# Army Paid $16 Million + to AWOL / Deserters



## Marauder06 (Sep 27, 2013)

http://news.msn.com/us/audit-army-paid-dollar16m-to-deserters-awol-soldiers



> Even as the Army faces shrinking budgets, an audit shows it paid out $16 million in paychecks over a 2 ½-year period to soldiers designated as AWOL or as deserters, the second time since 2006 the military has been dinged for the error.
> 
> A memo issued by Human Resources Command at Fort Knox, Ky., found that the Army lacked sufficient controls to enforce policies and procedures for reporting deserters and absentee soldiers to cut off their pay and benefits immediately. The oversight was blamed primarily on a failure by commanders to fill out paperwork in a timely manner.


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## AWP (Sep 27, 2013)

Not surprising. There was a case in the FL Guard in the 90's where a BC was relieved because the state was sending drill checks to guys who had ETS'ed, were dead, or retired. No one could explain to us lowly folk how the battalion's paperwork could slide through state HR with deceased and retired soldiers on it, but the state assured us that the flaw lay at the battalion level and it reacted accordingly.  Of course, he was let go for other things and I think they found a scapegoat to cover for their shoddy paperwork, people, and process.

On one level it enrages you and on another, a beast as large as the DoD comes with the expectation that things will fall through the cracks.


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## pardus (Sep 28, 2013)

What really fucking irritates me is that If I do my job as an enlisted Medic poorly, someone either dies and/or I get fucked sideways from my CoC. Yet If the finance S1 etc... people fuck up my pay/promotion/transfer etc... Oh well you just have to suck it up mistakes happen.
Bullshit, do your fucking job to the standard required, I and everyone else has to.


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## TLDR20 (Sep 28, 2013)

pardus said:


> What really fucking irritates me is that If I do my job as an enlisted Medic poorly, someone either dies and/or I get fucked sideways from my CoC. Yet If the finance S1 etc... people fuck up my pay/promotion/transfer etc... Oh well you just have to suck it up mistakes happen.
> Bullshit, do your fucking job to the standard required, I and everyone else has to.



I feel the same way at the unit level. However in an institution as large as the Army shit line this is going to happen.


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## DA SWO (Sep 28, 2013)

Court martial concluded last week here in San Antonio, Reserve LTC(P) received 19 months of pay AFTER demobbing, she just plead guilty at a CM.


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## pardus (Sep 29, 2013)

cback0220 said:


> I feel the same way at the unit level. However in an institution as large as the Army shit line this is going to happen.



True...


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## RetPara (Sep 30, 2013)

SOWT said:


> Court martial concluded last week here in San Antonio, Reserve LTC(P) received 19 months of pay AFTER demobbing, she just plead guilty at a CM.



What level court?  

I used to do legal admin stuff in the Corps.  After 180 day mark AWOL's were dropped from rolls (DFR) and put on the Deserter list.   At that time when their status changed from AWOL/UA to Deserter all pay and allowances stopped.  Pvt (former Major) Hasan's pay is probably being held and not deposited, as is others in a AWOL/UA/Deserter status.


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## DA SWO (Sep 30, 2013)

RetPara said:


> What level court?
> 
> I used to do legal admin stuff in the Corps.  After 180 day mark AWOL's were dropped from rolls (DFR) and put on the Deserter list.   At that time when their status changed from AWOL/UA to Deserter all pay and allowances stopped.  Pvt (former Major) Hasan's pay is probably being held and not deposited, as is others in a AWOL/UA/Deserter status.


ARNORTH was the convening agency.  She never went AWOL/UA, just didn't stop by finance on the way back to American Samoa.  They gave her plenty of chances to pay it back and she denied getting the money, then denied knowing the money was there, etc.

She told the Judge she had planned on giving it back, blah, blah, blah.

She somehow paid the money back (FBI is looking into it, I shit you not), and was fined 28K in court costs with no loss of bennies (WTFO!!!!)


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## RetPara (Sep 30, 2013)

Was she discharged?  If no discharge and 'merely' a $28K fine... that's the kind of shit that will get the UCMJ rewritten...


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## DA SWO (Sep 30, 2013)

RetPara said:


> Was she discharged?  If no discharge and 'merely' a $28K fine... that's the kind of shit that will get the UCMJ rewritten...


Nope, gets to retire after the Grade Determination Board, she will actually "lose" an AD Retirement, and get a check at age 60.  I think boards need to lose the ability to demote enlisted personnel, and Grade Determination Boards should handle their demotions also.


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## RetPara (Sep 30, 2013)

This is so fucked up.  All the service branches run this and NJP differently.  The only time your on a level plaining field is at the SCM or above..... usually.


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