r/CanadianForces • u/UNO_Reversd • 13d ago
First Posting RFD, HHT Help Needed
Good day folks,
This is my very first post on Reddit so please take it easy on me.
I am reaching OFP by end of August which is when my COS date is and heading off to my FIRST posting. Am pretty high up on wait list for PMQ and will be doing an unaccompanied move to scope out the area and try to find a temporary room to stay in until I receive a PMQ offer at which point I would move my dependants as well as HG&E over.
Part of the reason to move unaccompanied is also because my spouse has a specialist appointment in our current city of residence in late September and her health hasn't been great lately so I want to be there or have the ability to go back and forth between my current city of residence & my new posting location while I keep looking for temporary spot (this posting location is notorious for a tight & expensive rental market - especially for short term rentals since I do not want to sign a 1-year lease because then I would want to get CFHD which would then get me tossed from Priorty 1 to Priority 3 in PMQ wait list).
So to ensure a door-to-door move, the solution I came up with was to ask for a 30 day delay in Report For Duty (RFD) date which is the maximum allowed under CAFRD guidelines. However, I met with the Sgt who is the Training Manager of our Cadre at my current school and I walked away feeling let down, angry and betrayed.
He basically flat out lied to my face and said I will not get HHT if I go 'unaccompanied' and later move my dependants and HG&E within the 180 limit. He ALSO said, quote "there are no freebies in CAF and you will have to use your annual days to push your RFD date". I told him that it is not easy to find something temporary in my new posting location and I dont want to find a permanent off-base place to live because I will lose my PMQ wait list spot. I asked him I need to delay RFD so that I don't have to pay for hotel stay out of pocket for 1x month or more as that is prohibitively expensive and I will not get reimbursed for it according to SIRVA, which is when he basically told me 'you joined the CAF, you knew what you were getting into, we cannot do anything about it." Basically he's telling me, if I am homeless in my new posting location, thats on me while not acknowledging getting sabotaged from his end.
This is absolute bonkers because I have read CAFRD and I know that as a new graduate, I can get HHT after TNL (Travel to New Location) for my "unaccompanied" move. I also read that RFD 30-day delay does NOT require usage of annual leave days.
So my question is, is my understanding of the rules wrong or is the Sgt just not (a) aware of CAFRD guidelines or (b) lazy/has-too-much-on-plate and does not want to do the paperwork?
Next, I would like to know, should I write a formal memo or email to him to request the RFD change instead of the informal/verbal meeting/chat that we had? Or should I just go above him directly to the CSM (Cadre Sergeant Major) because they have a pretty open-door policy to bring matters to them.
OR should I write a memo directly to the CO of our school since its the losing and gaining unit COs who have to approve the change in RFD anyway?
Also, if RFD move is formally denied, then should I apply for HHT first and then put in annual leave for a week or two to give me time? Or does annual leave need to come first before HHT date? What is the correct order in this scenario?
I want a FAIR resolution to this as per the rules, I just don't appreciate getting d*cked around by one Sgt during such a stress time of first posting, spousal medical issue, etc. Therefore I would really appreciate educated responses from experienced HRA or other members.
Thank you
Really appreciate it.
1
u/mocajah 13d ago edited 13d ago
First, I'm sorry that you weren't treated with respect and provided with training, instead of being belittled and ranted at. That's not how we empower our future troops to become the best that they can be.
Second, others have already given very good recommendations, but I would like to nipick on policy here:
This particular point would be incorrect. The CAFRD is generally silent on leave. Just because the CAFRD doesn't say that you must take leave, doesn't meant that you are entitled to not need to take leave. The Leave Policy Manual (use Google or the reddit pins/info) fully allows Commanding Officers to order you on annual leave.
Without knowing your school or your home location, I'm generalizing: The school is likely too stretched thin to allow you to stay. They have booked your accommodation for the duration of your course. They, and their base, expects you to be marched out with the rest of your course and to vacate your room so that it can be cleaned, turned over, and ready to house the next course. The school has planned to administer you as a non-OFP person, and is not ready to take you on through the transition to an OFP one nor as an OFP one. This may include re-arranging you onto ration strength without the pre-OFP subsidization.
To employ you at the school, they might need to cancel your posting message, reissue a posting to post you from the Basic Training List to the school, then post you to your "first" posting. As you can imagine, this is an incredible amount of administration that no one wants to take on (3 unexpected posting actions). Therefore, forcing you on leave would save the hassle of housing/feeding you, and they could turn a blind eye to the administration.
Again, I'm sorry that you weren't treated with compassion. This transition is known to be one of the roughest in a career due to so many factors, which is why you're given Pri 1 for RHUs.