pay and fun

So, we have been in the Air Force for not quite one year, two pay periods short of a year to be exact. Turns out we have been getting paid $700 more than we should have per month Now you can all guess what is happening now....think something along the lines of $7700 needing to be replaced. Thing is we actually thought it was correct. But in the fine print, DW doesn't get credit for the time that she was in residency as it was not military sponsored or through HSPS(even though someone entered that information into the system for 11 months). She has no years of service(when it used to state that the day she was commissioned was her start date). And, she will not make any promotion to Maj before 4yrs is up, and the next pay raise she will get won't happen for another year.



* edited for my own well-being and those who may find out how I really feel about this whole thing from start to finish.

[Sheherezade]

Ouch, Matt. Is there a plan to repay them? Since they made the mistake they should give you some options other than "Fork it over" , right?

Personally, I think that since the military has been underpaying Jenn (DC) for years, you should just work it out amongst yourselves. (And I don't believe they've made good on that money to Jenn -- so why should you have to make good for a mistake in the other direction?)

I hope it all works out in the end.

[Rapunzel]

Matt, we experienced something exactly like this at the beginning of residency. It was very, very bad and almost destroyed us financially. You can pm me if you want to compare stories.

I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

Oh wait, with the military it's always YOUR fault - not theirs.

Jennifer

Matt,
That stinks!!! Seems like it is always so much easier for them to correct a mistake in their favor than the reverse.
I'm sorry.

[migirl]

OMG, Matt, that is awful. I hope they're at least willing to work out some type of reasonable payment plan for you. Good luck, I hope it works out ok.

[PrincessFiona]

Wow, Matt. I hope they aren't expecting a lump sum????? This is awful!!!!!!!!!!!

[Flynn]

What a crappy deal.
I feel for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow. I'm basically a month behind on this, but I agree (duh) it's awful! And, I'm guessing, quite a shock that you have to live on $700 less a month, too!

I hope they were reasonable about repayment.

[DCJenn]

Well, I just saw this too, (thanks Jenn)

but unfortunately, as we have been living several hundred dollars less a month than we should have been for the last 9 years, all I can say is, "I feel your pain."

But in the defense of the actual military, these idiots in payroll are 95% civilian who al though they are well paid, seem to resent military professionals. arseholes, all.

Jenn

[SueC]

That does totally suck! I can't imagine suddenly getting $700 less each month, let along figuring out how to pay back over 7K!!!

Well, they figured out the correct amount of pay per month, then they also informed her that she was paid incorrectly...ya think, seeing as how she was the one that told them about it.
Anyway, they paid us correctly, -$350 each pay day. Then they also send her a letter saying, it has to be paid back in a years time and they will begin payroll deductions next pay period. WHAT??!? So, now we have to adjust to living on a little more than $1200 a month LESS than before...
She has started a file to have them forgive the debt, since it wasn't her fault, but that can take up to 10 weeks to get cleared.
This whole journey with the military has been a giant cluster F*** and has really turned me into a pessimist.
Good news...if there is some...she will pin on Major(and I will believe this when I see it happen) in July of 2007, although any pay increase won't happen until Oct 2007.....the reason that I am not "buying" into this situation, she was told this when researching the pay trouble. There hasn't been an actual blessing from the heads than be, or the almight ColonelGeneralAdmiral guy hasn't begat his drones to proclaim 'I beseech thee Major, you may now continue your paper chasing whilst seeing many patients'.

[Meenah]

Matt,
That just blows. I am sooooo sorry.
Luanne

[DCJenn]

Matt-

There will be some paperwork completed before she's going to go before the Major Board. Make sure she's aware of when she's eliglible (you can be "in the zone" and not be approved based on time in service)

Jenn

PS- she will not go before the board, her paperwork does...

Maybe if they are bringing up days that far off in the future then they could extend the re-payment period at least that far. Or, do something to help you out -- like forgiving it because it was their stinking fault. [/i]

[DCJenn]

Actually (and Sadly) Nellie,

When I went to the meeting to sign up to have the movers come (yes, the same movers that packed my cat) the woman told us about a Colonel who did a DITY move way back when he was a Captain- and they audited the files 20 years later. Of course he didn't have moving recordsw from 20 years prior- the IRS only wants 7 for cripes sake- and yup, because he couldn't produce whatever documentation they wanted, they docked his pay. As and f-ing Colonel. So, the moral to her story, and one that we live by and Rick has since Day One of his enlisted career, is keep at least one copy of every piece of paper the Army sends you.

(which is how we're able to argue that they OWE us money.)

Jenn