Directed letter: involuntarily separated status for service personnel being assigned overseas. Regulatory flexibility in response to COVID-19
Updated 2 July 2021
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1. Exceptional authority was granted on 23 October 2020 to enable any Service Person (SP) who was due to be assigned from the UK to an accompanied assignment overseas and is either a Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) claimant or will have children[footnote 1] accompanying them, to serve unaccompanied. This exceptional authority to serve Involuntary Separated (INVOLSEP) was initially granted to the end of April 2021 and then extended to the end of August 2021.
2. This exceptional authority acknowledges the impact of COVID-19 and associated travel restrictions between the UK and overseas locations and/or the potential imposition of mandatory periods of quarantine or isolation by either the UK government or the governments of host nations overseas.
3. Those that decided to take up the offer to serve unaccompanied are entitled to INVOLSEP rates of Longer Separation Allowance (LSA), unaccompanied rates of Local Overseas Allowance (LOA), Get You Home (Overseas) (GYH(O)) and retain eligibility for movement of Personal Effects (PE) at public expense[footnote 2] and the payment of Disturbance Expense[footnote 3] (DE) for a delayed move in accordance with JSP 752. The immediate family will retain authority to be moved at public expense to the overseas location without the need to submit Pay and Allowances Casework and Complaints Cell (PACCC) casework.
4. The exceptional authority granted will be withdrawn from 1 September 2021. Any SP who has opted to serve INVOLSEP, will be expected to be accompanied by their immediate family at the earliest opportunity, but the SP will retain INVOLSEP status for 3 months from the date of this authority being removed (1 September 2021) or until the SP is accompanied, whichever is sooner.
Any CEA claimant who is not accompanied by their spouse/civil partner by the commencement of the spring term 2022 will be considered Voluntary Separated (VOLSEP) unless they have submitted casework to the PACCC to remain INVOLSEP.
5. Single service enquiries should be directed initially to Unit HR staffs who, if necessary, should seek further guidance from their single Service allowance policy staff.
S W Roden
WO1 (SSM)
CDP (AF Rem) Allces
Defence People AF Rem Allces
Distribution
Action:
Navy People-Trg-HQ-N9-Rem Hd
Army Pers-Pol-Rem-AH
Air-COSPers-Pol Head of Reward
UKStratCom-HR-Corp-StratPol SO1
UKStratCom-DirOB-J1-SO1-CivMil
UKStratCom-PJHQ-J1-GroupMailbox (MULTIUSER)
DBS MilPers-MilOps-PACCC-SO1
Information:
Navy People-TRG-HQ-N9-SO1
Navy People-TRG-HQ-N9-SO2A
Army Pers-Pol-Rem-Allces-SO1
Army Pers-Pol-Rem-Allces-SO2
Air-COSPers-Pol SO1RewardAllces
Air-COSPers-Pol SO2RewardAllces
DBS MilPers-MilOps-PACCC-SO2
DBS MilPers-MilOps-CurOpsSO1
GSO-GAU-Command Mailbox (MULTIUSER)
UKStratCom-GSO-SO1
DBS MilPers-MilOps-PACCC-SO2Case