# CA NG Soldiers Forced to Repay Bonuses



## CDG (Oct 24, 2016)

Thousands of California soldiers forced to repay enlistment bonuses a decade after going to war

This sounds so fucked up.  10 years later you come after individual service members for the money that the State fucked up?  I get it if it's an actual overpayment, but this was a bonus offered by the Guard, not a BAH or BAS screw up.  I strongly disagree with the way this is being handled. I think the right COA would have been to forgive the debts.


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## DocIllinois (Oct 24, 2016)

The CA Guard sinks to a new low.

Fucked.  Up.


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## Devildoc (Oct 24, 2016)

I read a couple different "versions" of this.  One said that soldiers were overpaid.  If so then aren't they contractually obligated to pay back the overage?  Another version said they were being forced to repay their bonus (as stated, nothing about being overpaid).

In any event, it's all fucked up and I hope that the innocent guys get clear and the guilty ones get the hammer.


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## TLDR20 (Oct 24, 2016)

Devildoc said:


> I read a couple different "versions" of this.  One said that soldiers were overpaid.  If so then aren't they contractually obligated to pay back the overage?  Another version said they were being forced to repay their bonus (as stated, nothing about being overpaid).
> 
> In any event, it's all fucked up and I hope that the innocent guys get clear and the guilty ones get the hammer.



I also read two versions. One story I read had them being overpaid, as in they were supposed to receive 1000, and received 10000. This story makes it seem like they were given unathourized bonuses. If that is the case, this is bullshit.


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## Centermass (Oct 24, 2016)

If someone gamed the system, by all means. But to go after those, who followed what was required paperwork wise, and stepped up to the plate and fulfilled what was asked? Total bullshit. And one other thing regarding a case where the government can't find the paperwork on their end? Sorry charlie. That onus is on Uncle Sam. There has to be paperwork somewhere and it's up to them to find it, otherwise, how did he make the list???


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## BloodStripe (Oct 24, 2016)




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## Diamondback 2/2 (Oct 24, 2016)

NG bonuses are shit by comparison anyway.  I got fucked out of my second installment on my first enlistment because of a shit bird SFC who fucked up my interstate transfer. Got busted two ranks and discharged while I was drilling in another state, lost all pay, my bonus, had to get a general discharge changed. It did however, open bigger and better doors down the road. But still, fuck the NG bonus system, they have been fucking Joe for years...


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## ThunderHorse (Oct 24, 2016)

Here's the thing...it's not just the 9,700ish Soldiers from CalGuard, so think about how many others across NGB this hit.  

How I understand it from another officer who was within the Guard at the time was the mission: get and keep people in uniform, here's the dough.  Wait, that's too much, and we didn't establish eligibility up front.  Retroactively established eligibility 3 years after.  So you have people in debt up to their eyeballs because they weren't authorized to receive anything.


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## Brill (Oct 24, 2016)

Why is the serviceman responsible instead of the HR clerk that approved the payment?

Sounds like Wells Fargo kind of sales


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## Centermass (Oct 24, 2016)

Was wondering how long it would be before congress got involved. 



Lawmakers are demanding answers from Defense Department officials after reports that California National Guard leaders are forcing veterans to repay generous recruitment bonuses a decade after they enlisted because of clerical errors. But it’s not clear whether Congress will take any action to address the issue when members return from their election recess next month. 

Fellow California Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a Democrat who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, called the news shocking and unacceptable. 

"I have reached out to both the California National Guard and the Pentagon for an explanation into this matter,” she said in a statement. “It is important that we address this issue immediately. Many veterans cannot afford to be billed by the country they gave years of their life to protect.” 


Lawmakers demand answers on California Guard bonus scandal


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## ZmanTX (Oct 24, 2016)

All the money thrown away by the government and this is where they draw the line... what a joke.

How much did that gas station in Afghanistan cost again?
F-35?
Fucking Pakistan?


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## Ooh-Rah (Oct 24, 2016)

Every time I come back to this thread, I expect to see the Snopes story that explains the technical details that were taken out of context-

Sadly I am continuing to be disappointed.


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## Teufel (Oct 24, 2016)

I believe that shady retention specialists gave service members bonuses that they ineligible for and the Army finally caught it. The military, unfortunately, is a very black and white system. I don't believe there is any recourse for these soldiers outside of congress. This is clearly unfair and I hope that our law makers sort this out. The CG of the CNG should suspend collections pending an investigation. This would give congress enough time to address this issue.


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## Ooh-Rah (Oct 24, 2016)

Shit like this is one of the few things Social Media is actually good for. 

Chances the Pentagon reacts this way without Twitter/Facebook fire storm?

Zero. Point. Zero. 

Pentagon seeks to waive troops' debt in California Guard bonus scandal


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## ThunderHorse (Oct 24, 2016)

Ooh-Rah said:


> Every time I come back to this thread, I expect to see the Snopes story that explains the technical details that were taken out of context-
> 
> Sadly I am continuing to be disappointed.


Here's the Snopes News article, so it's true as Houston getting whooped right now.


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## ThunderHorse (Oct 24, 2016)

Ooh-Rah said:


> Shit like this is one of the few things Social Media is actually good for.
> 
> Chances the Pentagon reacts this way without Twitter/Facebook fire storm?
> 
> ...


Well, I would think this is a memo from the Under Secretary of Defense and then DFAS presses a button and issues letters of forgiveness.


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## Teufel (Oct 25, 2016)

Centermass said:


> Fellow California Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a Democrat who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, called the news shocking and unacceptable.
> 
> "I have reached out to both the California National Guard and the Pentagon for an explanation into this matter,” she said in a statement. “It is important that we address this issue immediately. Many veterans cannot afford to be billed by the country they gave years of their life to protect.”
> 
> Lawmakers demand answers on California Guard bonus scandal



It's an election year.  Senators will be tripping over each other to "support the troops".  In unrelated news...Rep Sanchez is up for re-election this year.


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## Centermass (Oct 26, 2016)

> Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said Wednesday he is suspending "all efforts to collect reimbursement" from improperly awarded enlistment bonuses given to some members of the California National Guard, following outrage from veterans and their families over attempts to recover the money 10 years after it was disbursed.
> 
> "I have ordered the Defense Finance and Accounting Service to suspend all efforts to collect reimbursement from affected California National Guard members, effective as soon as is practical," Carter said in a statement, adding this suspension will continue until "I am satisfied that our process is working effectively."



Carter suspends bonus clawbacks California National Guard members  - CNNPolitics.com


And still not a peep from Jerry Brown........


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## Red Flag 1 (Oct 26, 2016)

I


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## CDG (Oct 27, 2016)

Here's the latest:  Pentagon offers temporary fix for California Guard pay problems

I think this temporary fix is fine, as long as they are concurrently working out how this will be permanently fixed going forward.


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## AWP (Oct 27, 2016)

This shouldn't be a news item. CAARNG's leadership should be beaten with a stick. "Who signed off on this fuckery?" Schwack! Schwack! Schwack!....


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## ThunderHorse (Oct 27, 2016)

California National Guard Approached Congress in 2014 About Bonuses

It appears CalGuard tried to head this off two years ago...again DoD issue.


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## CDG (Jan 4, 2017)

I think the DoD got this one right.  Well done for taking quick and decisive action.  Hopefully they learned their lesson with the "one signature" system.  That MSgt is a real cunt.

Pentagon to pay back recouped California Guard bonuses, forgive thousands more


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## Ooh-Rah (Jan 4, 2017)

While I often complain that the internet (specifically social media) is ground-zero for most of what pisses me off about this country, I do not believe for even one minute that this would have been reversed had it not been for social media.  It would have been a 1 minute blurb on Tom Brokaw and you'd never hear about it again.


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## Salt USMC (Jan 6, 2017)

Ooh-Rah said:


> While I often complain that the internet (specifically social media) is ground-zero for most of what pisses me off about this country, I do not believe for even one minute that this would have been reversed had it not been for social media.  It would have been a 1 minute blurb on Tom Brokaw and you'd never hear about it again.


Co-sign.  This is one time when social media has been a force for good.


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