So, looks like the VA substantive vs acting rules have been reversed, from tomorrow.
All uniformed CFAV can go back to claiming at their acting rank, rather than being capped at Fg Off.
(I couldn’t find the old thread where we were discussing this!)
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That’s a great step. Now for regions to not put their own spin on it.
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Yeah, it’s great first step. They’ve gone back on the ‘how much can you claim’, now to look again at the ‘when can you claim’ aspect in terms of what activities are eligible for VA at all.
Finally, some sense 
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This should be pretty limited now its electronic
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I actually thought that a sensible change. It made more sense for day, staff training.
Was the issue the difficulty in convincing wing to pay acting when it was appropriate?
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The biggest issue is HQAC burying their head in the sands and not recognising that not everyone claims their full VA allocation each FY. Bringing in the acting/substantive rank was a way of trying to reduce overall VA amounts, where as the issue is the rank of those with the the quals, experience and drive to deliver.
Whilst some might claim 28 days, and have unpaid days as they have run out of VA, there are many more who only claim under 10 days per FY. Our WHQ kept pushing through VA at acting, and never got picked up.
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I’m not sure they don’t recognise that fact - rather I think they rely on that fact, otherwise we’d outstrip the VA budget massively.
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Only if it applied to everyone, why should only 3 ranks of staff have their VA cut? No effect on other staff.
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Correct - I think I have claimed 28 days every year. BUT I usually do around 50-60 days. This year I have cherry picked my claims so far so I could still claim all 28 at Acting rank. And why not. This is what they forgot at HQ, usually the SMEs (at Sqn Ldr etc) do a lot of days because they are committeed to their area of expertise.
Hahahahshahahahahhahahahahaha
You’re not new here are you? When has that ever stopped anyone putting their own spin on something?
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Because sometimes they were being paid silly sums for no additional work or responsibility?
Take a first aid course. We all have to do one. Why should the Wing Commander in the seat next to a Sergeant be paid so much more?
Flat rate for everyone in the SCC.
I have always been a proponent for role based VA, but we don’t have it. I’d be happy with everyone on a single rate of VA, if it was published and done properly. BUT we currently have a system (till tomorrow) where a Sgt can join and as they progress over their career can take a VA rise every 4 years, correctly, recognising their experience. But for Officers, you’re still progressing in experience, and responsibility, but still on the same rate as a 2 year officer. That’s the disconnect. Put all officers on Fg Off VA, and all SNCOs on Sgt VA so there is no progression, but don’t disconnect the system for one cadre and not for others. And your right about the Wg Cdr on a FA course, but even under a role based pay structure I still advocated an extra ‘allowance’ of £10 per day for OC Squadrons, SMEs, and OCW for the extra they put in as a whole.
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Flat participent rate would have made sense. That’s not what they did though. They just reduced the amount Flt Lt and above could claim. Please Off, Fg Off and all SNCOs were basically unaffected AFAIK?
If they went for flat rate regardless of rank, I’d be more supportive. And then maybe a higher rate for directors etc. But that opens up a whole other debate!
That wouldn’t have been an issue, had the system to approve acting pay been fairly implemented.
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Most of my days over last 18 months were as course director but none paid as acting.
I’ve long understood this having been told this almost to the letter some 20 years ago wge told to keep submitting claims regardless of how many days claimed already (i knew that year was my first i would be able to claim at least 25 and wondered what would happen if my rate of clsiming continued…)
Is the online process for all claims or just those from now on?
Any claim not previously submitted
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