CHRO Update - March 25, 2020

CHRO broadcast sent March 25, 2020

I hope this message finds all of you doing well under these unusual circumstances. I've been extremely impressed by the flexibility and resilience that ensures the RCMP will continue to serve Canadians. You have my profound thanks and admiration.

By now, you've read many messages about COVID-19 and are aware of its impact on our work and workplace. To that end, I'd like to provide you with a few important updates that will be helpful to you as we navigate this challenging time.

Temporary changes to the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP)

The Government of Canada has implemented temporary changes to the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP). These new measures are designed to help plan members and their eligible dependents access healthcare benefits while minimizing their social interaction with healthcare professionals as well as supporting the social distancing directive. These measures include:

• Extending travel emergency benefits
• Relaxing the dispensing limit for maintenance medications and allow the pharmacist to exercise professional discretion whether to dispense the medication sooner
• Accepting claims for social workers as mental health professionals
• Removing the requirement for a prescription for mental health and physiotherapy services

These temporary changes will be in effect until April 24, 2020, with the possibility of being extended. More information on these changes is available on canada.ca

Deadline extended for 2019-20 Performance Evaluations

The deadline to complete employee performance evaluations has been extended from March 31 to April 30 for all RMs CMs and PSEs.

Job Simulation Exercise

Release of the 2020 Job Simulation Exercise (JSE) scores is delayed and results will not be available in HRMIS on April 1st for the approximately 5,000 RMs who have written the JSE since January 2020. The National Promotions Unit has temporarily suspended new lateral and promotional job postings. Priority will be given to completing staffing for critical positions. More information will be provided as soon as it's available on the JSE Infoweb page

Pension Services

Like all of us, Government of Canada Pension Centre staff have been encouraged to work from home, leaving fewer people available to answer calls. Due to this reduced capacity, employees who have questions about their contributions may experience longer than normal wait times. You can find more information on the Pension Centre site

Please continue to practice as much physical distancing as you can while doing your best to stay active and healthy. As the Commissioner said, don't underestimate this virus. Follow our health experts' advice and try to strike a balance between safety and peace of mind.

Take care of yourselves, your loved ones and each other.

Gail Johnson
Chief Human Resources

Date modified:

2020-03-27