National Guard SF Group Improvements

[abc_123]

Originally Posted by Juan

It would be great if Uncle Sam would reimburse part or all of travel expenses to and from drill. Half the guys on my team fly to drill (is that unusual?), and that means we either barely break even or sometimes actually lose money to attend drill.

The wheels of progress turn very slowly, but they do turn. Initiatives moving forward to at least partially help with this.

Many Guard SF'ers travel past other SF units to get to the unit that they are in. Many reasons for this, but it's kinda hard to justify why Mother Army should pay a solder to drive past a unit of the type that they are serving in so this wheel of progress turns slowly indeed.

[jatx]

Originally Posted by Juan

It would be great if Uncle Sam would reimburse part or all of travel expenses to and from drill. Half the guys on my team fly to drill (is that unusual?), and that means we either barely break even or sometimes actually lose money to attend drill.

I've heard about something called the Low Density Recruiting Program for critical MOS's. According to one of my fellow S2ers, it pays his travel expenses to drill once per quarter, although I travel just as far and have never received it. It might be worth looking into, though. You might also consider split training when admin drills are scheduled, so that you can spread your travel dollars over a greater number of paid days.

I feel your pain, though - I go into the hole about $200 every month!

[exsquid]

Yes, MI personnel attached to Group are currenty receiving travel expenses through the Low Density Recruiting Program. USASOC has an office working NG recruiting and retension full time. Extending the Low Density Recruiting Program to 18 series is one of the issues they are pushing. The issue always comes back to whether or not the people who control the purse strings will buy off on it. I am not holding my breath, but I remain optimistic.

x/S

[abc_123]

Originally Posted by exsquid

Yes, MI personnel attached to Group are currenty receiving travel expenses through the Low Density Recruiting Program. USASOC has an office working NG recruiting and retension full time. Extending the Low Density Recruiting Program to 18 series is one of the issues they are pushing. The issue always comes back to whether or not the people who control the purse strings will buy off on it. I am not holding my breath, but I remain optimistic.

x/S

Correct.

Keep your optimism. This item is still in play. You can hold your breath, but in the end you will just turn blue..... and ultimately you will breathe anyway.

[Defender968]

Originally Posted by 18C4V

3) Include DLA and TLE for PCS soldiers for SFQC (currently not getting it)

So this still has not gotten fixed, I dug into the JTR 5 this weekend, and read everything there was regarding DLA. I was told we can't get it by our state folks and when I asked why and presented the reg to them, they explained it was because it's our first active duty assignment covered by each individual set of orders.....none of which is actually spelled out in the regs. My problem is the regs were written for Active duty, and IMO our state guys are doing 2 things wrong, 1 they're missing the intent of the reg, and 2 they're interpreting an active duty reg for the guard/reserves.

To me this interpretation is blatantly discriminatory against guard/reserve guys and like I said is missing the intent….DLA is intended to help defray the costs of moving when it is a part of your military duty. The exclusion they are using appears to me (and the 2 Reserve/Guard travel folks I spoke to at Bragg) to be meant for new Lts coming on active duty, and both folks here at Bragg came to the same conclusion I did after reading the JTR that Guard PCSes should be eligible for DLA as the exclusion is meant to be applied to LTs just coming on active duty.

So my question is has anyone taken this up further to see if it can be fixed and what channels would be best to do so if one was so inclined, command, IG, congressional?

[abc_123]

Originally Posted by Defender968

So this still has not gotten fixed, I dug into the JTR 5 this weekend, and read everything there was regarding DLA. I was told we can't get it by our state folks and when I asked why and presented the reg to them, they explained it was because it's our first active duty assignment covered by each individual set of orders.....none of which is actually spelled out in the regs. My problem is the regs were written for Active duty, and IMO our state guys are doing 2 things wrong, 1 they're missing the intent of the reg, and 2 they're interpreting an active duty reg for the guard/reserves.

To me this interpretation is blatantly discriminatory against guard/reserve guys and like I said is missing the intent….DLA is intended to help defray the costs of moving when it is a part of your military duty. The exclusion they are using appears to me (and the 2 Reserve/Guard travel folks I spoke to at Bragg) to be meant for new Lts coming on active duty, and both folks here at Bragg came to the same conclusion I did after reading the JTR that Guard PCSes should be eligible for DLA as the exclusion is meant to be applied to LTs just coming on active duty.

So my question is has anyone taken this up further to see if it can be fixed and what channels would be best to do so if one was so inclined, command, IG, congressional?

Your two statements about your state are wrong. They are right in their interpretation of this reg.

You also sound whiny to me.

(edit to add: You also know that NG jump pay and SDAP is pro-rated too?... since NG guys can come on and off active duty on ADOS-RC tours changing this reg would be problematic. This is frankly, one of those "cost of doing business" things.)

[Defender968]

Originally Posted by abc_123

Your two statements about your state are wrong. They are right in their interpretation of this reg.

You also sound whiny to me.

(edit to add: You also know that NG jump pay and SDAP is pro-rated too?... since NG guys can come on and off active duty on ADOS-RC tours changing this reg would be problematic. This is frankly, one of those "cost of doing business" things.)

ABC_123, my apologies I didn't mean to come across as whiny, I was simply looking for a way to solve an issue that I perceive to be unfair to Guard guys.

I do know about NG jump pay and SDAP, and I understand the cost of doing business, but that doesn't mean I have to like it or that I won't try to make it better for those who come after me in the future. This will/does impact every NG soldier above the rank of E6 coming to the Q I thought I'd ask the question, simply trying to make things better that’s all, now back to pting/studying.

[The Reaper]

Your State IG may be willing to look into this for you, but if the reg says one thing, and there is no opposing reg, you are not going to like the answer you get.

Worth asking though, all they can say is NO.

TR

[craigepo]

This fight is one that has been fought for a long time. Same outcome-no help.

Unless you are lucky enough to live next door to your armory, being on a national guard a-team is not a money-maker. Generally, you lose money.

My advice, keep all your receipts, find a good tax guy, and try to expense everything you can. There was a tax law regarding expensing travel to a 2nd job(don't know if it is still in play).

[jatx]

You have two tax tools at your disposal: the ability to deduct unreimbursed employee expenses (which can include items like uniforms, items required for school packing lists, other "necessary" items, etc.) as well as the ability to deduct expenses related to travel for reserve component duty (hotels, mileage and per diem). Keep receipts and a calendar reminding you of the days you traveled at year's end. I even deducted expenses associated with attending shooting schools, which helped to maintain critical and perishable skills necessary for the performance of my duties - which my CPA was comfortable with.

TurboTax has separate sets of questions for each of these two categories of expense and makes it pretty simple to get them entered in the right place yourself, so long as you've kept your receipts organized.

It's a pain, but it's the reality of serving in an ARNG SF unit. Unless your unit takes the unusual step of getting you the low-density recruit pay available (which is worth asking about, btw), you will always lose money. If you are traveling out of state once or more per month for drill, special training, etc., come in with your eyes open and understand this. It's just a fact of life.

[SF-TX]

Use IRS form 2106 for calculating this deduction.

[abc_123]

Originally Posted by Defender968

ABC_123, my apologies I didn't mean to come across as whiny, I was simply looking for a way to solve an issue that I perceive to be unfair to Guard guys.

I do know about NG jump pay and SDAP, and I understand the cost of doing business, but that doesn't mean I have to like it or that I won't try to make it better for those who come after me in the future. This will/does impact every NG soldier above the rank of E6 coming to the Q I thought I'd ask the question, simply trying to make things better that’s all, now back to pting/studying.

Ok then. Ask your questions. However, go easy with your opinions and insinuations that others (i.e. the folks at your State) are not doing their jobs correctly.

Maybe your Air Force experience gives you some sort of warped perspective, but a silver spoon this is not. You will make sacrifices that your Active Duty counterparts will not, as they will make some that you will not... And, as all of us will make that our conventional force counterparts will not. But we also receive benifits that others do not. Much of these are intangible. Certainly if it was solely for money none of us would be doing what we are doing.

I see some newbie throwing around terms like, "discrimination", "IG", and "Congressional" and I immediatly notice indicators that point to, in my experience, "needy, high maintenance, problem child".

Wonder what I could find out if I made the effort to do a little detective work to talk to the folks in your state? Or the Guard office at SWC (if you're there)? Would they find you to be high maintenance?

Stick with the PT and studying. Worry about your 50M target first. Save your reciepts and deduct what you can.

You want to really help with issues like this? Get qualified, deploy downrange with a team and prove yourself competent, and I'll you have a standing invite to come to D.C. for a tour to work actions such as the one you started this thread with... and others of which you have no idea.

I'll pay.

[Defender968]

Originally Posted by abc_123

Ok then. Ask your questions. However, go easy with your opinions and insinuations that others (i.e. the folks at your State) are not doing their jobs correctly.

Maybe your Air Force experience gives you some sort of warped perspective, but a silver spoon this is not.

Maybe is has given me a warped perspective, I have not had many good experiences with Dod GS type employees, I can think of 1 in my 10 years who was good, but I've seen many more who took the easy route for them even though it denied benefits to my troops...made/makes me very angry.

Originally Posted by abc_123

I see some newbie throwing around terms like, "discrimination", "IG", and "Congressional" and I immediatly notice indicators that point to, in my experience, "needy, high maintenance, problem child".

Wonder what I could find out if I made the effort to do a little detective work to talk to the folks in your state? Or the Guard office at SWC (if you're there)? Would they find you to be high maintenance? .

Respectfully I think they'd tell you I'm a not the fastest, strongest or smartest out there, but I'm a hell of a hard worker who does have an over developed sense of fair play. They'd probably also tell you I'm the guy who is always willing to call the baby ugly when something doesn't smell/look right especially when it comes to the home front/taking care of troops....Inequity doesn't sit well with me, but I can see how that could have come across poorly...in all honesty thanks for pointing it out.

Originally Posted by abc_123

You want to really help with issues like this?

I'd love to…really…. in a couple of years, but I think I've got lots of work to do on my rapport building skills first.... I need to learn how to call the baby ugly in a nice way

V/R