Expenses and Entitlements

4.1 Application

4.1.1 A person employed for a specified term or part-time is eligible for the benefits provided in this part when:

  1. assigned to an isolated post for a period of three months or more, and
  2. required to work more than one-third of the normal working hours of a full-time indeterminate employee of the same occupational group and level.

4.1.2 Employees who are granted leave without pay for the following reasons shall be eligible for the benefits of this part: illness, injury-on-duty or maternity/parental leave.

4.2 Retirement, Disability, Workforce Adjustment, Non-Disciplinary Termination

4.2.1 When employees have received any relocation benefits pursuant to section 3.3 (Expenses) or have been hired at and served at isolated posts for a period of five or more continuous years, and ceased to be employees by reason of

  1. their retirement or having reached the age of 50 years with not less than 20 years of pensionable service for purposes of the Public Service Superannuation Act;
  2. disability certified by a qualified medical practitioner;
  3. a workforce adjustment; or
  4. termination of employment for reasons other than breaches of discipline or misconduct pursuant to Section 11(2)(g) of the Financial Administration Act,

they shall be reimbursed the relocation expenses referred to in Section 4.10 (Payment of Expenses), in an amount that does not exceed the amount that would be incurred in relocating to their normal place of residence.

4.3 Resignation (less than one year)

4.3.1 Subject to this section, when employees resign from the Public Service and have not completed at least one continuous year of assignment at an isolated post, and have not completed their term of assignment, the deputy head may authorize a recoverable advance to those employees in an amount that does not exceed the transportation and travelling expenses, in respect of themselves and their dependants, that would be incurred in travelling between their headquarters and the point of departure.

4.3.2 The deputy head may direct that all or any portion of the relocation benefits received by those employees, pursuant to Part III, shall be recovered from them.

4.3.3 No advance shall be paid until employees have signed and delivered a promissory note payable on demand to the Receiver General for Canada in the amount of the aggregate of the advance and the amounts, if any, that were directed to be recovered.

4.4 Resignation (one to five years)

4.4.1 Employees who resign from the Public Service, having received any benefit pursuant to 3.3.2 and having completed more than one and less than five continuous years of assignment at isolated posts, shall be reimbursed the expenses referred to in Section 4.10 in an amount that does not exceed the amount that would be incurred in relocating to the point of departure.

4.4.2 Employees who resign from the Public Service, having received any benefit pursuant to 3.3.3 or 3.3.4 and having completed more than one and less than five continuous years of assignment at isolated posts, shall be reimbursed the amount of transportation and travelling expenses they incur in leaving the headquarters, for themselves and their dependants, in an amount that does not exceed the amount that would have been incurred in travelling to the point of departure.

4.5 Resignation (five or more years)

4.5.1 Employees who resign from the Public Service, having completed at least five continuous years of assignment at isolated posts, shall be reimbursed the relocation expenses referred to in Section 4.10 (Payment of Expenses), in an amount that does not exceed the amount that would have been incurred in relocating to their normal place of residence.

4.6 Completed Specified Period Appointment (one year or less)

4.6.1 When employees who have received any benefits pursuant to 3.3.3 or 3.3.4, have completed their specified period appointment at an isolated post, and have been at their headquarters for one year or less, they shall be reimbursed the amount of the transportation and travelling expenses they incur in leaving the headquarters

  1. for themselves, if assigned for a period of less than three months; and
  2. for themselves and their dependants, if assigned for a period of three months or more,

up to the amount of the expenses that would have been incurred in travelling to the point of departure.

4.7 Completed Specified Period Appointment (one to five years)

4.7.1 When employees have received any benefits pursuant to 3.3.3 or 3.3.4., have completed their specified period appointment at an isolated post, and have been at their headquarters for more than one year and less than five years, they shall be reimbursed the expenses referred to in Section 4.10, in an amount that does not exceed the amount that would have been incurred in relocating to the point of departure.

4.8 Rejected on Probation

4.8.1 When employees rejected on probation have received any relocation benefit pursuant to 3.3.2 or have been hired at and served in isolated posts for five or more continuous years, they shall be reimbursed relocation expenses referred to in Section 4.10, in an amount that does not exceed the amount that would be incurred in relocating to their normal place of residence.

4.9 Disciplinary Termination

4.9.1 When employees are dismissed, discharged or released (pursuant to Section 11(2)(f) of the Financial Administration Act) after having completed at least five continuous years of assignment at isolated posts, they shall be reimbursed those expenses referred to in Section 4.10 up to an amount that would be incurred in relocating to their normal place of residence.

4.9.2 When employees are dismissed, discharged or released and have not completed at least five continuous years of assignment at isolated posts, the deputy head may authorize an advance in accordance with Section 4.3.

4.10 Payment of Expenses

4.10.1 Subject to this part (see Appendix L), the total of the relocation expenses, in accordance with the Relocation - Integrated Relocation Program (IRP) Directive, that may be reimbursed to employees who relocate to a location other than their headquarters or to accommodations at the headquarters as a direct result of being required to vacate government-owned or government-leased accommodations, shall be limited to:

  1. the relocation expenses for household and personal effects and private motor vehicles or recreational vehicles, including those that may be in storage pursuant to Section 3.5 (Storage of Effects);
  2. transportation and travelling expenses for employees and their dependants; and
  3. up to six days' interim accommodation.

4.10.2 Whenever employees are eligible for reimbursement of expenses under this part they shall, upon request, be granted an accountable advance. The advance should normally be provided before the trip begins. However, when this is not possible, the advance should be given at the first location en route where such payment is feasible.

4.11 Entitlements of Persons who are no Longer Dependants

4.11.1 For the purpose of this part, the following persons shall be deemed dependants:

  1. an unmarried person who was a dependant on the date the employee was assigned to the headquarters; and
  2. family members who are permanently residing with the employees but who are precluded from qualifying as dependants under the Income Tax Act because they are in receipt of pensions.

4.12 Time Limit to Incur Expense

4.12.1 Subject to this section, no amount may be paid in respect of expenses that are incurred later than the thirtieth day following termination of employment.

4.12.2 When transportation for household and personal effects is not available within the 30-day period, expenses may be reimbursed if the effects are transported at the earliest date transportation is available.

4.12.3 When an employee dies, the time period may be extended for such longer period as the deputy head deems necessary.

4.12.4 Deputy heads may, under exceptional circumstances, extend the period for a period of up to six months.

4.12.5 The President of the Treasury Board may, on written application, authorize the payment of amounts that are prohibited by this section.

4.13 Recovery of Travel or Transportation Expenses

4.13.1 No recovery will be made when employees cease to be employees by reason of their retirement, disability, a work force adjustment or termination for reasons other than breaches of discipline or misconduct.

4.13.2 Subject to this section, when employees, except those referred to in Sections 4.2 and 4.14 resign from the Public Service, having received any benefits pursuant to Section 2.4 (Vacation Travel Assistance) within the preceding three months (if the headquarters has an environment classification of 1 or 2) or within the preceding five months (if the headquarters has an environment classification of 3, 4 or 5) the amount of these benefits shall be:

  1. deducted from the amount that would have been paid pursuant to this part; or
  2. be considered a debt owing the Government when there are insufficient funds payable pursuant to this part or employees are not eligible to any benefits of this part.

4.13.3 No recovery shall be made when the vacation travel expense benefits are carried over pursuant to Section 2.7, or when employees resign in a fiscal year other than the fiscal year in which they received those benefits.

4.13.4 When the headquarters has an environment classification of 1 or 2, the amount of the benefits recoverable shall be pro-rated as follows:

Resigns

Trip(s) taken

Recovery

Apr. 1 to Sept. 30

1

A

Apr. 1 to Sept. 30

2

A plus 2nd trip

Oct. 1 to Mar. 30

1

Nil

Oct. 1 to Mar. 30

2

B

A means (Number of incomplete months of service between April 1 and September 30) X 1st trip ÷ 6.

B means (Number of incomplete months of service between October 1 and March 31) X 2nd trip ÷ 6.

Trip(s) (voyage(s)) means the benefits of Section 2.4 received within three months preceding the date of resignation.

Incomplete months of service (mois de service incomplets) means calendar months in which the employee did not earn at least 10 days' pay.

4.13.5 When the headquarters has an environment classification level of 3, 4 or 5, the amount of benefits recoverable shall be pro-rated as follows:

(Number of incomplete months of service in the fiscal year) X trip ' 12.

Trip(s) (voyage(s)) means the benefits of Section 2.4 received within five months of the date of resignation.

Incomplete months of service (mois de service incomplets) means calendar months in which the employee did not earn at least 10 days' pay.

Note:

Subject to 4.13.1, the provisions of this section shall apply to all employees, including local hires, whether or not they relocate from the isolated post. (revised April 2004)

4.14 Expenses Incurred on Death

4.14.1 Subject to this section, when employees or their dependants die, the deputy head shall authorize the reimbursement to those employees or their estates of the expenses incurred in

  1. the preparation of the remains for transportation, other than the cost of embalming or cremation,
  2. the extra cost in respect of a container for the remains, if required by the carrier, and
  3. the transportation expenses in respect of the remains from the headquarters to the final place of rest in Canada, or to the last place in Canada from which the remains are to be transported to the final place of rest outside Canada.

4.14.2 When an employee dies and the surviving dependants relocate, they shall be reimbursed the benefits of Section 4.10 in an amount that does not exceed the amount that would have been incurred in relocating to their normal place of residence.

4.14.3 The weight restrictions specified in Section 3.4.1 shall be determined as if the relocation occurred immediately before the death of the employee.

4.14.4 When an employee dies and the surviving dependants travel from the headquarters to attend the funeral, the deputy head shall direct that the transportation and travelling expenses incurred by them in respect of that travel be reimbursed in an amount not to exceed the amount that would have been incurred in travelling to the point of departure and back by the mode(s) of transportation used by them.