Eagle5US
04-22-2006, 09:49
As my time in service progresses, I begin to wonder more and more how the younger troops aren't in absolute survival mode with some things.
I attended many of my briefings this week for my PCS move, including finance. We are doing a partial "Do it yourself" or "DITY" move to our new station: Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Finance calculates it as 2121 miles from Ft. Lewis, WA.
Now the money part: In filling out the paperwork for the DITY, here is the logic-
If the gov't is going to pay a contractor 100% to move a specific weight-> they will pay the service member 80% of what they would pay the contractor. Of that 80% authorized, they take 25% off the top for taxes-so you only get 60% of what the contactor would get. AND this remaining 60% counts as income.
Based on a round figure, say $1000 getting paid to a carrier:
service member authorized: $800
less 25% for taxes $200
Leaves snuffy with $600 when United Van Lines gets a grand!
Let's go one step further...
For me to DRIVE to Leonard Wood I'll get paid by the mile to drive my POV, and my passengers will as well.
Now that gas prices are at / about $3/GAL this is pretty important. I was stupified when the SSG briefed the new milage rate is $.15 per mile for the driver and $.02 for the passenger:eek:
FIFTEEN CENTS A MILE!!! That works out to a little over $350 to drive from here to there. Friggin YIKES!
I asked why so low? His reponse was odd-DoD is encourageing people to fly to their next duty station and have their vehicles shipped by private carrier. That way there is no per diem to pay when they travel and it saves DoD money. "OK, so who pays to ship the vehicles?" I ask. "The service member pays the shipping cost, then files it as a claim on his travel voucher at destination-for which he gets reimbursed the per mile rate it would have cost him to drive.
Bottom line-PVT. Snuffy still out the $$$.
Things certainly are changing-it used to be about setting the soldier up for success and making sure he was taken care of. That POV seems to be dwindling. Sad....
Eagle
I attended many of my briefings this week for my PCS move, including finance. We are doing a partial "Do it yourself" or "DITY" move to our new station: Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Finance calculates it as 2121 miles from Ft. Lewis, WA.
Now the money part: In filling out the paperwork for the DITY, here is the logic-
If the gov't is going to pay a contractor 100% to move a specific weight-> they will pay the service member 80% of what they would pay the contractor. Of that 80% authorized, they take 25% off the top for taxes-so you only get 60% of what the contactor would get. AND this remaining 60% counts as income.
Based on a round figure, say $1000 getting paid to a carrier:
service member authorized: $800
less 25% for taxes $200
Leaves snuffy with $600 when United Van Lines gets a grand!
Let's go one step further...
For me to DRIVE to Leonard Wood I'll get paid by the mile to drive my POV, and my passengers will as well.
Now that gas prices are at / about $3/GAL this is pretty important. I was stupified when the SSG briefed the new milage rate is $.15 per mile for the driver and $.02 for the passenger:eek:
FIFTEEN CENTS A MILE!!! That works out to a little over $350 to drive from here to there. Friggin YIKES!
I asked why so low? His reponse was odd-DoD is encourageing people to fly to their next duty station and have their vehicles shipped by private carrier. That way there is no per diem to pay when they travel and it saves DoD money. "OK, so who pays to ship the vehicles?" I ask. "The service member pays the shipping cost, then files it as a claim on his travel voucher at destination-for which he gets reimbursed the per mile rate it would have cost him to drive.
Bottom line-PVT. Snuffy still out the $$$.
Things certainly are changing-it used to be about setting the soldier up for success and making sure he was taken care of. That POV seems to be dwindling. Sad....
Eagle