Leaving the Canadian Armed Forces: Veteran Transition Guide

Leaving the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) runs through two federal bodies. The CAF Transition Group handles your release and transition planning while you serve, and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) handles benefits and health support from a Transition Interview up to six months before release and for life afterwards. Start with your local Transition Centre, book the Transition Interview, open a My VAC Account and apply for any benefit you may need before your release date.

How many Veterans does Canada have

The 2021 Census counted 461,240 Canadian Veterans as of 11 May 2021, according to a VAC census briefing. Women made up 16.2% of that group and the average age was 61.7 for men and 59.1 for women. The census recorded an unemployment rate of 8.9% for Veterans and 28.1% reporting ongoing difficulties with daily activities. VAC uses the census count as its estimate of the Veteran population in its own planning.

VAC served 180,006 clients on 31 March 2024, made up of 120,642 Veteran clients, 37,425 family clients, 1,153 caregiver clients and war service and RCMP clients (VAC Key Facts and Figures, June 2024). Of the disability benefit recipients, 58,110 had a psychiatric diagnosis and 41,251 had a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.

How many people leave each year and how it goes

VAC reports about 7,800 CAF releases a year on a ten-year average, roughly 2,000 medical and 5,800 non-medical. The financial year 2024 to 2025 saw 8,918 releases, 2,486 medical and 6,432 non-medical (VAC Question Period Note on transition services, April 2026).

Most Veterans report an easy transition. Statistics Canada's 2024 Canadian Veteran Health Survey found 60.9% described the move to civilian life as easy, 21.3% as neither easy nor difficult and 17.7% as difficult. Among Veterans released in the past five years, 46.1% called it easy. Veterans who had deployed (50.0% easy) reported more difficulty than those who had not (69.9% easy). A separate VAC National Client Survey in 2024 found 33% of respondents reported difficulties (Statistics Canada, The Daily, 6 November 2025).

How transition works inside the CAF

The CAF Transition Group has its headquarters in Ottawa, regional Transition Units and local Transition Centres on bases and wings. It reached full operational capability in April 2024. The centre counts differ slightly between official pages (26 or 27 on the CAF Transition Group pages and 28 plus four satellite locations on VAC's April 2026 note), so use the locator on the Digital Transition Centre to find yours.

Each releasing member works with a team that includes a Transition Advisor, a Release Administrator, a Transition Personnel Selection Officer and a VAC Veteran Service Agent. The process has five steps: decide to transition, understand transition, plan, monitor, and continued support after release. The support model covers seven areas: finances, social integration, life skills, housing and physical environment, culture and social environment, health, and purpose.

The Digital Transition Centre is the online front door. You can book a consultation with an advisor, take transition training, translate military skills into civilian terms and submit your transition application. The electronic release portal (eCAFRA) connects it to the release paperwork, and the National Resource Directory lists vetted outside organisations. Members who expect a medical release get Enhanced Transition Services, a joint CAF and VAC process with case consultation and coordinated planning. Non-medical releases follow the standardised Military to Civilian Transition process, which VAC says it implemented nationally by March 2024.

The Transition Interview

VAC offers a Transition Interview to Regular and Reserve Force members, RCMP members and their families up to six months before release. It includes a wellness screening that identifies risks and unmet needs and connects you to VAC programmes. VAC finalised 5,569 interviews in 2024 to 2025. Book it as early as the six-month window allows, so you have time to act on what it finds.

Veterans Affairs Canada benefits at a glance

VAC runs a long list of programmes. These are the ones most releasing members use. Amounts below are the VAC rates effective 1 January 2026, listed on the VAC rates page.

Education and Training Benefit

The Education and Training Benefit pays for school or short courses. You qualify if you were honourably released on or after 1 April 2006, or serve in the Supplementary Reserve, with at least six years (2,191 paid days) or twelve years (4,382 paid days) of service. In 2026 the maximum is $50,569.97 for six years and $101,139.94 for twelve years, with up to $6,321.24 of that available for short courses. Payments go to the Veteran, VAC does not pay retroactively for studies already begun, and you cannot receive it while on the Rehabilitation Service and Vocational Assistance Program, or while receiving CAF Income Support.

The deadline depends on your release date. If you released between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2018, funding is available until 1 April 2028. If you released after 1 April 2018, you have ten years from your release date. You apply for the benefit with form VAC-1537, then submit an education plan for approval before each period of study.

Career Transition Services

Career Transition Services gives you a personal career transition plan with one-to-one counselling, labour market information and, for Veterans, job-finding help. A contracted provider delivers it under VAC policy. You apply to VAC, you must live in Canada, and VAC does not reimburse travel or other costs of taking part. Veterans who completed basic training and released on or after 1 April 2006 can qualify, and you cannot take it while receiving rehabilitation services. VAC listed 595 Career Transition Services clients in March 2024.

Disability benefits

Pain and Suffering Compensation is the main monthly disability payment for a service-related condition. At the highest disability assessment (98 to 100%) the 2026 monthly amount is $1,419.82, with a lump sum equivalent of $461,956.71. VAC lists 41,523 clients on it in March 2024. Further benefits include the Income Replacement Benefit (30,134 clients) and, with 77,301 clients, the Veterans Independence Program.

To apply, create a My VAC Account, complete the forms and confirm your service paperwork (CF98 or DND663) with your chain of command. VAC then requests your health records from Canadian Forces Health Services itself, so you do not request them. A decision maker reviews the file and tells you through My VAC Account or by letter. If you disagree, the Bureau of Pension Advocates offers free legal help with review and appeal (Department of National Defence, applying for VAC disability benefits, July 2024).

The Royal Canadian Legion helps with claims for free, from the first application to a request for reconsideration, and you do not need to be a Legion member (Royal Canadian Legion, assistance with VAC).

Mental health supports

The VAC Assistance Service offers free, confidential counselling by phone at 1-800-268-7708, any time of day, every day of the year. It serves Veterans, former RCMP members, their families and caregivers, and you do not need to be a VAC client (VAC, talk to a mental health professional). The Operational Stress Injury Social Support network offers non-clinical peer support, set up in 2001 as a Department of National Defence and VAC partnership, on 1-800-883-6094 (Department of National Defence, OSISS).

Family support after a medical release

The Veteran Family Program, run through Military Family Resource Centres, supports medically releasing members and medically released Veterans and their families. There is no time limit for medically released Veterans and no application. You walk in to any of the 32 Military Family Resource Centres and ask for the VFP coordinator. The Family Information Line is 1-800-866-4546, open 24 hours a day, and CAFconnection.ca links to your local centre (VAC page on family support).

Jobs after the CAF

Medically released members whose condition is attributable to service have a statutory priority entitlement for federal public service jobs for five years from medical clearance to return to work, provided they meet the essential qualifications. The Public Service Commission confirms entitlement through veterans@cfp-psc.gc.ca (Public Service Commission, hiring Veterans).

Who to contact

The Office of the Veterans Ombud reviews complaints about the fairness of VAC decisions and policies. Wounded Warriors Canada runs trauma resiliency, couples, spousal and family programmes for trauma-exposed professionals and their families. VAC also funds community groups through its Veteran and Family Well-being Fund, which VAC lists as supporting 52 organisations as of March 2024.

Canada compared with the UK and US

Canada's model bundles benefits and health support in one federal department, VAC, with VAC staff working inside the Transition Centres. The UK splits resettlement (the Career Transition Partnership) from health care (the NHS) and charities. See the UK and US transition support comparison for how those two systems differ in detail. UK figures come from the Career Transition Partnership page, US figures from the Air Force TAP page and Census Bureau.