Placed on my third(3) T cat- Whats next?

[Armytec]

Morning all,

Little background before I start, 18 year member of the CF(last 13 plus in the regular force, 2 tours, avg career I guess to this point) For the last 1.5 years I've been struggling with medical issues, Kidney problems as well as intestine issues both recently corrected(I hope) via separate surgeries. I've was placed  on T cat followed by second T cat while I was waiting for surgery. Had What I hope was successful surgeries this past Sept and then Nov and was hoping to be taken off T cat when the second T cat expired this past Dec but the MO placed me on a third 6 month T cat to allow for recovery from surgeries and my file was sent off to D med Pol for review. I've been given conflicting info on what to expect. Am I automatically going on P cat? I still have unresolved medical issues in regard to nerve issues in hands and currently do not meet UOS requirements. Working half days , unable to do drill, deploy, PT etc. I'm working hard on my own to overcome these issues but had two major surgeries in the past 6 months so my MO won't clear me for regular duties. I've hired a personal trainer outside DND hours I workout 5 to 6 times a week and lost a large amount of weight in an attempt to better myself.

My questions are as follows,

Does D med Pol actually review my case with the understanding that I should recover fully from my operations in time  or do they simply look at a third T cat = P cat mentality? I've been unable to attempt a fitness test due to my three T cats in over two years.  I know these facts don't speak highly of me in re guards to my file.

Anyone successfully avoid a P cat even after three consecutive T cats?

Should I start planning for release down the road? If so what are my first steps?

Cheers,

Any info/advice or personal experiences would be great

VVV

 

[ModlrMike]

Firstly it's important to understand that DMedPol makes recommendations to the CoC. The employers have the final say. As well, for the most part the CF dos actually try to keep people rather than release them.

There are several potential outcomes:

Further TCat;
Retain with limitations; and
Release.

The main deciding factor is how well the trade can employ you given your limitations. If it is more reasonable to release you and train someone else, then that's the likely outcome.

Not knowing the specifics of your case this is the best answer I can give you.

 

[CombatDoc]

My questions are as follows,

Does D med Pol actually review my case with the understanding that I should recover fully from my operations in time  or do they simply look at a third T cat = P cat mentality? I've been unable to attempt a fitness test due to my three T cats in over two years.  I know these facts don't speak highly of me in re guards to my file.

Anyone successfully avoid a P cat even after three consecutive T cats?

Yes, D Med Pol will review the specifics of your case.  ALL TCATs beyond 12 months require D Med Pol review.  They will either concur with the recommendation of the sending MO for a 3rd TCAT, or decide that it is time for a PCAT which they would then assign.  The nature of the medical condition and prognosis for return to health are important determinants in D Med Pols decision.

If you receive a 3rd TCAT, then this will also be reviewed at the end of your time on TCAT to determine if another TCAT, a PCAT, or fit full duties is warranted. 

Bottom line is that a 3rd TCAT does not equal a PCAT.  Each case is reviewed separately and thoroughly, and a decision is rendered on a case-by-case basis. 

 

[Sparkplugs]

I ended up with three Tcats and no Pcat. I was waiting for surgery through the first two, had my surgery during the third one, and they just let it run expired for my few month recovery. I asked about it, because I knew that I'd be fine once my recovery was over. I did a medical once I recovered. I passed a PT test in October, and I'm still waiting for my medical to come back from Ottawa as all good. It was signed off as everything A-ok, it's just a waiting game now. It was expired from January 2013 until October January 13. The doc here told me they didn't want to try for another Tcat because it would have been a Pcat, and those are harder to get off of, so they just let my Tcat run expired until everything was ok again. As far as I know, it's all good -- they let my file go through for temporary OT, so they don't foresee any issues now. PM me if you need any details. Hope everything works out well for you.

 

[Nudibranch]

I still have unresolved medical issues in regard to nerve issues in hands and currently do not meet UOS requirements.

You were not "placed" on a 3rd TCAT. Your local clinic doesn't have the power to do that - anything beyond 2 TCAT's goes to DMedPol. What your local MO did was recommend a 3rd TCAT; DMedPol will decide whether to concur with that recommendation, or go to PCAT.

They will review the whole file. Especially when you've been waiting for surgeries, and has them recently, that tends to be a good reason for extended (>2) TCAT. It will also depend on how strong your local MO's recommendation is; they're the ones who know you as a patient, and the TCAT medical is supposed to write a "story" for DMedPol about where you are now and what your likely prognosis is.

The quoted part gives me a bit of concern, because it doesn't seem related to the kidney/GI issues that your surgeries addressed. DMedPol will look at the whole file; they might decide to give a 3rd TCAT because they believe you'll recover to meet UoS, but they will also look at the nerve issues and if those aren't likely to resolve, they could go to a PCAT.

In any case, you have some 4+ months to wait for a decision from DMedPol, and even if it's a PCAT with release MEL's, by the time DMCA would come back with a release message it'd be some 4-6 months from that date. If you've recovered by then (the time would be longer than the time of a 3rd TCAT), you can challenge the decision by proving you now meet UoS.