r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

Verified / Vérifié The FAQ thread: Answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ) / Le fil des FAQ : Réponses aux questions fréquemment posées (FAQ) - Aug 31, 2026

2 Upvotes

Welcome to r/CanadaPublicServants, an unofficial subreddit for current and former employees to discuss topics related to employment in the Federal Public Service of Canada. Thanks for being part of our community!

Many questions about employment in the public service are answered in the subreddit Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) documents (linked below). The mod team recognizes that navigating these topics can be complicated and that the answers written in the FAQs may be incomplete, so this thread exists as a place to ask those questions and seek alternate answers. Separate posts seeking information covered by the FAQs will be continue to be removed under Rule 5.

To keep the discussion fresh, this post is automatically posted once a week on Mondays. Comments are sorted by "contest mode" which hides upvotes and randomizes the order to ensure all top-level questions get equal visibility.

Links to the FAQs:

Other sources of information:

  • If your question is union-related (interpretation of your collective agreement, grievances, workplace disputes etc), you should contact your union steward or the president of your union's local. To find out who that is, you can ask your coworkers or find a union notice board in your workplace. You can also find information on union stewards via union websites. Three of the larger ones are PSAC (PM, AS, CR, IS, and EG classifications, among others), PIPSC (IT, RP, PC, BI, CO, PG, SG-SRE, among others), and CAPE (EC and TR classifications).

  • If your question relates to taxes, you should contact an accountant.

  • If your question relates to a specific hiring process, you should contact the person listed on the job ad (the hiring manager or HR contact).


Bienvenue sur r/CanadaPublicServants! Un subreddit permettant aux fonctionnaires actuels et anciens de discuter de sujets liés à l'emploi dans la fonction publique fédérale du Canada.

De nombreuses questions relatives à l'emploi ont leur réponse dans les Foires aux questions (FAQs) du subreddit (liens ci-dessous). L'équipe de modérateurs reconnaît que la navigation sur ces sujets peut être compliquée et que les réponses écrites dans les FAQ peuvent être incomplètes. C'est pourquoi ce fil de discussion existe comme un endroit où poser ces questions et obtenir d'autres réponses. Les soumissions ailleurs cherchant des informations couvertes par la FAQ continueront à être supprimés en vertu de la Règle 5.

Pour que la discussion reste fraîche, cette soumission est automatiquement renouvelée une fois par semaine, chaque lundi. Les commentaires sont triés par "mode concours", ce qui masque les votes positifs et rend aléatoire l'ordre des commentaires afin de garantir que toutes les nouvelles questions bénéficient de la même visibilité.

Liens vers les FAQs:

** FAQ sur la gestion du handicap et les aménagements du lieu de travail (en anglais seulement)

Autres sources d'information:

  • Si votre question est en lien avec les syndicats (interprétation de votre convention collective, griefs, conflits sur le lieu de travail, etc.), vous devez contacter votre délégué syndical ou le président de votre section locale. Pour savoir de qui il s'agit, vous pouvez demander à vos collègues ou trouver un panneau d'affichage syndical sur votre lieu de travail. Vous pouvez également trouver des informations sur les délégués syndicaux sur les sites Web des syndicats. Trois des plus importants sont AFPC (classifications PM, AS, CR, IS et EG, entre autres), IPFPC (IT, RP, PC, BI, CO, PG, SG-SRE, entre autres) et ACEP (classifications EC et TR).

  • Si votre question concerne les impôts, vous devez contacter un comptable.

  • Si votre question concerne un processus de recrutement spécifique, vous devez contacter la personne mentionnée dans l'offre d'emploi (le responsable du recrutement ou le contact RH).


r/CanadaPublicServants Dec 10 '25

Work Force Adjustment (WFA) / réaménagement de l'effectif (RE) So you've been WFA'd...

429 Upvotes

As departments begin to implement Workforce Adjustment measures stemming from the cuts made as part of the Budget 2025 Comprehensive Expenditure Review, many indeterminate public servants have received or will be receiving a letter informing them their positions are affected or surplus.

This post consolidates resources on the subject of WFA, starting with two very important reminders:

  1. Not everyone who receives a letter will ultimately see their position eliminated (an 'affected' letter does not mean a position is surplus - it means it may become surplus);

  2. Not everyone whose position is eliminated (surplus) will be forced out of the public service - many will be able to find a new position via a deployment, the priority system, or alternation.

If you receive a letter: take a moment and breathe. WFA is a complex and lengthy process, and you won't do yourself any good if you panic. Take a look at this list of ideas and follow at least a few. It'll put you in a better headspace to understand what's going on and make better decisions.

The information below is generally applicable for employees of the "core public administration" (government departments and agencies named in Schedules I and IV of the Financial Administration Act). Different provisions may apply if you work in separate agencies (typically listed in Schedule V of the FAA) or other public sector employers.

Whether or not you've received a letter you can bone up on the basics, starting with the employer's plain language explainer: https://www.canada.ca/en/government/publicservice/workforce/workforce-adjustment.html

If you're represented by PSAC or PIPSC, they have negotiated WFA provisions into an appendix to collective agreements. You can learn more about their WFA supports and processes in the WFA appendix to your collective agreement, and at the following links:

PSAC: https://psacunion.ca/workforce-adjustment

PIPSC: https://pipsc.ca/news-issues/understanding-work-force-adjustment

If you are represented by any other union, the NJC Work Force Adjustment Directive applies to your position: https://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/d12/en

For executives, the term "Career Transition" is used instead of Work Force Adjustment, and it has the same meaning. Executive job cuts don't follow any of the WFA provisions above - they follow an employer directive. More information on executive career transition can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/government/publicservice/workforce/career-transition-executives.html

If you're unionized and follow the NJC directive, your union may have put together a resource page for you as well. For example:

ACFO-ACAF: https://www.acfo-acaf.com/workforce-adjustment/

PAFSO: https://pafso.com/faq/update-the-cer-and-potential-work-force-adjustments/

Tracking WFA across departments

An anonymous Redditor is curating a spreadsheet of publicly-available information on WFA across organizations. Discussion of this spreadsheet is occurring in this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadaPublicServants/comments/1pgzvmw/wfa_tracker_consolidating_public_information/

A new page has also been added to canada.ca listing workforce reductions in the federal public service.

What the heck is Alternation?

Tied up in talk of WFA is the idea of alternation. Alternation is a job swap between somebody whose position is not affected by WFA and who wants to leave the public service (the alternate) with somebody whose position is surplus but wants to remain employed (the surplus employee). The positions need to be equivalent and the alternation needs to be approved by management - the surplus employee must be capable of performing the alternate's former job.

There are multiple places where you can indicate interest in alternation either as an alternate or as a surplus employee. Some unions are running their own alternation networks, including PSAC and ACFO-ACAF and likely others. Members of those unions should contact their union or check out their WFA pages.

Some departments are also offering alternation networks. We'll add links to those as they are shared with us.

Lastly, informal alternation networks are springing up on places like Facebook. We'll link to those as well but as with all unofficial resources, do your due diligence.

Links to alternation networks:

What will happen next, and when?

Here's a rough timeline - see the WFA provisions applicable to your position for specifics. The timing between some steps is variable so what might happen in your department may differ from other departments. The opting letter stage (when an employee is told that their position is surplus) is step 6 below:

  1. Management says "WFA is happening" through some sort of official all-staff email or announcement.
  2. Employees whose positions might become surplus are given an "affected" letter. If management decides it needs to reduce the number of Teapot Assemblers from 120 down to 105 (eliminating 15 positions), then every employee doing that job is "affected" even though most of them will keep their jobs.
  3. The affected letters will tell employees that they can choose to voluntarily depart with one of the WFA options as part of a Voluntary Departure Program (VDP).
  4. Those employees must be given at least one month (30 days) to decide to volunteer.
  5. If there are not enough volunteers to cover the reduction in positions, management needs to run a selection process to decide who to retain and who will be surplus (known as a "SERLO" process). This may take a couple of months. The SERLO process has its own lengthy guide which you'll find here: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-service-commission/services/public-service-hiring-guides/selection-employees-retention-layoff-guide-managers-hr.html
  6. Unsuccessful employees in the SERLO process (or those who tell their manager that they want to volunteer to leave even though the VDP deadline may have passed) are formally told their position is surplus and are given an opting letter. Alternatively, if every position is surplus, the above steps may be skipped and all employees in the work unit receive an opting letter. At this point it could be almost a year since the initial announcement that WFA might occur.
  7. Opting employees have four months (120 days) to decide which option to choose. They are eligible for alternation during the opting period and during the surplus period (if they choose option A). The other options are a cash payment of a number of weeks' salary called a Transition Support Measure (TSM) and resigning (Option B) or receiving the TSM and an education reimbursement (Options C(i) and C(ii)).
  8. Employees who wish to remain public servants will likely choose Option A (surplus priority). At CRA this is known as a "surplus preferred status". Depending on the applicable WFA provisions and tenure of the employee, this period is between 12 and 16 months at full pay. 12 months is the most common.
  9. Employees who are unable to secure a new position are laid off at the end of the surplus period. This will occur roughly two years after the initial announcement that WFA may occur.

Some employees will go straight to opting and skip the steps before that; this will occur if management decides to eliminate every position doing a job function (it's getting out of the Teapot Assembly business altogether, and no longer needs any Teapot Assemblers). The above process is only applicable to indeterminate employees; WFA has no application to term/temporary employees, whose temporary employment can end at any time on a month's notice.

I'm on leave without pay (LWOP) - what changes for me?

Employees on LWOP may still be notified that their positions are affected, and may be invited to participate in a SERLO process. The formal designation of a position as surplus is unlikely to occur until after the leave ends and you return to work. The reason for this is twofold: the opting period (and surplus period if you choose Option A) is meant to be paid time. In addition, the employer does not want to pay out the WFA options if they can be avoided. Sometimes employees on LWOP never return (they quit voluntarily, die, become disabled, etc), allowing the employer to make the now-vacant position surplus without any financial cost. See the PSC's guide to the SERLO process for details on how LWOP impacts a SERLO.

PSAC has also published a FAQ on how different leave types can interact with the WFA process.

How does severance pay work?

Severance pay is often confused with the TSM payment, but they are separate. Any employee who is laid off (or deemed to be laid off) (if via the WFA process will receive severance pay. They will also receive the TSM payment if they choose Options B, C(i), or C(ii). Severance pay is payable to all of the following:

  • Surplus employees (Option A) who do not find a new position before the end of their surplus priority period;
  • Employees who resign with a TSM payment (Option B); and
  • Employees who resign with a TSM payment and education allowance (Option C(i)); and
  • Employees who receive the TSM and education allowance and take LWOP for education, at the end of their LWOP period (Option C(ii)).

The details of how many weeks of severance are payable can be found in your collective agreement.

Note that severance pay was eliminated for voluntary departures from collective agreements between 2011 and 2013. If you chose to "cash out" some or all of the weeks of severance pay at that time, those weeks will be deducted from the calculation of severance payable upon layoff.

Have corrections, updates, or additions to anything above? Comment below and the post will be updated.


r/CanadaPublicServants 5h ago

Management / Gestion Seeking advice on new acting director is making me question everything

30 Upvotes

Hi all,

I have a new acting director and she’s driving me insane! I’m seeking advice on how to deal.

Some background: I’m a mid-level policy analyst and consider myself a high performer. I have consistently received Succeeded+ on my performance reviews, generally get things done efficiently, take initiative, and have been on the same team for many years with colleagues that I love and support. My current manager was is leaving. In total we have lost 6 people to WFA or ERI. We are, of course, expected to deliver at the same capacity.

Things I am contending with/experiencing:

- This acting director is not my direct manager, but she has been giving me a ton of taskings directly, and skips my manager.

- In addition to my manager, and my director, I'm also getting taskings from another manager from a different team we work closely with (we will call him Jeff). Last week, Jeff gave me an “urgent” tasking and I said I need a few days because my plate is full (it really is, we are all balancing heavy workloads and less resources). Jeff then told my director and she had a 'check in' with me about my taskings. She could be genuinely checking in, or she could be monitoring me. I’m not sure. “

- I was OOO for 3 hours for a dentist appt. and went through the normal channels to notify everyone — i.e. my manager/team. She told me she was “sick of moving things around in my absence” and asked me to send her my hours and leave. The things she was "sick of moving things around" were not my taskings. And it's never happened before? Not sure what she's sick of. Also wild to say, in my opinion.

- I worked a pretty intense week completing multiple urgent taskings for her and worked overtime for 3 days. She was actually on a call with me and our DG during some of this, and the DG said I should take whatever overtime I needed. I submitted the overtime afterward, and my director started questioning me about it.

- On the same week that I was working a ton of hours, she messaged me saying, “I needed things from you this afternoon.” This confused me because I was available and didn't have any outstanding calls/emails from her. I had taken my lunch break and was gone for an hour.

- She schedules meetings for 6am my time, but then makes me reschedule meetings that are during lunch at the NCR. I know this is annoying for my NCR colleagues, but sometimes it's the only time that works with our clients.

- She sometimes skips my manager and assigns things directly to me, but other times tells other managers to assign me work. The chain of command feels inconsistent and confusing, and I’m not sure who is actually setting my priorities. Plus no one has visibility into my workload.

- As noted, my manager is WFA'd soon and is pretty checked out at this point (which I completely understand), so I don't feel like I have much support from her in navigating this. She also told me to "watch my back" with this director, half as a joke but also?? Should I be?

The confusing part is that my director seems genuinely happy with my work. At the same time, she keeps questioning me on everything, which is making me wonder whether I'm being monitored for some reason. I feel like I'm going crazy.

Is this actually normal and I'm just being paranoid/overthinking? I'm sure a lot of people are feeling this way in the public service right now, but I am feeling undervalued and overworked. Any advice welcome on how to navigate this :)

TLDR: New acting director isn’t my direct manager, but she frequently assigns me work directly, sometimes skips my manager, and seems to be paying close attention to my hours, leave, workload and availability. Seeking advice. No


r/CanadaPublicServants 13h ago

Career Development / Développement de carrière For those who left the public service: have you ever regretted it?

68 Upvotes

I’m currently seriously considering leaving the public service, and I’d really like to hear from people who have actually made the move.

I currently have two job offers: one with a private firm and one in-house/corporate. Both seem like interesting opportunities, but I’m having a hard time deciding whether leaving is the right move.

I’m currently doing a Master’s in Taxation, and lately I’ve been feeling increasingly unsatisfied with my current environment. What bothers me the most is the lack of professional development, training, career advancement opportunities, and overall growth. I feel like I’m not being challenged or developing as much as I’d like to.

Unfortunately, I can’t take an unpaid leave to try the private sector first because of conflict-of-interest considerations, so if I leave, it would be a fairly definitive decision.

At the same time, the public service offers stability and good working conditions, so I’m worried about leaving and eventually realizing that I had a pretty good thing going.
For those of you who left the public service for the private sector:

Did you ever regret your decision?
And for those who never looked back, what made you realize you had made the right choice?

I’d especially love to hear from people who have been out for 1–2+ years. Did you actually find better opportunities for growth, training, advancement, and professional development, or was it mostly just… different?

Would love to hear both the good and the bad.


r/CanadaPublicServants 13h ago

Relocation / Réinstallation Manager approves temporary relocation, but only if I submit a resignation effective in one year

47 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

*Let me preface this by saying i am aware that i am extremely lucky to not have been part of WFA, and that my manager is so supportive and entertaining this idea.*

I live in the NCR, but all of my family is in my home province. Living here without any support network has been very difficult recently, and it has been having a significant impact on my mental health.

I spoke with my manager about relocating back to my home province. There is a government office there that I could report to in order to satisfy the RTO requirements, so I wouldn’t be asking to work remotely full-time from home.

My manager has been supportive and has agreed to a temporary relocation for one year so that I can move home and hopefully find a position based in my province during that time. However, there is one condition: I would need to provide a written resignation now, effective for the end of that one-year period. Essentially, if I am unable to secure a position in my home province within that year, my resignation would take effect and I would leave the public service.

On one hand, I appreciate that my manager is trying to help me. On the other hand, signing a resignation a year in advance feels like a major commitment and removes a lot of security. I’m wondering:

- Is this a common arrangement?

- Has anyone heard of managers requiring a future-dated resignation in exchange for a temporary relocation?

- Would it be reasonable to try negotiating something like LWOP at the end of the year instead of a resignation if I haven’t found a position?

- Are there other options I should be considering before agreeing to this?

I know ultimately I’ll need to make my own decision, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has dealt with similar situations or has knowledge of staffing/HR policies.

Thanks in advance.


r/CanadaPublicServants 5h ago

Leave / Absences Disability 2 year mark - letter

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I am approaching the 2 year on disability, the employer has sent me the letter with the choices. I am hoping to return to work but I still have ongoing treatment and require additional time 5-6 months. How do I respond to the options? Union is of no help what so ever!

Do I chose the return to work and provide my treating physicians letter along with it of expected return to work date with accommodation to be assessed at a later date?


r/CanadaPublicServants 2h ago

Management / Gestion Looking for guidance on addressing low‑grade conflict with a colleague

1 Upvotes

I’m dealing with a colleague whose behaviour has become increasingly annoying and unprofessional. It’s not overt misconduct, but it’s a pattern of subtle remarks that attempts to establish a power dynamic and testing their ability to violate boundaries that’s hard to address directly.

The behaviour isn’t dramatic, and it hasn’t suddenly escalated. It’s more that, over time, it has become very clear the behaviour is intentional, it won’t stop, it has a self-serving purpose, and it’s a pattern. The behaviour clearly amounts to attempting to manage their own insecurities by keeping others slightly below them and manipulating information across people. They essentially attempt to destabilise other people in order to stabilise themselves.

It amounts to a mix of manipulation, boundary violations, and opportunistic behaviour that creates an uncomfortable working relationship. And I’m trying to figure out the best way to address this in a professional manner.

For those of you who have experienced these types of personalities. Those that operate in a gray zone where they could claim some form of plausible deniability or frame their comments as jokes, how did you handle the situation?

Also, curious about what managers think of these situations. As a manager, would you want your employee to inform you about this type of problematic behaviour?


r/CanadaPublicServants 2h ago

Management / Gestion Help! My boss keeps looking at my body.

2 Upvotes

I‘m a woman. My boss keeps looking at my body. In meetings where we are face to face, I will often see my boss’ eyes wander to my chest or stomach area. My boss is a woman too. I am so uncomfortable by how she looks at me and I’m wondering if I should say something.

I am plus sized and she is not, so I’m pretty sure she is judging me, but that’s all on her. I’m not someone who dresses inappropriately at work and I’m also not ashamed of my body at all. I am usually in business attire (e.g shift dress and a blazer). There are just some things about my body that I cannot and do not want to hide, nor should I have to.

This isn‘t a cultural thing either where she can’t look me in the eyes. I do think it’s probably generational as I’ve worked with many older women who have so much shame around food and announce it in the workplace (ohh I can’t dare have this cupcake!) to know that’s a thing some women deal with at work. My boss is Gen X.

Should I say something? Should I leave it alone? It has happened enough times for me to notice this is a trend, and I think it’s totally inappropriate and would like it to stop.

The joys of being back in the office (not).


r/CanadaPublicServants 10h ago

Benefits / Bénéfices Retirement planning advisor - Ottawa

4 Upvotes

Looking for any insights into financial planners in Ottawa who are super familiar with the federal government pension plan, and can run some numbers and provide advice to help me make an informed decision related to whether I take the early retirement incentive (ERI) or not.

The pre-retirement courses I attended many years ago brought in people super well versed in this area and they would look at your pension numbers and tell you the exact difference in your net pay once retired vs. to continue working. Anyone able to recommend a company or individual for this?


r/CanadaPublicServants 9h ago

Other / Autre Infinity network in Alberta/Prairies?

2 Upvotes

Wondering if there’s a community of people in Alberta who are part of the infinity network? I’d love to have coffees or just a space at work with some neurodivergent folk where masking isn’t necessary or just a space to meet more people like me to help work feel a little less isolating lol.

I’d love to start a “safe place” for people like me at work but I don’t know how to do that and avoid the stigma that follows invisible disabilities….. not even sure people would want to disclose it. But it seems like the infinity network in the NCR is very active and sometimes I think it’d be nice to make connections with people locally yknow have some allies I suppose lol


r/CanadaPublicServants 6h ago

Relocation / Réinstallation Moving provinces while having an Accommodation

0 Upvotes

Question for the group. Both my partner and I work for the government and are looking to move out of the NCR. My partner has a work accommodation to be permanently remote. If we decide to move, what would that look like for them? Would they need to disclose that with there team? Also, if they change teams, would the accommodation still be in place with the new team?


r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

News / Nouvelles Is it time for public servants to stop complaining about RTO?

Thumbnail
ottawacitizen.com
296 Upvotes

Answer: no.


r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

Management / Gestion Post-WFA/CER reduced team same workload PMA language

58 Upvotes

Under new leadership due to WFAs and alternation, our new PMA objectives and indicators in a heavily reduced team took me by surprise.

Simply put, it basically says that everyone is to stringently continue to meet the exact same if not more deliverables and timelines as previously, when we had a team twice the size.

I find this deeply concerning. Previously have been told “just use AI” as the solution to these concerns. Which is imho just poor planning, poor advice, poor stewardship, poor leadership to list a few things. But I guess I gave them the benefit of the doubt that it would come out in the wash that the same output for our team is simply unattainable.

But to now see it in our PMA and know that we will be ranked on such a completely impossible objective is making me feel a bit sick to my stomach.

Any thoughts or advice welcome. I’ve never had such a situation before with the objectives themselves


r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

Pay issue / Problème de paie 10 year old Phoenix overpayment and underpayment, clawback with no notice

54 Upvotes

Looking for advice. I left the public service over 10 years ago with a small overpayment. They couldn't figure out the repayment amounts and kept changing the info and amounts. In 2022, they agreed in writing not to pursue further after I said this was beyond the statute of limitations.

I have since received a T4 from the GOC for 2025 saying I was paid $50,000 by them last year. I was not paid a dime of this. When I called the GOC pay centre, they said this was from unpaid acting pay during my former employment that was uncovered and issued in 2025. The pay centre said I didn't receive any of this money, as it went directly to paying back the "several large sums" owed in overpayment. I have never received notice of these several large overpayment debts. The person explicitly stated that some of these wouldn't have the statute of limitations apply. They would say nothing else other than the overpayment(s) being so large that the $50k clawed back didn't max it out.

How do I find out what is going on when the pay centre won't tell me. I'm nervous to do a PAR in case this risks falling under an acknowledgment of the debt. Should I ATIP my info? Any suggestions on what wording to use to atip a pay file? Am I in lawyer territory? I seriously doubt I was underpaid $50k when I was a junior making very little money. And I seriously doubt I was simultaneously overpaid by more than $50k.

My head is spinning and I don't know what to do.


r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

Management / Gestion Manager expecting me to do 2 FTE jobs

52 Upvotes

I will be taking on a higher role on the same team and there is no one to back fill me for the several months I will be in this position. I was told by my manager (the manager of the team) that there are no additional resources, people will be expected to work over time and that everyone needs to do more work. I have vocally pushed back because both jobs are quite demanding and different roles where I can easily fill 37.5h a week with each position. I think the manager is just expecting me to do both jobs by submitting over time and getting all the work done. I will not be able to do both - I can only do one or the either.

Once this begins I will bring it to the attention of the union, but is there anything else I can do in the mean time? I have about a month before my acting opportunity starts and I move into a new role. Can I limit the amount of over time I need to do? If both jobs are a full time work load and they are expecting both to be done with over time being paid out do I have to work a full 75.5h every week? I do not see this as a viable solution to anything but the manager does not want to hear about the fact we need to hire more people on our team or push back on the amount of work we get from upper management.


r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

Other / Autre Deportment Transfer Out Process

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I will be transferring to another core department in two weeks. This is my first time doing a transfer within the government so I am not really sure what the process is.

Do I need to send any official email or request to HR before I leave? Also, is there anything I should make sure gets transferred properly (HR/pay, leave, pension, etc.) so I don’t run into any issues later?

Would really appreciate any tips or advice from anyone who has gone through this before.
Thanks!


r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

Benefits / Bénéfices Canada Life - Cataract surgery claim issues

7 Upvotes

I have submitted a claim for diagnostic fees and fitting of a catact lens of $775 to Canada Life. They have asked for a breakdown of the diagnostic fee but the clinic said that they cannot provide it as these tests are billed as a group of tests.

I provided as much information as I could from the selection pamphlet and a summary of treatment, as well as the clinic email response to my request but Canada Life has declined payment.

Does anyone have relevant experience and advice as to how to proceed?

Thanks all.


r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

Leave / Absences LWOP Spousal Relocation, Maternity Leave, Vacation/Family/Personal day Credits

9 Upvotes

Indeterminate AS-5 - substantive position is in the NCR.

My husband is moving to BC for a new job and I was recently denied the opportunity to work from an office in my new city (despite confirmation that there IS space at said office), as well as a remote work agreement. However, I will be going on secondment until the end of this FY (Mar 31, 2027) with a dept that WILL allow me to work remotely.

  1. If my secondment ends on March 31, 2027 and I go on temporary LWOP for spousal relocation leave from April 1 - July 1, then switch that leave to maternity leave on July 2 (dates are arbitrary; just an example and yes I would have qualified for EI with 500 hours within 52 weeks of work within these dates), what would the implications be for top up repayment be if I am returning to LWOP spousal relocation after my mat leave and would possibly not have a job to return to?

  2. If my secondment ends on March 31, 2027, would I get the 1 week family leave, 2 weeks vacation, and 2 personal days to use before I go on LWOP for spousal to maximize my time on LWOP?


r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

Benefits / Bénéfices PSHCP Coverage for Corneal Crosslinking (CXL) treatment of Keratoconus

9 Upvotes

This is a procedure to prevent the progression of a degenerative eye disease which, if left untreated, can result in loss of vision/blindness and cornea transplant as the only means of restoring vision. It's performed by a specialist doctor and was directly prescribed for me by one through the Eye Institute of the Ottawa Hospital.

This is NOT a procedure which improves or corrects vision (ie not PRK/LASEK/LASIK), I would still need to wear glasses afterwards at the same prescription I have now. All it does is stop my vision from continuing to get worse.

Ontario is one of only provinces which do not cover this procedure as part of the public healthcare system, it only covers the cornea transplant surgery as a treatment for the resulting blindness. If I moved 20 minutes across the river to Gatineau it would be covered, which makes this so frustrating.

This procedure typically costs between 2-3k per eye, so about 5k total and that must be paid out-of-pocket or by private insurance.

My spouse's healthcare plan does not cover any vision care outside of routine exams and glasses prescriptions, so PSHCP is my only hope for being able to afford to save my vision and prevent potential blindness. I've been reviewing the PSHCP coverage in detail and I'm very concerned it may not qualify based on the language I'm seeing.

The Canada Life members booklet has allotted $2000 per lifetime for eligible eye surgeries. As per the National Joint Council directive on the PSHCP for what procedures qualify:

6.3.1 Eligible expenses are the reasonable and customary charges for the following items:
[....]

(C) Elective laser eye surgery to correct vision, limited to the maximum eligible expense specified in the Summary of Maximum Eligible Expenses per covered person under the Plan, and not per eye or per procedure. The surgery must be performed by an ophthalmologist.

[....]

Exclusions:

6.3.2 No benefit is payable for:

  1. Eye-related procedures which use lasers but where the laser does not reshape the cornea with the goal of correcting common vision problems;

I'm worried that because CXL isn't a corrective surgery (ie my vision will not improve and I still will need glasses) and there is no reshaping of the cornea involved (all it does is strengthen weakened tissue which would otherwise continue to worsen) that it does not meet these criteria for eligibility.

So I wanted to know whether other members of the Canada Life plan in Ontario have had this procedure covered. I really hope so because despite not even covering half of the total costs, it would be the only way I could afford the procedure.


r/CanadaPublicServants 2d ago

Other / Autre Temporary WFH while a terminally ill parent is approaching end of life

128 Upvotes

Looking for some advice from anyone in the federal public service who has dealt with something similar.

My dad has metastatic cancer, and we only found out this past week that it is terminal. He is no longer continuing treatment and we’ve been told it’s unlikely he’ll make it to the new year, possibly much sooner.

I’ve been allowed to WFH up until now so I could more easily take him to appointments/emergency clinic visits and occasionally help my mum during breaks or lunch. I was supposed to return to the office this Wednesday.

I’m very grateful for the flexibility I’ve already been given and definitely don’t take it for granted. I’m just wondering if there is any possibility of extending WFH temporarily given the change in circumstances.

My dad lives with me and my mum. My mum is with him and handles his day-to-day care, but he is very heavy and physically difficult to move. She needs my help to move him and get him back up when he uses the bathroom. She has hurt her back doing this in the past, so we’re worried about her injuring herself again.

If I’m WFH, I can still work my normal hours and simply run upstairs when she needs help, then come straight back to work. He generally only needs help with this once or twice a day.

I realize the timing could make this look like I’m just trying to avoid going back to the office, so I’m completely willing to provide medical documentation confirming his prognosis if needed. This would only be for this final period and not an indefinite arrangement.

Has anyone in the federal public service, particularly CRA, been able to get temporary WFH or some other flexibility in a situation like this? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience.


r/CanadaPublicServants 2d ago

Career Development / Développement de carrière Request for advice – work planning

8 Upvotes

I’m a mid-career/mid-level analyst working in a fast-paced and “dynamic” workplace. My team is usually slammed as is, but about a few months ago my manager and senior analyst both quit at around the same time. Since then, we have a new manager and a new senior analyst. However, the new manager is slow to pick up the substantive material and doesn’t really manage. When they do get involved, they’re more of a hindrance than a help. The new senior analyst is competent but not quite ready to handle the files yet.

In effect (and in the interim), I have sort of taken over the roles for both my former senior analyst and in a way, also for my manager. This is, in my opinion, very unfair to me and noting that I also do not have acting pay.

What are your thoughts/advice for me in this specific situation? Anyone been in a similar position before? Thanks for the help!


r/CanadaPublicServants 2d ago

Leave / Absences Leave provision for bone marrow donation?

14 Upvotes

My mother may need to get a bone marrow transplant and if she does I’m going to be taking time off. If this needs to get done, would I take sick leave until that’s exhausted and then apply for EI after?

edit: I would be donating my marrow.


r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

Work Force Adjustment (WFA) / réaménagement de l'effectif (RE) Should I take ERI or wait until next summer on the chance that I make get work force adjusted

0 Upvotes

I have been approved for ERI. I am on assignment for the next 7 months. There is no chance of returning to my substantive position as it is out of the town and I moved for this assignment I have been on for 3 years. My assignment will not be renewed. I think there is a possibility that when it ends, if I do not find another assignment, I will be WFA by my substantive employer, which is 1000km away.

What are the rules to being WFA? I will have had 25 years of work then, and if I am work force adjusted, and there is a 120-day decision period, my 55th birthday will fall in there.

Would I be entitled to the same benefits of ERI, plus severance?

I understand that due to many people taking ERI, there will probably be openings and a job somewhere that they can offer to me. I think my first choice though would be to be WFA.

Is it too early now to sign up for alternate with someone else, because I want to wait until I am 55.

Is it worth the gamble to wait, or just take ERI now? If I reject the ERI, and WFA does not work out after my 55th birthday, then I need to work another 3 years to get the same pension salary with the early penalties at that time, as the pension amount I can get now with ERI without penalty.

I am looking for advice and for things that I may be missing. Take the guaranteed ERI, or try and wait for the same benefits of ERI plus severance? Thank you.


r/CanadaPublicServants 3d ago

News / Nouvelles Federal Court staff work weekends, on vacation to keep up with cases: chief justice

Thumbnail
ctvnews.ca
198 Upvotes

“Working weekends, working holidays, working through your vacations is not really an acceptable answer to how we’re going to have long term well-being,” he said.

Courts Administration Service employees: is this the norm? Sometime ago someone posted asking which Departments work nights and weekends. Is this a 24/7 operation or is it all overtime? Is the Department expanding? Asking for career advice.


r/CanadaPublicServants 3d ago

Union / Syndicat Union never answers emails

65 Upvotes

Honestly wondering.... how is it that CAPE gets away with not replying to emails when questioned on things they are doing that members don't agree with or want further explanation on?

Are they really "that busy" that they can't respond, even with a "we'll get back to you" email that's not an automatic reply sent to every email? 3 emails in 5 weeks, and crickets.

The one email they did respond to quickly was about the mandatory meeting for voting, wonder why!