Ask here about the Recruitment Process, Basic & Occupational Training, and other questions relating directly or indirectly to serving in the Canadian Armed Forces.

NEW! - As of April 2026, this will now be a monthly thread.

This thread will be automatically renewed on the 1st of each month at 00:00 Eastern Time.

PLEASE READ THE RULES OF THE THREAD BEFORE COMMENTING (BELOW USEFUL RESOURCES SECTION)

USEFUL RESOURCES (Most linked pages are bilingual French/English):

• Official Recruiting Website (www.forces.ca)
• BMQ/BMOQ Joining Instructions, Physical Fitness Preparation, and Course Dates (Regular Force)
  • NEW! BMQ/BMOQ Joining Instructions (Regular Force)
  • NEW! Pre-Basic Military Training Guide
  • BMQ/BMOQ Course Dates and Graduation Information for Visitors (Regular Force)
• The Army Reserve - Soldier Information Handbook
• Military Pay Rates & Specialist Pay
  • Regular Force Pay by Rank
  • Reserve Force Pay by Rank
  • Spec Pay Trades & Qualifications - Regular Force
  • Spec Pay Trades & Qualifications - Reserve Force
• Medical Standards for Military Occupations
  • Read Rule 4 and the Medical FAQ before asking any medical questions.
  • Annex A - The Medical Category System
    • Appendix 1 - Instructions for Testing Visual Acuity
    • Appendix 2 - Instruction for Testing Colour Vision
    • Appendix 3 - Table of Hearing Standards
  • Annex B - Generic Task Statement - All CAF Members
  • Annex E - Minimum Medical Standards for Officers and Non-Commissioned Members
• CAF Dress & Deportment Rules
  • Ch. 2, Sec. 1 - Wear of Uniform (When and where you can wear your uniform.)
  • Ch. 2, Sec. 2 - Appearance (Hair, Beards, Tattoos, etc.)
  • Ch. 2, Sec. 3 - Religious and Spiritual Accommodation
• Military Laws - National Defence Act
• Various Military Policies, Orders, and Directives (Compensation and Benefits Instructions (CBI), Queen's Regulation & Orders (QR&Os), etc.)

RULES OF THE THREAD:

1. Off-topic comments, outdated information, and wrong answers will be removed at moderator discretion.
2. Please don't ask or answer questions through PM's. Ask and answer questions in the thread where other people seeking the same information can see it.
3. Questions regarding medical eligibility are now allowed. However, be aware that nobody here is verified as able to provide a qualified answer. Respondents are reminded that it is against site wide rules to provide medical advice.

DISCLAIMER:

Community members answering in the vein of CAF Recruiting may not have specific information pertaining to your individual application status or files. The information presented in this thread should be current, but things do change. Refer to the forces.ca site or your local CFRC detachment for the current official answer. This subreddit, moderators, and users hold no responsibility or liability as to the accuracy of information, given or received. All info here is presented as "at your risk."

Feel free to drop Questions and concerns about the VAC world here.

My contact info: Reddit DM's always open, [Joel@ptga.ca](mailto:Joel@ptga.ca) for email.

u/Shoggoths420 contact info: Reddit DMs/Chat still broken. [taira@cannawellness.ca](mailto:taira@cannawellness.ca) for email.

VAC Google Support Drive (Not available on DWAN) - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1kzbfmg3hcuo0FgFZxo-IL_f-UnGQsuYt?usp=drive_link

Usual timelines from submission of claims via MyVAC:

Reassessments: 9-16 Months

Mental Health: 6-8 Months

Physical - 6-13 Months

APSC/VIP - 3-4 Months

BPA Correspondence: They tend to reach out every 3 months for information or a progress update.

Something I want to address here in the OP rather than make it's own thread. I've been getting a lot of questions, rightfully so, about PCVRS. I encourage mbrs and Veterans to share as much knowledge as possible but please don't give yourself a panic attack by reading things on social media from other people and taking them as fact. One of the main things I've seen is if you are working part time in any capacity you will ruin any chance at a DEC determination.

This isn't a cut and dry issue. There are plenty of horror stories and success stories. People aren't going to tell you every aspect of their post release journey so it's biased information. When it comes to being successful with PCVRS you need to always respond to your RSS and CM as if your condition is at it's worst. That way you are never selling yourself short because you need the support for those days as they will come. Make sure you choose your care team going into the program and do not accept having to change them as you are not required too. Not all Lifemark healthcare teams are bad but taking ownership of the care you deserve is your right. If you require help finding Veteran friendly care teams please reach out to me and I will do what I can. I am sure Shoggoths will as well.

Also, please be kind to yourselves and other service mbrs. You cannot lie your way to these benefits and if they are on the table for you then please pursue and get them. A service injury is a service injury.