Issue 10/03 – 22 October 2003
Insurance and pension coverage during fitness activities and sports
Question:
I understand that, as a condition of my continued
service in the CF, I must be physically fit to meet any military
operational requirement under a wide range of geographic and environmental
conditions. And, while coping with the stresses of those operations,
I must also be ready and able to respond on short notice to various
other commitments. While I go about maintaining this high degree
of fitness, am I protected under an insurance or pension plan?
Question:
In terms of insurance and pension
protection, where does the CF stand concerning fitness training
and sports I participate in aside from those that are mandatory/CF-endorsed?
Answer: Insurance:
The Service Income Security Insurance Plan (SISIP)
offers Long Term Disability (LTD) and Term Life Insurance coverage
to both the Regular and Reserve Force members.
For Regular Force members covered under the SISIP
Long Term Disability (LTD) plan, there are no limitations or exclusions
concerning fitness training and sports you participate in, whether
mandatory, CF-endorsed or by personal choice.
For Reserve Force members covered under the SISIP
Long Term Disability (LTD) plan, some conditions relating to when
you are covered apply:
- If you are on Class A or Class B Reserve service
of 180 days or less, coverage is automatic for each period for
which you are "on duty". "On duty" means that you are authorized
and entitled to pay during the performance of Reserve service.
- If you are on Class B Reserve service of more than
180 days or on Class C Reserve service, coverage is automatic
during your service, and is deemed to be 24/7.
Visit www.sisip.com
and click on “Insurance” for complete information about
LTD coverage.
CF members can also be covered under one of SISIP's
Term Life Insurance plans. The life insurance coverage is optional
and must be paid by the member, and there are no limitations or
exclusions related to fitness training and sports for either Regular
or Reserve Force members.
Best advice: Consult www.sisip.com
or telephone 1-800-267-6681 for comprehensive information about
SISIP Financial Services, and for the location of the office nearest
you.
Answer: Pension:
Paragraph 21(3)(a) of the Pension
Act reads:
For the purposes of subsection (2), an injury or
disease, or the aggravation of an injury or disease, shall be presumed,
in the absence of evidence to the contrary, to have arisen out of
or to have been directly connected with military service of the
kind described in that subsection if the injury or disease or the
aggravation thereof was incurred in the course of
a) any physical training or any sports activity
in which the member was participating that was authorized or organized
by a military authority, or performed in the interests of the service
although not authorized or organized by a military authority;
CF members are required to achieve and maintain a
set level of fitness. It is as important as any other service requirement,
and personnel are expected to have fitness tests on a regular basis.
The CF's operational capability relies, in part, on members' fitness.
CF members who are physically unable to do their jobs, particularly
in operational theatres, can be a hazard to themselves and others.
When CF members engage in physical training/sports
activities that contribute to their overall good health and fitness,
which in turn is in the interests of the service, then those CF
members are protected under the Pension Act.
Team sports authorized by the CF include badminton,
ball hockey, basketball, broom ball, curling, golf, hockey, running,
soccer, softball, squash and volleyball. Authorized competitive
sports are played at the intramural level (including inter-section,
inter-company, or inter-mess), and the extramural level (including
inter-base, command, regional, national and international military
and civilian competitions).
A member playing sports under the CF banner is covered
for disability pension purposes under the Pension Act while playing,
practising, or travelling with the team, and this could include
CF coaches and officials. CF members may be authorized to play on
civilian teams, usually because no CF team exists at their base/station
etc., and may attend clinics, workshops or seminars conducted by
recognized civilian sports agencies to stay abreast of developments
and/or obtain qualifications not available within the CF.
If a CF member takes part in a "pick-up" or spur-of-the-moment
game with co-workers or friends/neighbours, however, then that activity
would be seen as recreational, even if it takes place on a military
base. As well, taking part in recreational/social activities (billiards,
darts, ping pong, shuffleboard, etc.) which may be organized for
military personnel and their families in base facilities would not
be considered part of a fitness program.
If a member takes part in regular physical training/sports
activity not authorized or organized by the CF but which could reasonably
be expected to assist him/her in meeting the CF's fitness requirement,
a resulting injury or disease may be seen as service-connected.
A member who runs/jogs on a regular basis, for example, could be
seen to be doing so both for his/her interest/satisfaction and in
the interests of the service if, as a result, the member was better
able to meet the physical requirements of his/her trade.
Where the interests of the member and the interests
of the service are considered to be relatively equal in the performance
of unauthorized physical training/sports activity, a service-connection
may be presumed.
Good advice: Keep records.
There's no such thing as too much documentation.
It's not sensible to rely solely on someone else's
records concerning your physical training and sports activities,
especially when it comes to injuries—no matter how seemingly
insignificant—you may experience.
While you're participating in a team sport, whether
it's with a CF team or a civilian team, ask for written documentation
of your participation. Make sure this includes dates, locations,
and contact info for coaches, team doctors, etc. If you experience
an injury, no matter how small, get documentation of consultations,
treatments, prescriptions, follow-ups, etc.
If your sports activities are individual or less formal,
you can still get documentation. Get copies of your participation
records from your local running club - again, dates, locations,
etc. If you and a colleague spend two hours a week at a local racquetball
club, get a printout of your play schedule. If you frequent a local
sports complex, introduce yourself to the complex's doctor/trainer/whoever
and maintain at least a nodding acquaintance by consulting with
him/her on a general level ("What's the best wrist brace, in your
opinion?").
Remember, an applicant does not have to prove a claim,
but must provide enough evidence to give rise to a reasonable doubt
that it is true. In each individual case, the adjudicator must weigh
all the evidence and, in applying the benefit of the doubt, accept
the more probable answer as fact.
Best advice: Consult the
subject matter experts:
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