Questions regarding getting posted

[NJL]

I'm starting my (reg force) supply tech QL3 course in april and it's done in july.. which is when I'll be posted for the first time... I'm hoping for NS (i went navy (halifax) but i know supply is purple so that means i could get sent anywheres, time will tell)

1. Are singles entitled to a HHT? How long/ details? I know married personnel are, but I've heard different things about single people who are on rations/quaters before getting posted... I hope I get a HHT, I want my own place off base.. do wanna get put in barracks.

Thanks.

 

[George Wallace]

It is very rare for a Single person fresh out of the School to get a HHT.  You will be posted and moved into Barracks on your first Posting.  Once there, you can apply through your Unit for permission to move out.

 

[smale436]

          I finished my AVS Tech QL3 a few weeks ago. Obviously we were unable while on course to take a week off for an HHT, however some people took advantage of an IRP benefit in which they were provided with a weekend trip (which could have an annual day thrown in) to their new posting. Hotels and meals were provided I believe. The people used this primarily to view their new PMQ that they had applied for. (Of course with CFHA being closed on the weekend they had made prior arrangements to have the keys picked up by someone else) In my case, as a single person, I got approved for a 2BR PMQ but am on a waiting list for a month. I didn't think I would get one being single, but CFHA informed me that there is now a "family of one" classification. They also informed me that if several of the 2BR were occupied by singles and some married couples applied for a 2BR, they will not make the singles vacate. The married people would have to wait for a PMQ to become vacant via people posting out or moving out to live on the economy.

            Just out of curiosity George, I have heard of people mention mandatory live-in barracks for 6 months to a year followed by submitting a memo requesting to vacate singles quarters. Is this something done in combat arms units only? I know we have been in shacks for two years as our training has taken that long. We had people upon completion of our QL3 course move into barracks, but the rest either got apartments, moved back in with the parents, or singles shared PMQ's and the squadrons to my knowledge never said anything about it, other than asking for your address for the purpose of getting a hold of you. There were no memos submitted either nor was anyone told they MUST move in. Perhaps it is different depending on your trade or unit???

 

[George Wallace]

I would hazard a guess that if you are in a position at your new Posting, and they are not asking for a memo or any form of permission to be asked in order to move out, that this is a very bad sign.  A sign that the Administration at that Unit is very lax and it can affect your career in the end.  It will show up with a lax attitude to maintain your Pers Files, your Pay Records, Leave, etc.  I would guess that there will be a lot of Administrative problems there, perhaps all swept under the rug for now, but that only compounds them while they reach a head.  Administration has to be done.  If it isn't, you'll land up getting the shaft in the end.

Every Base and major Unit will have slightly different policies.  Some are better than others.  Some are worse. 

 

[cp140tech]

I've yet to see any new techs required to request permission to live out of barracks when posted into squadron.  I'm not certain if the policy doesn't exist or it's not enforced, but I haven't seen it come up.  My experience is only between Greenwood and Comox, so take it for what it's worth.

 

[jonstarks]

I have another question in regards to getting posted.  I will be getting my first posting quite soon and I was under the impression that I would have a number of different options that were completely up to me and my family.  Whether we wanted to live in PMQ's or buy a house it was up to us.  Am I wrong on this?

 

[MJP]

I have another question in regards to getting posted.  I will be getting my first posting quite soon and I was under the impression that I would have a number of different options that were completely up to me and my family.  Whether we wanted to live in PMQ's or buy a house it was up to us.  Am I wrong on this?

It is completely up to you.  Make sure when you go see the Royal lepage people you ask all pertinent questions that pertain to you.  It is your move and you tell them what you want, they will within reason accomadate and guide you every step of the way.

They won't deal with you until you have a posting message so use this http://www.irp-pri.com/ to get all your info and go from there.

 

[George Wallace]

I have another question in regards to getting posted.  I will be getting my first posting quite soon and I was under the impression that I would have a number of different options that were completely up to me and my family.  Whether we wanted to live in PMQ's or buy a house it was up to us.  Am I wrong on this?

You may want to go read this topic: Entering the CF and YOUR Money....

 

[armyvern]

Quite the opposite situation here due to shortages of accomodations for all the students ...

After the single troops (not students on courses) who are posted here have been in SQs for a year ... they get told by the Base to start looking for Off-base accomodations.

 

[PMedMoe]

I would hazard a guess that if you are in a position at your new Posting, and they are not asking for a memo or any form of permission to be asked in order to move out, that this is a very bad sign.  A sign that the Administration at that Unit is very lax and it can affect your career in the end.  It will show up with a lax attitude to maintain your Pers Files, your Pay Records, Leave, etc. 

I have to agree and disagree with this statement.  At most units, a request to live out of barracks is usually only a formality and I agree that it should have to be done.  What I don't agree with is that it not being requested is indicative of lax Admin staff.  After all, they don't make the policies, that would be the CO or RSM.  

I have to add that if they request it for single pers, it makes it kind of discriminatory.  After all, a married person, moving his/her spouse and dependants, would not have to request this.  IMHO, the rule was useful when we had single 17 and 18 year olds joining.  In this day and age, it is  almost unnecessary.

Kind of reminds me when I got married.  I took a day's leave and went to the JP.  The following Monday, some of the people at work were saying that I was supposed to have informed the CO.  Just a formality, going back to the days when a soldier had to ask permission to marry.

I said, "Tell the CO?  I didn't even tell my mother!!"  ;D

 

[RCR Grunt]

OK, here's a question regarding the purchase of a replacement house upon posting...

As you know, IRPP pays certain fees for you when you purchase a home within 2 years of being posted to a location.  My wife is being posted to Petawawa after completion of her RMS Clerk QL3.  IRPP has told her she is not eligible for the payment of those fees because her HG&E is already in Pet.

When you go to the site,  www.irp-pri.com, chapter 12 of CF Integrated Relocation Program deals with the purchase of a replacement home, addendum 5 defines a service couple and lays out what they are entitled to, addendum 11 defines a posting allowance and who is and is not entitled to one.  Links to CF IRP and Addendum's.

After reading most of this (I say most because the stuff about Goose Bay does not apply to me, and some other stuff made my eyes go crossed) I see 2 things 2:

a)  My wife is not entitled to ANY posting allowance whatsoever because being posted back to Pet is a no cost move, according to addendum 11.  However, the good people at IRPP have given her a posting allowance. 

b)  There is nothing in chapter 12 about service couples being posted back together, or specifics on who and who isn't entitled with regards to service couples and location of HG&E.  The IRPP people in Borden have told her that she is not entitled because of her location of HG&E, so they know she already lives in Pet, and they realize she is a service couple.  She has asked her staff for clarification, and they have told her that sometimes IRPP tells people they are not entitled to these allowances in hope that they don't bother to look up the regs and just go away, saving IRPP some dough.  Is this occurring?  Seems shady and crooked, but considering how the other civvy agencies who "work for the CF" conduct business (VAC, SISIP, CFHA) not all that far fetched.

So, as I see it, she is either entitled to nothing, or everything.  As addendum 11 says she is doing a no cost move, except for mileage from Borden, but that's a travel claim, that is the nothing.  As their is nothing in chapter 12 regarding service couples, she should be entitled to everything anyone else would get when posted, that's the everything.  This is very important to us, as we planned to purchase a home this year, but may have to wait longer to save the extra cash for these expenses which should be covered by IRPP.

Any help with this from service couples who have been in the same boat would be greatly appreciated, or even people bored enough to go read those chapters and have a knack for translating legalese.  Thanks in advance.

 

[BinRat55]

Just to add to the pile here, a relative of mine was very recently posted.  Here was his scenario:

From basic to his 3's (School in Gagetown)  First posting was to a unit IN Gagetown.  He is single and his F&E location - St. John's NL.  IRPP determined that even though he received a posting message, it was a no cost move as the school and the unit he was posted to are on the same base.  Initially, zero was covered.  IRPP would not approve his move of F&E, no posting allowance, nothing. Several memos later, his F&E was shipped at TB cost and he was funded a trip home to facilitate the move, but no ILM&I (they paid for the flight, but his accommodations during the move as well as his meals were at his expense...) AND no posting allowance.  On another note, he was immediately placed on the PMQ list and received one in 3 days - no memo required for that one!!

As for a HHT while on you 3's - it won't happen (at CFSAL anyway) and the probability of taking an annual during a career course would be pretty much nil.  Think about it - 20 students fresh out of basic training just received their posting message and 20 memos submitted to the course WO for permission to fly somewhere for the weekend - an by the way, there will be a GA claim attached to each and every one of these memos... can you say "Logistical nightmare??"  I can speak to that first hand.  As for other trades, I would be very surprised to hear that it IS allowed...

 

[aesop081]

  As for other trades, I would be very surprised to hear that it IS allowed...

I was posted to base "A" and was on a career course at that base 3 days later. 2 months into the course, i received a posting message to base "B". I was allowed to take a week off to do my HHT.

 

[SweetNavyJustice]

Since NLJ is a young navy supply tech with hopes of hitting a coast I felt it was prudent to talk about the coasts. 

Due to shortages of accomodation in the shacks a reg force, trained individual would not be allowed (under most circumstances) to stay in them when posted to base.  You can either live in a PMQ, buy a house (have fun with that in Vic), or get an apt.

No permission needed to live off base, a great deal of writing to try and get yourself to live on base.  Almost seems counter intuitive, and is a far cry from the days where people were allowed to live aboard the ships.   

 

[smale436]

    Binrat, your friend's situation sounds similar to some of my coursemates situations as far as being posted to the same place as their trade training. One guy (while on PAT in Borden awaiting QL3) went home for the summer leave and bought a house. He then returned to Borden for a few months and was then on a prohibited posting to Shearwater to attend his QL3. (It was "prohibited" as we were still "controlled" by Borden.) In the end he was posted to Shearwater upon completion of trades training. He ended up receiving all of his legal/realty fees back plus received his posting allowance even though he had been living in said property during his entire trade course, thus he did not need to physically move anywhere. He was surprised that he got it. Another person who had been renting an apartment in the South Shore prior to joining (which his wife lived in while he was on IR) received all the allowances as well after finding out he had been posted to the location he was already at.
    It seems that perhaps it depends who you speak to at IRP. Some might be new and not be aware of some things. In my situation, I asked what I had to do to obtain the paperwork to ship my belongings via CMTT. The rep told me that because I had not used it when I was posted to NS from Borden, I could not use it to go to AB. The problem was when I came to NS I drove an SUV but got into an accident and had to get a new vehicle. Being that it was a small car I bought, I could not bring everything. So I went back and asked to speak with another rep and was told I was indeed entitled to CMTT and all I had to do was get the unit OR to prepare the proper form.

 

[NCRCrow]

If you are posted to HMCS_______. and regular force you cannot get barracks or live onboard.

 

[BinRat55]

I was posted to base "A" and was on a career course at that base 3 days later. 2 months into the course, i received a posting message to base "B". I was allowed to take a week off to do my HHT.

Color me surprised.  BUT... it wasn't your 3's, correct?

 

[aesop081]

Color me surprised.  BUT... it wasn't your 3's, correct?

Operational Training Unit ( so it was a career course alright)

 

[BinRat55]

         It seems that perhaps it depends who you speak to at IRP. Some might be new and not be aware of some things. In my situation, I asked what I had to do to obtain the paperwork to ship my belongings via CMTT. The rep told me that because I had not used it when I was posted to NS from Borden, I could not use it to go to AB. The problem was when I came to NS I drove an SUV but got into an accident and had to get a new vehicle. Being that it was a small car I bought, I could not bring everything. So I went back and asked to speak with another rep and was told I was indeed entitled to CMTT and all I had to do was get the unit OR to prepare the proper form.

IMHO, Royal LePage's bottom line is not to "hinder" the soldier, but they won't help you either... they are out to save the TB as much money as they can WITHOUT breaking any rules - bend them, but not break them.  Each time i've dealt with them I called foul at least once (not just on my own behalf, but for my troops as well) and had a decision reversed or "amended".  I'm not looking forward to next year...

 

[BinRat55]

Operational Training Unit ( so it was a career course alright)

No argument here - point being even though these days almost half 3's courses are remusters with time in, the other half aren't.  Too much CF administration for them to screw up!! (NOT THE REMUSTERS - THE NEWBIES...)