ELC PF FE-HE Scheme Policy Change - 2020DIN01-136 

 Title:

Enhanced Learning Credit (ELC) Scheme and Publicly Funded Further and Higher Education (PF FE-HE) Commitment Scheme Policy Change

 Audience:

 All Service Personnel and Education Staff

 Reference:

 2020DIN01-136

 Content:

Forthcoming Enhanced Learning Credit (ELC) Scheme and Publicly Funded Further and Higher Education (PF FE-HE) Commitment Scheme Policy Change

 1

This DIN informs Service personnel and Education Staff about a planned forthcoming policy change to the Enhanced Learning Credit (ELC) and Publicly Funded Further and Higher Education (PF FE-HE) Commitment Schemes, with effect from 30 March 2021. The ELC and PF FE-HE schemes can be accessed by Service leavers up to 10 years after they have left service. The policy change will allow those who left the Armed Forces between 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2016 to have their original 10-year entitlement reinstated.

 2

Under the New Employment Model (NEM), the post-Service membership for the ELC and PF FE-HE schemes, for those Service Leavers who left between 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2016, was reduced from 10 years to a generic scheme membership with an end date of 31 March 2021. Scheme membership for those leaving from 1 April 2016 onwards would be 5 years. These changes came into effect on 1 April 2016. 

 3

Following a detailed review of this policy by TESRR, MOD has decided that that those who left the Armed Forces between 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2016 should have their original 10-year entitlement reinstated. This reinstatement requires a change to the legislation and this work is currently in hand, with the intention that the change to the legislation will come into force on 30 March 2021. The amendments will have the effect of re-instating the ten-year entitlement for this category of veterans, but until they come into force, the current legislation remains in force.

 4

JSP 822: Defence Direction and Guidance for Training and Education will be amended once the amendment to legislation has been made. In parallel, a communications plan will be co-ordinated by MOD Directorate of Defence Communications to publicise this policy change to make affected Service leavers aware of the change. A further DIN will be issued once the amendment to the legislation has been made and the JSP has been updated.