Posted on 05/07/2019 6:01:30 PM PDT by PrairieLady2
It was standard rules around 2016, that if you deployed to Poland and were getting ‘separate rations payment’....that stopped and everyone got a meal-card (eating at the mess hall or provided a meal), and roughly $3.50 a day for TDY pay. At some point, prior to 2016....the rule was that you kept your ‘separate rations payment’ and were paid $17.50 a day.
You can add it up for plan ‘A’ (Sep Rats was around $360 a month for a enlisted guy) and the TDY pay amounted to around $525, so that equals near $885. Once you passed over into new deal, it amounted to roughly $105.
My guess is that this kid was in some group that deployed and got plan ‘A’ rates, but the rule had changed and the Army came to realize for that period of time....he’d made at least $3k to $6k more.
This is one of the more significant problems in deploying and something that you really began to see increase in the 1990s, with so many deployment sites, differing rules from service to service, and constant changes going on. I saw the AF send folks to a mid-east site (early 80s) which consisted of a 5-star hotel, free meals at the hotel, free laundry services, and still paid out $110 a day TDY pay. I thought that was ridiculous.
PrairieLady,
I agree with Manly Warrior, something sounds fishy about Army folks coming to a vet’s house to collect a debt. Everything is done by mail now. And the only visiting of homes I’m familiar with by military officers is, regretfully, in line of duty to inform the next of kin. If they were demanding payment on site, then sounds very highly like a scam.
G-F
There are only two events that prompt uniformed members to call on a home- death of a service member on duty and Criminal Investigations Command- and those guys come in suits.
Worth Repeating to the OP
*
Many good answers on this thread. I suggest you actively pursue all of them. The VFW will have a knowledgeable person to guide your son. HE MUST BE PROACTIVE! First blush this smells of a scam.
What does the DD-214 say?
“He received extra pay for his time in Poland.”
I don’t think the Army is disputing that he served in Poland. Perhaps they are disputing the extra pay for serving in Poland. Find out exactly what the pay is and whether or not it was authorized for service in Poland. Check his Leave and Earning statements for the period he was in Poland. Was there any additional payment made?
Finally, if he must repay this amount, and he is former enlisted, he can apply for a waiver to repayment of a debt because it would cause financial hardship.
The best weapon against military dickheads is a Congressman.
Check it out ... it’s real.
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