Pay Problems

[BMT (RIP)]

http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=231820

I know these are more or less special problems. You guys still on AD,do you have very many mistakes on your LES?

BMT

[beedlesw]

not so much with my les, but when we got back from iraq our bn cdr told all e5s and above to go ahead and move off post, they'd get BAH. so i got an apt and into a lease and then they were like 'nope, your bn cdr was full of it.'

i'm so broke right now

[Monsoon65]

I'm with the PA ANG. Pay problems are a "business as usual" event with our finance office. Overpayments, underpayments, you name it. After my divorce, they kept paying me married rate BAH for an extra six months. Got stuck paying that back.

It also took 17 months to get $300 combat pay out of them. I was heading out the door for OIF when they finally got around to giving me my money.

[Maytime]

I can attest to the reserve pay problems; I submitted the SGLV form to reduce my life insurance payments, and 8 months later...nothing.

[skipjack]

Well, my LES is usually correct, but my latest problem is that I haven't been receiving my BAH for going on 4 months now! Paperwork keeps getting lost, apparently... Gotta love it!

-skipjack

[The Reaper]

Mine was fine the last few years, soldiers I saw with problems occasionally, usually after changes were input (or not input).

If your local finance office seems stumped, the local IG can do a lot to assist.

FWIW, DFAS consolidated, and since the Reserve Pay section was adequate to handle their pay issues prior to 9/11 and the GWOT was going to be temporary, they saw no reason to add additional personnel. That persisted until late 2004, not sure if they have figured out they need additional help yet.

TR

[Pete]

For the most part when we were coming and going a lot I would find the nearest location that had a pay clerk that could access the system. Our real LESs would be mailed (maybe) to us. Some guys wanted the better half to pick theirs up, the barracks rats wanted theirs but we all needed the info.

Anyway, I would get the local guys to print out the spread sheet that had all the LES information. I'd check for the big stuff, tax free, combat pay etc and pass it on to the team sergeants for their examination and then on to the individual. Everybody was told "If you find a problem bring it up now."

It seemed to work well and when we found somebody who was being over paid we would remind them not to spent it. Most understood.

I think the LES is the key. If you are wandering around for a few months and nobody hands you an LES then you are adrift. As each week pases things tend to get more and more screwed up. The Army sends the LES to where they "think" you should be not to where you are.

[Wiseman]

Yeah I had some pay problems after coming back from OSUT. Apparently they were still paying me AD pay while I was in the Guard. The Army wanted that money back and somehow I had an outstanding debt during OSUT, meaning they paid me the wrong amount. I talked to my recruiter and she fixed it with the help of a soldier who came into their unit that used to be AD finance.

[CoLawman]

Are not all LES online now?

[Wiseman]

Yes they are, but they still send them physically. Atleast they do so for Cadets and to Soldiers in my NG unit.

[huntcg]

Yes, LES's are online now through a program called "Mypay." My NG unit recently made it SOP that all soldiers have a Mypay account in addition to their AKO account. Mypay does in my experience, make it easier to manage one's military pay(especially while deployed).

However, Mypay unfortunately has not made the military pay system mistake free. I found this out the hard way last month when, upon return from WLC, it took an extra two weeks to get paid for my 15 days in school. For a part time soldier this can create financial "distress" to say the least. Evidently my state recently brought on a new pay clerk, and that's what lead to my problem.

In the past 9 and a half years in the Guard, I've had pay problems about every 2 years or so, personally. While in Iraq on active duty I was lucky and did not have any major issues, although some guys in my company did have a hell of a time getting allotments/combat pay/separation pay straightened out.

The only advice I can give is save EVERY LES, travel voucher, and set of orders you get issued.

just my $.02

[Pete]

Originally Posted by huntcg

.....The only advice I can give is save EVERY LES, travel voucher, and set of orders you get issued.

just my $.02

Ditto to that;

I have all of my LESs and most of my orders and travel vouchers. The orders are handy for remembering stuff like when did you go, where you went and who you went with. I have a stack off orders for awards, travel, PCS movement and promotion. One regular size brief case holds it all.

Travel vouchers? That's a couple of boxes out in the garage.


You young guys save all that stuff and take plenty of pictures. When you reach FOGdom at least you'll be able to get the dates and names right .

Pete