New to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Participation in the RCMP Pension Plan is mandatory for all full-time members (and part-time members working at least 12 hours per week) and begins on your date of engagement.

Please refer to the Pension Entitlement Information Package for a summary of what the plan offers.

The main provisions of the RCMP Pension Plan are governed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Regulations.

You may be able to apply your prior RCMP service to your pensionable service and service in the force based on what you did on your most recent discharge:

• If you left a benefit with the RCMP Pension Plan, that prior service is automatically included in your pensionable service and service in the force totals
• If you surrendered a benefit with the RCMP Pension Plan to the Public Service or Canadian Forces Pension Plan, you can surrender that prior service on re-engagement
• If you took a lump sum, such as a return of contributions plus interest or a Transfer Value you may be eligible to 'buy back' those past periods. Please refer to the Service buyback package

If you are eligible to buy back prior service, you can estimate the cost by using the Personalized Pension Tools; Service buyback estimator, within certain Limitations. More details are available in the Service buyback package.

You must be connected to the RCMP internal network to obtain access to the Personalized Pension Tools.

You may be able to transfer pensionable service earned as an employee of the federal public service under the Public Service Superannuation Act or as an employee of the Department of National Defence under the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act.

You may also be eligible to transfer pensionable service from a former outside employer through a Pension transfer agreement (PTA) or through a Service buyback package.

Yes. You may accrue up to a maximum of 35 years of pensionable service through the following types of service:

• Service for which you contributed to the RCMP Pension Plan through deductions from your salary
• Past service you've purchased
• Past service you've transferred from another pension plan
• Pensionable service with other federal government pension plans, such as the Canadian Forces Pension Plan and/or the Public Service Pension Plan

When you reach the maximum of 35 years of pensionable service, your contributions are reduced to one percent of your salary to ensure that future pension benefits are protected from inflation. Although you will not accrue additional years of pensionable service after reaching the maximum, your salary during this period will be used to determine the best 5-year average annual salary upon which your pension benefits will be calculated. Note that service in the force is not limited to 35 years.

The following plans may be available to you:

• Basic Health Care: As of April 1, 2013, Regular Members are covered under their Provincial/Territorial Health Care Plans
• RCMP Supplemental Health Care Benefits provide Regular Members with coverage for supplementary health and dental services. In addition, eligible members may receive coverage for Occupational Health Care Benefits. Both types of benefits are available at no cost to eligible members with limitations as outlined in the RCMP Benefits Grid. Eligible members should use their Blue Cross Health Identification Card for all supplemental and occupational health care benefits. Regular Members should direct all questions or issues to their appropriate Occupational Health Services office. Contact information may be found on the internal RCMP InfoWeb
• For active members who live in provinces or territories where a contribution is required for provincial health care, Employer Contribution to Provincial Health Insurance will explain how your employer shares the contribution
• Public Service Dental Care Plan provides Civilian Members, their dependents, and the dependents of Regular Members with coverage, up to certain limits, for dental service and supply expenses. Coverage under the PSDCP begins after three months of continuous employment
• Public Service Health Care Plan provides supplementary health care coverage for Civilian Members, their dependents, and the dependents of Regular Members
• RCMP Group Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment and Disability insurance plans are offered to Regular Members and Civilian Members. The Group Life Insurance Plans are administered by SEB Administrative Services Inc. on behalf of the RCMP. For more information on insurances for active members, please refer to the SEB Administrative Services Inc. website

In the absence of a qualified survivor, the RCMP Pension Plan will pay up to five years' worth of pension payments to your designated beneficiary. If you're not entitled to a pension, the value of your return of contributions or Cash Termination Allowance would also be payable to your beneficiary.

You are entitled to only one designated beneficiary. You may designate one of the following:

• Any person 18 years of age or older at the time of designation
• Your estate
• Any charitable or benevolent organization or institution
• Any educational or religious organization or institution that is supported by donations

You can name or change your beneficiary by completing the RCMP- GRC 2196E - Naming or Substitution of a Pension Beneficiary form. To be valid, your beneficiary designation form must be received by the Pension Centre prior to your death. If you are unaware of whom you've named as your beneficiary, contact the Pension Centre.

The RCMP- GRC 2196E - Naming or Substitution of a Pension Beneficiary form needs to be completed only if you do not have a survivor and/or a dependent. If there is a survivor and/or dependent children at the time of your death, the payment of a lump sum amount or annual allowance will automatically be made to them regardless of the designation of beneficiary.

The pension administration does not take into consideration the provisions of Wills, Agreements, or Court Orders in determining who is entitled to benefits following your death. Ultimately, the payment is made to the last valid designated beneficiary on file.

If no beneficiary is designated, the benefits are paid to the deceased member's estate.

For group life insurances with no designated beneficiary Great-West Life pays the benefit based on the line of succession for the province in which the plan member lived.

Questions regarding life insurances should be directed to the RCMP Insurance Administrator, SEB Administrative Services Inc., at 1-877-778-8084.