jobs into civilian job equivalents via the National Job Bank database. 

Education and training opportunities  

• Consider additional education or skills training to improve job prospects. 
• Explore funding options through: 
  • VAC education benefits 
  • CAF education programs, such as (contact the CAF VRPSM to see if you qualify): 
    • Skills Completion Program - Regular Force 
    • Education Reimbursement (Primary Reserve Program)
  • CAF LTD Vocational Rehabilitation Program funding can start up to six months before release. Contact CAF VRPSM for eligibility.  You must provide a copy of your approved CAF VRPSM to your CAF LTD VRP counsellor.
•  Visit the High School Education Initiative website if you want to complete your high school diploma. 

 Job placement assistance and resume building 

• Apply for job placement assistance through VAC Career Transition Services 
• Register as a veteran job seeker with the Government of Canada’s Job Bank 
• Use resume-building resources from:  
  • CAF LTD Vocational Rehabilitation Program, or 
  • VAC Career Transition Services.

Pension and financial benefits 

• Call the Government of Canada Pension Centre at 1-800-267-0325 (toll free) or at 1-855-255-9935 (TTY) to find out what your Canadian Forces Superannuation Act pension benefit will be. 
• Contact your CAF Nurse Case Manager to get the CAF LTD benefits application form.  

Priority hiring in the federal public service  

If you are medically released, you may be eligible for priority entitlement.  

What is priority entitlement?  

• If you meet the job requirements, you are placed on a priority list for jobs in the federal public service.  
• This is not a job guarantee, but it means you are considered before non-priority applicants. 

Two types of priority entitlement:  

1. Statutory priority

  For CAF members medically released due to service-related injury or illness (determined by VAC).  

• To confirm your statutory priority entitlement, apply via your My VAC Account or by downloading the VAC 1002e – Medical Release Attributable to Service Determination form prior to your planned date of release. This helps you seek priority hiring status for a job in the Federal Public Service.  
• You can initiate this process before you are released. Acting proactively means you can obtain your VAC determination in time for release. Note that the VAC service standard is 16 weeks from the date when you submit your application to the date you receive the decision about whether your medical release is the result of a service-related injury or disease. 

2. Regulatory priority

  For those medically released for other reasons (available to Regular Force, Reserve Class C, and Reserve Class B members with 180+ days of service). 

• If your medical release was not due to a service-related injury or illness, call the Director Casualty Support Management (DCSM) at 1-800-883-6094 to learn how to obtain regulatory priority. 
• You can start the administrative process of activating your priority entitlement as early as 30 days before your actual release date. However, you will not have priority until the day after your date of release from the CAF.  
• Learn more by calling the DCSM at 1-800-883-6094 or by emailing DND.Transition.MDN@forces.gc.ca.  

Ensure financial stability following your military service by understanding your pension, severance pay, medical benefits, and available financial support programs. Follow these steps to make sure your financial benefits are in place before your release. 

Understand your CAF Pension and LTD timelines

• Contact a SISIP Advisor prior to release to create a transition budget based on your expected CAF pension and LTD payment timelines.  
• Consider these service standards when planning your post-release finances:  
  • CAF Pension Payments: the Government of Canada Pension Centre will process your initial direct deposit within 45 calendar days after your release once they have all your documents.  
  • To learn more about your specific pension plan, visit:
    • Regular Force members who enrolled before 1 March 2007  
    • Regular Force members who enrolled on or after 1 March 2007  
    • Reservists in the Regular Force Pension Plan  
• CAF LTD Benefits: Your LTD benefits through Manulife will begin once the CAF sends your final release details. SISIP will relay this information to Manulife. Once received, Manulife will calculate your LTD entitlement retroactively to the day after your release.  

Apply for financial support programs  

• Contact SISIP Financial up to one year before your release to plan your financial transition. 
• CAF LTD VRP funding can start up to six months before release.  

Check your eligibility for additional financial benefits 

• Veterans Affairs Canada Benefits: VAC administers a wide array of benefits. You can apply for them before your release, but some benefits and services may only become available after release.  
• Disability tax credit: If you have a medical impairment, you or your supporting family members may qualify for the disability tax credit or other tax benefits.  

Ensure your benefits are in place before release

• Visit the Release Benefits Administration (RBA) webpage (accessible via the Defence Team Intranet) to understand CAF release benefits and their timelines.  
• Consult with the Military Career Transition site to explore programs and financial support services available for transitioning members.  
• Book a consultation with a Transition Advisor to obtain procedural guidance on applying for financial benefits and to ensure you have everything set up before your release. 

Ensuring continued access to health, dental, and life insurance benefits after release is critical. Follow these steps to secure healthcare coverage, life insurance, and post-release medical support for you and your family. 

Health and dental coverage post-release 

• If you are receiving a pension, annuity, or an annual allowance and have at least six years of pensionable service, you may be eligible for the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) and Pensioners’ Dental Services Plan (PDSP). 
• Apply for the PSHCP and PDSP as soon as you receive your release message and according to the province or territory where you will reside.  
• Submit your application within 60 days of release to ensure continuous coverage. If received within 60 days, coverage will be backdated to the day after your release. If received after 60 days, coverage starts the first day of the fourth month after receipt of the application for PSHCP; and the first day of the second month after receipt of the application for PDSP. 
• Setting up your new medical and dental coverage can take up to three months. Until your coverage is in place you must pay at the time you receive your service. Keep your receipts for medical and dental expenses during this period so that you can claim them once your coverage has started (coverage will be retroactive to your release date). 

Alternative Health Coverage for Veterans & Families (VAC Group Health Insurance) 

If you do not qualify for PSHCP after release, you may be eligible through VAC Group Health Insurance if you meet one of the following conditions:  

• You were approved for CAF LTD benefits on or after 1 April 2006 
• You were approved for VAC rehabilitation services due to a service-related illness or injury 
• You are a survivor of a CAF veteran who died on or after 1 April 2006, due to a service-related illness or injury.  

To apply for PSHCP online through VAC, you must have a My VAC account. For more details visit the PSHCP FAQ.

Life insurance post release 

Assess your life insurance needs before your release. Apply for:

• SISIP life insurance through Insurance for Released Members (IRM)—Provides term life insurance coverage. 
• Convert optional SISIP term insurance into IRM if already enrolled. 

Medical follow-up and transition to civilian health care  

Plan for continued medical care  

• Discuss medical concerns and follow-up care with your CFHS Nurse Case Manager and healthcare providers before release. 
• Request a copy of your medical file before your release to ensure a smooth transition to a civilian healthcare provider. 

Apply for a Provincial or Territorial Health Card 

• Work with your CFHS Nurse Case Manager to apply for a health card in your new province or territory to avoid a gap in healthcare coverage. 
• VAC can assist in transitioning to provincial/territorial health care.

Access Transition Centre (CAF TC)  

• CAF TC provides guidance and assistance for medical release transition. 
• Veteran Family Telemedicine Service (VFTS) connects medically released veterans and their families to Canadian-licensed doctors, nurse practitioners, and health care providers via secure online consultations. 
  • Veterans of the CAF, their families and surviving family members of deceased CAF members who released on or after April 1, 2025, are eligible for VFTS.
  • Eligible individuals have until March 31, 2027, to sign up for the telemedicine service.

VAC Health Benefits for Service-Related Injuries 

• If you are receiving CAF health benefits for a service-related condition, you may qualify for continued coverage under VAC after your release.

• Request a review of your CAF treatment benefits if you are within six months of your release date.

• This will determine which benefits VAC will cover post-release.

• You may also qualify for VAC disability benefits for service-related conditions.

Access to Mental Health Support  

• VAC Mental Health Benefits provides coverage for former CAF members as well as Reservists (Class A & B, less than 180 days) with mental health conditions. Coverage starts immediately when VAC receives a disability benefits application. 
  • Note: if you apply for disability benefits and do not have a decision before being released, eligibility for Mental Health Benefits will begin the day after you release.  
     

For more details visit:  

• Manage your CAF Healthcare Benefits (to review post-release health care coverage) 
• VAC Mental Health Benefits FAQ (for mental health treatment options)  

Transitioning out of the military involves planning to ensure that your family’s needs and  for your housing situation are well supported.  

Families are encouraged to access the services of the Family Transition Advisor (FTA) to support their needs while they navigate the transition process leading up to the date of release. The FTAs will provide the following using a family-centric approach: 

• Tailored navigational support; 
• Administration of the Family Resilience Screening Tool (FRST); 
• Assistance in creating a Family Transition Plan and supporting the outcomes of the plan; 
• Information and referrals to internal and partner organizations for services; and 
• Programming, such as local MFRCs, to foster community integration. 

Family liaison officers are available at each Transition Centre to support families of members supported by the Transition Centre and to provide support for families of the fallen.  

If families are relocating or spouses are looking for employment support, the Military Spousal Employment Network (MSEN) is available to help spouses connect with opportunities for their career journey.  

If you are currently living in a Canadian Forces Housing Agency Residential Housing Unit, and need to stay past your release date, request an  Occupancy Extension.  

You will be considered a priority 1 application if you are enrolled in an approved career transition or training program.

Extensions are granted based on availability of housing units.  

The Housing Services Centre manager has the discretion to approve or deny the request.  

Review the Occupant Portal for further guidance and information on priority entitlements.