Oh hey, I love this game! ;D I've become, it seems, the unofficial junior ranks SME (catcher, not pitcher) on pay problems in my unit.
1. Transfer to my unit in September, 2005. Parading regularly. Didn't see a lick of pay til that January.
2. I had one of those nifty six month time credits for my Cpl's pay due to my time in cadets. When I first made Cpl it was all well and good, and they backdated my promotion effective to my six month earlier eligibility. All was well and good until I'd been a Cpl for a year. The system hiccupped, burped, soiled itself, and suddenly forward-dated my promotion again by six months, resulting in six months' worth of the difference between Pte and Cpl being taken form me. It took quite some time (and quite some documentation) to sort that one out.
3. This is my favourite. I was sent to an instructional tasking for two and a bit months. Through some manner of shenanigans I didn't at that point in time have a valid travel claim. I was told not to worry about it, it would be faxed to the BOR at my tasking the next day (insert admiral-akbar-its-a-trap.jpg). Quick as a flash nothing happened. "OK" sez I. "Shenanigans ensue. It happens." And so began a long and sordid chain of emails to and fro my BOR. It was about the time they stopped responding that I learned I could have outlook give me read receipts on email, which helped me to isolate the problem. Turns out an individual had gone on course or tasking or some such without handing off my claim issue (or instead, simply resolving it. It's just a friggin' claim.) Noboy knew but I, and some increasingly bemused and then horrified pay clerks at my tasking. Fast forward two pay periods- at this point I've not seen a cent, which is beginning to concern me. I'm all set to start getting annoyed. I fire a few more emails off. No read receipts. I cried on my clerks' shoulder at my tasking and was told it was gaining increasing attention there, and that they were pushing on my behalf.
Then I found out my goddamned troops weren't getting paid. Not just mine, but a number more- not a single troops form my unit at that training centre that summer had yet received pay; this five weeks in for some of them. Cue berzerker rage, the commencement of a redress, the involvement at this point of the Coy 2ic at the tasking, and my unit Adjt. back home. This was compounded by my discovery that at this point I had nearly nothing available in my bank account (tucked away in savings which were not as accessible), and that my claim still had not come through- and that I couldn't get an advance! I was the senior member of my regiment (not saying much) on the ground at that place that summer, so I ended up as an impromptu go-between between all of our troops there and the ATC/Unit chains of command.
Then one day, two things happened at once. A third payday hit with de nada. And a general literally swooped in by helicopter to do one of those impromptu town halls that generals like to do sometimes at area training centres. He caught one of the other platoons, which happened to have members of my regiment in it. One of them - some years older than the other (silent) recruits, and not at all intimidated when he felt he had a rightful grievance (he did) asked the general, in perfect innocence, "Sir, when's the reserve pay system going to get fixed?" A raised eyebrow from the (Brigadier?) General, a half dozen raised hands from troops (all of the same cap badge) and some frantic scribbling on a notepad by his accompanying Major, and they were a few minutes later up, up and away by helicopter. I kinda want a helicopter.
I got an advance about 48 hours later. I later found out that simultaneously my Coy 2ic had forwarded a copy of my draft redress to my Adjt, and my CO heard from higher up that our unit had a systemic pay problem (NOT happy to hear that from above rather than below). Turns out none of our contracts had been activated - apparently literally a single mouse click. Apparently the effluence hit the oscillating ventilator, and at least one individual no longer works in our BOR. The CO also got me to write up a briefing note (a novel and intimidating experience) as essentially an AAR from the bottom end on what had gone down. So that one was fun.
4. I just found out last week that I had been right in a sneaking suspicion for some time. This isn't a reserve problem, but it still highlights some of the issues of 'ownership' that seem to come up. I deployed on TF 3-08, and was part of the NSE, which was necessarily an amalgam unit. Due to some ambiguity about UICs or some such, it was not determined until we were actually on tour how the (then novel) LDA system would apply to us. We argued, rather forcefully, that as a force protection unit we ought to reasonably qualify for LDA (not CLDA, mind you. We were on Class C through CCPS at the time). A bunch of sage minds back home hemmed and hawed, and the RUMINT flowed. Oh did it flow. We all covetously calculated just what we figured we'd see.
So we get home post tour, a few weird and somewhat large amounts of money come and go, and we're told everything is square. "Fair enough," sez I, "so I got my LDA, right?". "Yeah, we think so... anyway, the system will reconcile everything over the next pay period or two. It's all good." I dubiously accepted that (oops) and went about my merry way, with the LDA thing still stuck in the back of my mind.
I asked about the LDA roughly quarterly at my unit, back in toon-town. "Can anyone confirm I actually got it?" I was shownthe emails sent off to someone on the reg force side of things. My CCPS account long having since gone inactive, and my clerks not having access to it, our options were limited. So a week back I asked about it having not done so in some months. Our clerk's eyes brightened- she had just finally gotten CCPS access earlier in the week. My unit sends a lot of guyson tour, so she was able to justify getting it, I guess. She pulled up my balance.
Positive $2300. I was owed my entire LDA from 12 months of workup training. I giggled, jumped around a bit, and most definitely fist pumped at least twice. The clerk, meanwhile, checked a couple of our other guys- none nearly so large (out of a small sample), but most had some positive balance.
That money, I expect, would not have ever gotten to us had someone at our end not pulled the information to check. In the new year we need to check systematically all the guys who've been over or otherwise on Cl. C to confirm no outstanding balances remain in CCPS. But they were bloody instant in contacting any of our guys who owed due to overpayments.
I also got my leaf while on tour (substantive), and never did see the pay differential from Cpl(A) to Cpl(B) (Cpl-MCpl, for those who've not squinted at pay scales and pay stubs trying to make sense of it all). Over the course of the two and a half months on class C that I was appointed MCpl, I racked up a couple hundred bucks in pay differential, but I was never made MCpl in CCPS. Apparently because my contract was originally as a Cpl, it would require finding my CO from tour to get him to sign off on something or other to authorize a retroactive amendment of the contract to reflect the change in rank (I know, appointment...). Probably not a hope in hell of that happening.
Now for my hypothesizing on what some of the contributory factors are:
As reserves, our work is sporadic and erratic. Attendance is seldom perfect, chains of command are sometimes fractured, and there seems to be a reticence to hold clerks accountable where errors are made. There is so much opportunity for error, troops are generally underinformed about how the pay system works and what they're entitled to, and, frankly, junior leaders (up to sect. comd.) level are increasingly junior these days. Some of us have learned the pay system the hard way, but many MCpls and Cpls are as much in the dark about the wonderful world of pay as the troops are. I'm able to look at any of my guys' pay records and their corresponding complaints and 'troubleshoot' about 90% of it (reconcile what can be, identify what can't) and tell them with fair confidence what their issues are- but this is because I've been through the wringer myself so many times, and because I maintain a good relationship with our clerks and pick their brain when able, as well as (with their consent) observe them fixing my pay issues so I can *understand* what the problem is/was, not just that 'was problem; now fixed (grunt)'.
Many of the others can't. I think, frankly, that maybe a half day on the PLQ course would be well devoted to teaching aspiring MCpls how the pay system actually *works*, what's supposed to happen, and every step form me showing up and signing a pay sheet, to the deposit hitting my bank account. A lot of guys simply don't know about biweekly pay runs- or what that might mean for their pay on the weekend of the 12th,13th, and 14th if the pay run happens to be mid-day on the 15th for a 31st deposit. (I might have all that offset by a day or two). Many don't even know that class A pay will naturally lag by two weeks. Many don't know how pay advances can come back and bite them in the ass, now how to calculate other allowances and entitlements. I think it should be part of our professional development as NCOs to learn precisely how the system is supposed to work, at least as a primer. That way we can help our troops to figure things out (and so teach them- this knowledge *should* be firm at the private level; hell, include the same lectures on a reserve BMQ), reduce the burden on fin clerks in the basic trouble shooting stages- and also allow us to more knowledgeably represent our troops when things get snarled.
There is a lack of ownership of part time reservists, particularly when tasked out or on class C employment- or when going back to part time from Class C. Outstanding pay issues seldom seem to get a proper handover between transitioning clerks, or people filling in while Cpl Bloggins from the BOR goes on course.
Some full time clerks on class B or on RSS either aren't aware, or forget what it's like on Class A- believing in good faith that we will get paid in a timely manner what we are owed. The 'this is a part time job; you shouldn't count on timely pay' is an enraging crock of the purest bullshit. I've never had any other job (I've had a couple) where part time pay was so poorly administered. I'm trusted not to commit fraud when I punch in at my retail job. Why can we not have a similar system in the reserves for Class A? I've heard fraud expressed as a concern- I was under the impression that that's where the court martial system fits into things. I see no reason why reserve pay ought not be digitized under the normal course of things, with paper pay sheets necessary only for unusual circumstances.
With the lack of that awareness comes in rare instances with a lack of empathy and a 'suck it up' attitude- particularly when pay problems are most likely experienced by Ptes and Cpls, and the clerks may be NCOs. Nothing throws me into greater anger generally than my troops getting screwed on pay, and particularly when there is any hint of dismissive or condescending attitude from clerks. I can't comprehend the lack of pride in some individuals that allows them to not stop-drop and immediately sort out a pay problem for a young troop relying on that money to scrape his month's rent while at school. Those most prone to pay issues often seem those most subject to them.
At the end of the day, it strikes me as a leadership issue, across a couple different parellel parts of the organization. If my troop signs a pay sheet and does't get paid, someone, somewhere has failed an there's a broken link in the chain. If another pay run later they still haven't been paid, then I as their leader have failed to get the right answer from the right person with the right authority, and someone else has failed in not addressing it from their end. And so on up the line as timelines extend. The fact that reserve pay is such a perennial bitch amongst us is indicative of a long term failure somewhere much higher up.
PLEASE NOTE- My unit is readily identifiable, and I'm NOT pointing fingers at any specific individuals, or anyone currently working there. These are generalizations from my own experiences and those of others dating back over a few years now. I've got nothing bad to say about my current clerks, or their handling of my pay. It's been a while since I've had a pay system that was caused by the reserves...
Actually, now that I've mulled it over, I'm gonna grab one of our clerks in the new year, buy them a beer, sit them down with a notepad and figure out how to develop that basic reserve pay training package, at least at a basic level, for my lads. Get it vetted by one of the clerks for accuracy, and deliver it to them. Not sure why I've not done that sooner. If I can at least have my troops knowing how things should work, what they should see, and what can go wrong, that'll make both their and my jobs easier...
