Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) (Board) Application Process

The aim of Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) is to assist Service personnel to achieve continuity of education for their child(ren) that would otherwise be denied in the maintained school sector if their child(ren) accompanied them on frequent assignments both at home and overseas.  In claiming CEA, a Service person must fully accept that accompanied service is the overriding principle for maintaining entitlement.  An exception to this requirement is those Service personnel classified as Involuntarily Separated (INVOLSEP).  Advice on this can be sought from CEAS.

To ensure that Service personnel have considered all the requirements of JSP752, Chapter 9, and have been advised on the best options for the education of their child(ren) all Service personnel MUST contact CEAS for advice before an initial claim for CEA is submitted or when any change of school is being planned.

On completion of the advice process CEAS will provide each Service person with CEA Eligibility Certificate application form.  When completed through its 5 stages, CEAS will issue a CEA Eligibility Certificate and Boarding School Certificate to the claimant which are to be forwarded to the unit HR admin staff prior to the authorisation of an initial claim in any new school for each child.  The certificate is to be retained by the Service person to be produced as and when requested for audit / eligibilty purposes for the duration of the child's attendance at that school.

The links below provide a step by step guide to the process of making an initial claim for CEA (this also includes a change of school) and for renewing a Mobility Certificate on a new assignment or at the three year point.  These guides also indicate the approximate timescale for each stage of the process.  Claimants should allow at least six weeks from initial contact with CEAS to complete either process. 

A CEA Eligibility Certificate must be completed by the claimant when a child starts or changes school, at the beginning of each new assignment, on a change of P Stat Category or when the certificate is 3 years old.