Primary/ Supplimentary reserve
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Primary Reserve - is an actual Canadian Forces Reserve member, an active member who parades/trains with a unit.
Supplementary Reserve - is a memeber of the CF, but is not active, holds no kit, and is on a "list" where if that person wants to get back into the CF, it is not a completely new enrollment. The member is simply re-assigned to a unit and will continue active duty with that unit.
Usually when/if a member releases from the military, he/she will most likely go on the "Supp Res" list (ie - supplementary reserve list), this will make it easier for him/her to get back into the military if he/she so pleases.
In the event of a draft during war-time, the supplementary reserve list member would be activated before civilians are called to duty.
A member usually only stays on the Supp Res list for about 5 years.
Supplementary Reserve - is a memeber of the CF, but is not active, holds no kit, and is on a "list" where if that person wants to get back into the CF, it is not a completely new enrollment. The member is simply re-assigned to a unit and will continue active duty with that unit.
Usually when/if a member releases from the military, he/she will most likely go on the "Supp Res" list (ie - supplementary reserve list), this will make it easier for him/her to get back into the military if he/she so pleases.
In the event of a draft during war-time, the supplementary reserve list member would be activated before civilians are called to duty.
A member usually only stays on the Supp Res list for about 5 years.
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The Primary Reserve is what most people probably think of first when they hear "reserves": the Naval Reserve, Militia (army reserve), Air Reserve, and Communications Reserve are included. Primary reservists usually parade an evening (+/-) every week and the occasional weekend, and often will serve for several weeks during the summer.
The Supplementary Reserve consists mostly of people who have previously served elsewhere in the Forces and have agreed to return to duty if required. Supp. Res. members don't parade regularly.
The Supplementary Reserve consists mostly of people who have previously served elsewhere in the Forces and have agreed to return to duty if required. Supp. Res. members don't parade regularly.
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civvy3840 said:
Medic2ic hit what the primary reserves are squarely on the head.
From http://www.vcds.forces.gc.ca/dres/pubs/components_e.asp#07
Supplementary Reserve (Supp Res)
The Supp Res provides individual augmentation, on a voluntary basis, in order to enable the CF to mount and sustain operations in all stages of mobilization. Members are not required to perform duty or training except when on active service. Members of the Supp Res are obliged to serve only when placed on active service by the Governor in Council or when called out in an emergency. Members of the Supplementary Reserve may, with their consent, be attached posted to another sub-component of the Reserve Force for employment or training.
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Yes, as long as you don't wait to long to get back in, there is a certain time limit when your qual's will lapse. Your 404's will likely expire, but everything is kept on file. When you get back in you may even go to an increased pay rate due to raises and such... hope this helps.
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Except that they will have to go through a Verification of Former Service (VFS). These can (now) take years to complete.
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Incorrect, a VFS does not take years to complete... I was a processing clerk at CFRC in my area and I requested them all the time for our applicants with former service... I believe the longest I waited for one was maybe a month. Its a minor thing for the unit to complete, just make sure that you remember all your info when you release to the Supp Res list, such as SN, Enrollment place/date, release codes (your OR can give you those codes as they are on your rlse msg.
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Negative. I was on Supp List in 90. Tried to get back in and my VFS took over a year. Gave them a copy of my complete UER, let them verify it against the original. It took over a year to get me back in. Every time I questioned it. It was the VFS. There's a couple of threads around here also with horror stories about the current system and the VFS's taking so long. Perhaps your CFRC was an anomoly? Whatever, if anyone is looking for it to happen quick, don't hold your breath, and act pleasantly suprised should you get fast tracked.
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Our experiences here in 38 CBG with both VFS and transfer from SuppRes have been almost universally frustrating. VFS can take months (this problem has prevailed for years-at least since I was on RSS back in the late 1980s) and SuppRes is so slow that I would almost recommend a person just get out and re-apply since it will probably happen faster. If something could be done to speed these up, it would be a great help to keep former PRes and RegF soldiers involved in our units.
Cheers.
Cheers.
Im confused:
Kincanucks has said several times in recruiting that VFS is all electronic now and is done pretty much immediately..... noone has countered him there.. but then I read stuff here saying it can take forever....
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Also, so effectively, being placed on the supp reserve means that a VR does not fully and completely release you from obligations to the forces until you are removed after 5? years from the supp list?
Obviously this obligation is contigent only on an order from the G-i-C, but, technically speaking, once you enroll in the forces, you can be obligated to serve your term plus 5 years should something majorly untoward happen?
Kincanucks has said several times in recruiting that VFS is all electronic now and is done pretty much immediately..... noone has countered him there.. but then I read stuff here saying it can take forever....
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Also, so effectively, being placed on the supp reserve means that a VR does not fully and completely release you from obligations to the forces until you are removed after 5? years from the supp list?
Obviously this obligation is contigent only on an order from the G-i-C, but, technically speaking, once you enroll in the forces, you can be obligated to serve your term plus 5 years should something majorly untoward happen?
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VFS is pretty much an all-around nightmare in most cases. We have a long list of people for whom we are waiting for a VFS, ex-RegF and former members of the unit. Some files have been gathering dust for over a year now, and lucky us, we're just across the river from the Two-Towered Squirrel Cage.
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Meridian said:
Meridian: AFAIK, regardless of our computer-based systems, all of our personnel processes require humans in the loop. The electronic part is easy, once a human being actually gets around to doing the input, then actioning the output. That is where the delays occur. What I have heard (over years) about VFS is that there is only one person in NDHQ doing it. I do not know if that is true. I suspect another problem is that many records of former service are not digitized and require manual searching.
Cheers.
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VFS is the most totally frustrating experience I have ever had in the CF (and I've had a few...)
Initial promises of "less than 1 month response time" were made to me almost 7 yrs ago... after 6 months, I filed a grievance (a whole other rant, one that would more than use up my 2 ¢). Request for VFS was made again 2 yrs ago (by a different unit - I had moved), with no response until I had to move again (job issues) and canceled the request. Finally had an admin team that kicked butt on my behalf, and my offer arrived just before X-mas, and now I'm waiting on medical docs...
The only upside is; due to the grievance and the circumstances around it, I get to keep rank and quals (although they've changed some things around...) even after 7 yrs. There are some human-types in the system that try to avoid shafting folks gratuitously, I know it, and now I've finally got proof!
Initial promises of "less than 1 month response time" were made to me almost 7 yrs ago... after 6 months, I filed a grievance (a whole other rant, one that would more than use up my 2 ¢). Request for VFS was made again 2 yrs ago (by a different unit - I had moved), with no response until I had to move again (job issues) and canceled the request. Finally had an admin team that kicked butt on my behalf, and my offer arrived just before X-mas, and now I'm waiting on medical docs...
The only upside is; due to the grievance and the circumstances around it, I get to keep rank and quals (although they've changed some things around...) even after 7 yrs. There are some human-types in the system that try to avoid shafting folks gratuitously, I know it, and now I've finally got proof!
Thanks, as always, PBI.
Highland Lad - An admin team that kicked butt.... Would you attribute your earlier issues to basically an OR that did not really care too much about your VFS?
I get the impression from some posts that much of the administrivia in the forces requires SEVERAL kicks in the buttocks, most helpful from people up the COC.
1) Does this mean officers generally have a better go of administrivia matters?
2) If you hound/buyoff/hug your OR staff on a frequent basis, is this almost guaranteed to get your issue moving?
Highland Lad - An admin team that kicked butt.... Would you attribute your earlier issues to basically an OR that did not really care too much about your VFS?
I get the impression from some posts that much of the administrivia in the forces requires SEVERAL kicks in the buttocks, most helpful from people up the COC.
1) Does this mean officers generally have a better go of administrivia matters?
2) If you hound/buyoff/hug your OR staff on a frequent basis, is this almost guaranteed to get your issue moving?
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Meridian said:
Oh, yeah... That and the fact that, with a grievance in progress, actioning any request on my part for re-enrolment was too much of a hassle for most of them to go through.
Meridian said:
Unfortunately, I don't think that's a problem unique to my situation...
Meridian said:
I wouldn't know... but if I thought they did, I would take that CFR I was discussing with the RSM...
Meridian said:
Sometimes yes, sometimes it just ticks them off more... I think this point has been addressed several times in the past, on various threads.
My experiences have led me to believe that, unless you have a valid problem, and are willing to do at least half the work required to resolve the issue, don't bother the admin staff about it. They have a dozen different 'TOP PRIORITY' items on their desk at any point, and need to be approached as any other semi-ferocious beast - with care and respect 8).
