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Royal Canadian Mounted Police
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Form 1487 – Letter to Elderly RCMP Retirees
Form 1487 - This is the form that our current pension administration company Morneau Sobeco sent out at random to elderly retirees and inquired as to their status. That is if they are alive and well and continuing to receive their pension. This is a practice of pension administration companies to ensure the right people are in fact receiving their pensions and there is no fraud taking place.
Some of these retirees chosen at random to receive complained the form 1487 went too far and thought the tone of the form 1487 from Morneau was insulting and disrespectful. Our Association’s Executive Director Bill Gidley and Cal Small, National Director met with RCMP officials from the National Compensation Service (NCS) and it was agreed that Small and Gidley would work on the Form 1487 and make it more respectful and palatable to the reader(s). Also the RCMP staff from NCS offered to fly two of the RCMP retirees who wrote in and complained about the Form 1487's shortcomings as they saw it, to Ottawa and look after their expenses to stay to assist in this matter. Bill Gidley phoned one of these RCMP retirees and learned that neither one of these gentlemen were willing to make the trip to Ottawa due to ill health.
Small and Gidley then worked on the Form 1487’s format and when they finally thought it was respectful and considerate to the reader passed it along to one of the retiree’s younger supporters who was assisting them with this worthwhile cause. This retiree then said he thought the Form 1487 was acceptable and asked as well for a copy of the covering letter with the Form 1487, which he said contained a problem phrase. Small and Gidley then edited the covering letter phrase portion and sent it along to NCS for inclusion prior to being sent out with the Form 1487 by Morneau Sobeco to the randomly selected retirees. We then found out that Morneau Sobeco had already sent out the “acceptable” 1487 with their usual covering letter due to their time frame schedule. NCS official apologized and said the amended covering letter would be considered for the next year’s mail out.
However, the RCMP National Compensation Service’s Director stated that prior to any of the small list of retirees where there was a question as to them being alive, the file would be sent from Morneau Sobeco to RCMP NCS for further inquiries. (not to retirees). The NCS staff would attempt to contact them by other means, such as phone calls, the power of attorney representative if there is one and possibly e-mails. If this all does not bring a result and satisfy the RCMP NCS personnel would consider notifying an RCMP detachment member or RCMP veteran to make an inquiry to about the retiree concerned at his place of residence to determine why there was no response to the inquiries already made as to the safety and status of the retiree.
I believe that the RCMP and the RCMP Veterans’ Association are doing all in their power to help out in every way they can in regard to this complaint.
Bill Gidley
Executive Director
RCMP Veterans Association.