Not sure if you folks have seen this, but it is a great comparison. Sorry about format.
OPINION
6 THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007
Civil servants and soldiers:
some are more equal than others
There’s one thing a soldier manning
a machine gun in Afghanistan
and a civil servant manning a desk in
Ottawa or Gatineau have in common:
neither is likely aware of the details of
their long-term disability plan, at least
not until tragedy strikes.
But soldiers may be forgiven if they
assume that the military’s long-term
disability (LTD) plan is on par with the
civil service plan. Both civil servants
and soldiers have additional benefits
for work-related injuries. However, a
closer look at the LTD plans of both
gives a barometer of sorts as to how
the government compensates those in
public service, in and out of uniform.
Indeed, Prime Minister Stephen Harper
expressed the belief of the vast majority
of Canadians when he stated that
“military service is the highest form of
public service.”
Enter now the financial reality of
risking your life for Canada and the
world 24 hours a day. When comparing
the military and civilian long-term
disability plans one sees that the LTD
plans afforded to the civil service are in
key areas considerably more generous
than those granted to members of the
Canadian Forces. This situation appears
counterintuitive as it is widely recognized
that the personal lives of soldiers
on average endure greater strain than
that of most civil servants. It is in the
personal lives when LTD plans are most
relevant.
Should a Member of Parliament or
bureaucrat injure themselves falling
down the stairs of their basement or
cottage receive better long-term disability
coverage than a military person
disabled in a car accident driving home
late from the military base?
“This is a golden parachute that
they have compared to our lead
parachute,” says retired sergeant Ron
Cundell, a disabled Gulf War veteran
who lives near Barrie, Ont. “Their whole
disability benefits and pension plan is
so different from ours. I have had a lot
of my friends who are still in the Forces
call me and say, ‘We’ve got to educate
ourselves.’ ”
There are two plans for employees
of the federal civil service: Disability
Insurance (DI) for employees covered
by collective bargaining, and the Public
Service Management Insurance Plan
(PSMIP) for those in management
not included in collective bargaining.
PSMIP also has a sub-category: executives
with enhanced benefits. Mandarins
in the EX, SX categories as well
as deputy ministers, EAs to ministers,
Members of Parliament and Senators
have their long-term disability paid for
100 per cent by Treasury Board. Senior
Except for the benefit initially
calculated at five per cent
more than the civil service
plans, the Canadian Forces
disability plan falls short in
several important provisions.THE HILL TIMES, MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2007 7
OPINION
officers in the CF with the rank
of full colonel and above also
enjoy this ‘free’ benefit via the
Service Income Security Insurance
Plan LTD or SISIP.
On the other hand, federal
civil servants covered under
collective bargaining, pay 15
per cent of the premium. Treasury
Board covers the rest. But
what is truly unique about
the Canadian system is that
a member of the military is
required to pay out-of- pocket
to help cover the costs of their
own disability benefits, even
if that injury occurs while on
duty. Although other Veterans
Affairs benefits kick in
for duty-related injuries, in
the area of income loss, SISIP
is the ‘first-payer’ for LTD for
which the soldier also pays 15
per cent of their disability
insurance premium while Treasury
Board pays the difference.
On the receiving end, except
for the benefit initially calculated
at five per cent more than
the civil service plans, the CF
disability plan falls short in several
important provisions.
To begin with both PSMIP
and DI are not allowed to
deduct ‘Pension Act’ monthly
awards for pain and suffering,
but the military’s SISIP plan
deducts every dollar of the Veterans
Affairs monthly disability
award. This serves as an insulting
testament to the military
service of the more than 4,000
injured soldiers who are collecting
or have collected SISIP
LTD benefits since October 2000
and are therefore too disabled
to work.
“A VAC award is also
referred to as a gratuity and, by
definition, a gratuity means a,
‘Thank you in appreciation,’ ”
says Cundell. “So when Canada
and the government thank me
for loss of health and quality
of life to my face, the bureaucrats
are behind me picking my
pocket of that gratuity. So to a
disabled veteran gratuity has a
completely different definition,
compliments of the bureaucrats.”
“Something is wrong here,
very wrong,” says retired corporal
Kevin Landry a disabled
veteran who served as a driver
during the conflicts in Croatia
and Bosnia. “We don’t have the
right to public assembly or protest
in uniform and once we are
out we are scattered across the
country. If we were a smaller
country we would have gotten
together to have this problem
looked at.”
And in spite of the fact that
the current and previous military
ombudsmen have called
for an end to these deductions,
nothing has been done to
date. This, in spite of the fact
that the ombudsmen’s recommendations
were supported
by the Standing Committee on
National Defence and Veterans
Affairs not to mention a
majority of MPs who last
year passed the Veterans First
Motion which included the
requirement for the government
to “eliminate the unfair
reduction of SISIP.”
“Back when I was a sergeant,
if I made a promise to my subordinates
I either carried through
with that promise or I told them
exactly why I could not follow
through—I did not leave them
hanging and that is how I kept
their respect,” says Cundell.
Another hallmark of the
government’s disability caste
system is the fact that PSMIP
and certain senior military officers
also receive life insurance,
accidental death and dismemberment
and dependent’s insurance,
premiums for which are
covered 100 percent by Canadian
taxpayers. These plans
continue to be paid for by the
federal government even when
the executives must go on long
term disability. Canada’s disabled
soldiers receive nothing
like this.
While annual increases are
capped in both plans, the civil
service plan nonetheless allows
for 50 per cent more annual
increases than the Canadian
Forces’ plan which is capped
at two per cent. Considering
that inflation (Consumer Price
Index) has been above two per
cent in five of the past seven
years, the CF plan’s advantage
in benefit payout would be eroded
in short order.
Furthermore, federal
bureaucrats can continue contributing
to their retirement
pensions while on an LTD rehabilitation
program, a provision
not granted to our wounded
soldiers. For veterans such as
Cundell, whose medical condition
forced him to retire two
months shy of his full 20-year
military pension, this limitation
serves as an especially difficult
pill to swallow.
“You were told from day one
sign this paper and we will take
care of you if you get sick,” he
says. “Well you did not tell me
that it was going to be an adversarial
program that was going
to put the blocks on me every
time I turned around.”
Paradoxically, the civil service
plan does not deduct CF
retirement pension if awarded
due to a medical release from
the CF but the Forces disability
plan deducts this important
benefit. For Kevin Landry, fate
and government policy denied
him any opportunity to collect a
military pension.
“I failed my medical and I
couldn’t buy back my time,”
he says. “I did everything to
keep my job and still it wasn’t
enough.”
Corporal Landry was medically
released with six years
regular force service and six
years in the reserves. Since he
did not have 10 years in the regular
force, he did not qualify for
a Canadian Forces retirement
pension. Federal bureaucrats,
however, qualify for a retirement
pension after only two
years service if disabled.
Although qualification for
both plans does not stipulate
whether the disability is caused
in the workplace or not, there
is a dramatic difference in how
the two plans are administered.
Civil servants can still be
employed in their original position
on partial work hours and
collect LTD. Canadian Forces
members must leave the forces
first before collecting benefits.
There is no provision which
allows CF members to return to
work on partial hours and still
collect LTD.
Finally, Treasury Board
will step in and cover deficits
accrued by two of the four
disability plans they govern
(PSMIP, DI, SISIP and RCMP)
but this guarantee does not
include the plan covering Canada’s
soldiers.
It all boils down to compensating
risk. The investment
world understands this
very well: higher risk requires
higher reward. The investment
Canada’s government has made
in our soldiers has this fundamental
law backwards. Most
Canadians would easily dispute
that a desk-bound senior
bureaucrat in Ottawa or even a
rear echelon general faces more
risk than the frontline soldiers
in bases across Canada or in
Afghanistan.
“We have to go to war even
if it is against our will,” says
Landry. “There is a huge difference;
we are soldiers; but all
the while we in the most dangerous
jobs get screwed.”
SISIP refused to return our
calls to them on this topic.
Sean Bruyea is a retired captain
and disabled soldier who
served as an intelligence officer
in the Canadian Forces for 14
years. He is now and advocate
for other disabled veterans.
Robert Smol served over 20
years in the Canadian Forces.
He is currently a teacher and a
freelance journalist in Toronto.
news@hilltimes.com
The Hill Times
Continued from Page 6
Comparing Public Servants Public Service Management Public Service Disability Service Income Security
and Soldiers’ Benefits and Insurance Plan (PSMIP) Insurance (DI) Long Term Insurance Plan (SISIP) Long
Pensions Long Term Disability Disability (all federal civil Term Disability for Canadian
(includes those civil servants servants included in Forces (all CF personnel
in
in management not in collective bargaining) uniform)
collective bargaining)
Benefit Payable 70% Income 70% of Income 75% of Income
Salary rounded up to next Yes Yes No
multiple of $250 for
calculation of benefit
Maximum Annual Increase 3% 3% 2%
for Cost of Living
(Consumer Price Index)
Eligible for Retroactive Yes if salary increase applies Yes if salary increase applies No specific statement
Salary Increases before starting LTD before starting LTD in policy
Premium Free Yes: if MP, Senator, Director No: Treasury Board pays 85% No: Treasury Board pays 85%
and above, Governor General Member 15% Member 15%
and other “Executives” (see below) Yes- if Colonel or General
otherwise Treasury Board
pays 85% Member 15%
Deduct Pension Act No Only increases in Pension Act Yes
Monthly Disability Award Payments after Disabled
in Public Service
Deduct Canadian Forces No No Yes
Retirement Pension if
Medically Released
from Forces
Length of Rehabilitation 24 months but may be extended 24 months but may be extended 24 months but may be extended
Amount of Income $0 until 100% of Salary $0 until 100% of Salary 50% of income until 100% of
Deducted while reached thereafter every reached thereafter every salary reached thereafter
on Rehabilitation dollar deducted dollar deducted every dollar deducted
Allowed Back to Original Yes: indefinitely Yes: indefinitely No provision
Employment with reduced
hours while on LTD
Rehabilitation time counts Yes Yes No
towards Retirement Pension
Eligible for Free (employer If Executive (see footnote 2): No Only Colonels and Generals
paid) Life, Accidental Death Basic life-1 yr salary otherwise NO
and Dismemberment AD&D-Death $250,000 (same as civil servant
(AD&D) Insurance while on AD&- Dismemberment executive plan)
Long Term Disability up to $250,000
Eligible for Free If Executive: No Only Colonels and Generals
Dependents’ Life and Life Spouse: $5000 otherwise NO
Accidental Death and Life Child: $2500 (same as civil servant
Dismemberment while on AD&D Death Spouse: $5000 executive plan)
Long Term Disability AD&D Death Child: $2500
AD&D Dismemberment: up to
$5000 and $2500 respectively
1 Consumer Price Index above 2% past five of seven years.
2 Members of Parliament, Senators under age 75, Persons appointed
by the Governor in Council and classified in the DM, GX, EX,
SX groups, the Auditor General, the Chief Electoral Officer, the
Commissioner and the Administrator of the Northern Pipelines
Agency, Astronauts, Executive Assistants to Ministers, Senior
Defence Scientists, Lawyers, executives in Crown Corporations.
3 Death can be due to suicide.
4 Cause of death or dismemberment does not have to be employment
related.
5 Death can be due to suicide.
– Compiled by Sean Bruyea and Robert Smol
By ROBERT SMOL AND SEAN BRUYEA
Continued on Page 7
The other value of serving: Canadians, captain Guy Noury, top right, and Sgt. Jonathan Auger, centre, who are part of the Provincial Reconstruction
Team, speak with Afghan men in Afghanistan, pictured on Sept. 24, 2007. Afghan children, pictured on Oct. 1 in Mazra’eh, above left. Corp. Frank
Charly, pictured in Zhari on Sept. 24, and two young Afghan boys imitate the Canadian Forces photographer in Langley, Afghanistan, above right, on
Sept. 24. Columnists Sean Bruyea and Robert Smol say when comparing the military and civilian long-term disability plans, it’s clear the LTD plans
afforded to the federal civil service are, in key areas, considerably more generous than those granted to members of the Canadian Forces.
Photographs courtesy of Cpl. Simon Duchesne, Canadian Forces and DND
