Abuse of CEA-Forces families

[AJSH]

Am I the only person relieved that the MOD is tightening up on CEA entitlement? For those that don't know, Continuity of Education Allowance is paid to service personnel to enable, as the allowance suggests, continuity of education (boarding school) for their children who may otherwise have to move schools frequently due to postings.

Gottakeepchanging: what you have described goes against the current rules (both parents need to be living full time in service provided accommodation). If she is living apart from her DH, then they do not qualify. I don't know who you'd report this to for investigation though.

Gottakeepchanging;

1. It could be legal if the DH was posted to London. Plus Dcs are allowed to weekly board as long as they have 4 consecutive nights at school per week. This rule has now changed but still current if you are mid tour. The rules are a nightmare and that is how people seem to get away with it.

1. The actual cost of school fees is in a sense irrelevant as there is only a certain amount that the MOD pay. The Parents have to pay a minimum of 10% of the fees. So if it is expensive they will be paying the extra themselves.

MPSW: No there is a finite amount of time that a spouse is allowed to stay overseas and it is not very long. In this case I thought Scary(husband posted) was coming back to UK after their DS had completed his GCSEs. So that would tie in with starting sixth form. If then for some reason her husband was posted unexpectedly within the 2 year A level course she would be able to stay in that quarter in the UK until he had finished.

I was only trying to highlight the experiences my friends had, so I hope I haven't confused the issue?

He is now in London. They are quite young children. They could easily come home every night but they don't. I have no idea where they think she is living. She gets train fare to London paid and so I guess that they know she is not there!

Gottakeepchanging if you go on the AFF website there is a phone number for CEA fraud (all anonymous) if people start reporting the fraud then maybe the rest of us who use the system correctly will get to keep it.

Sorry Scary just reread your post, you are returning mid way through your DS's sixth form so why would they say you might not be entitled......

So what I said above obviously doesn't apply to you, but hopefully it might be useful to others so they don't get caught out like my friends did.

db is a pusser so can get me all the gen on the new regs, but even he finds them a tad confusing. We are due to move back at the end of Year 12, so would have to move ds either back to UK and that would be difficult, or MOD would have to keep me in Belgium in expensive SSFA, and dh wherever, and pay my move back. They would pay more in school fees for the International school than for boarding at a state sixth form, than just moving us back and boarding fees as there is no tuition for the state school form.

Looks as if the powers that be are catching up with cheaters.www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2022856/Royal-Navy-commander-Anthony-Gray-jailed-53k-allowances-fraud.html

Interesting though that both the Cdre and FOSM would keep him in the RN. Must be shit hot. he was daft though. If you wouldn't CEA if you are not mobile as a family (and those have been the rules for a long time), why did he think he could still get CEA if the kids were living with their mum and therefore not mobile?

swinging can't find the link but there was an article the other day about an army LtCol (think) who claimed for an extra child as his CEA forms came back with an extra child on who he then thought OH yes lets claim for them

I also know a lot of families are taking advantage of the temporary suspension of normal rules to remove their children from schools as they are no longer eligible for CEA

THe problem with CEA is that it is a hangover from the days when divorce was rare and wives had no careers of their own - so were happy to be ornaments at mess dinners whereveer in the world their husbands were.

In reality it would be better if forces families started to shuffle around the country a LOT less - catterick to bulford to herford and back to catterick when the officer has been actually either on training or in Iraq the whole time
and then forces kids could go to normal schools
OR
allow the money to go towards day school fees near to where the mums work

and stop ALL London postings getting subidised fees.

However TIP2, Forces families do not just constitute the Army (they are the only postings you mention) - there are also the RN and RAF. It's a tad difficult to have your husband in Scotland when you live in Cornwall...makes weekending hard and expensive. Having done 20 years of non shuffling (a combination of sea time and weekending, and then six weeking from abroad), then sometimes you HAVE to shuffle to avoid divorce or to help your family life.

I can see why CEA was paid for London postings as presumably it was cheaper than having MQs there; and the other thing you may like to consider is those who are posted overseas where there is no suitable schooling; or if there is, then CEA for boarding in the UK may be cheaper than the International schools available.