European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 3, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes Friday. April 3, �9b7 letters contractor tired of waiting for paycheck usually i Don t Bolher to read letter sin which people complain or their pay being messed up. However i think have a fair complaint i m a lot examiner Tor he . the end of every month i prepare Tny pay documents which Are then completed by others in my office and sent to the 18th finance in Frankfurt. They do their part and i receive a paycheck. To make a Long Story Short they repaying me later and later. Frankfurt Gen the paper work on the first second or third of every month two Yean ago i d receive a Check Between the i Jib and the20th. For the second time now it s been More than a month late. Please note i february i d like my pay for the work 1 did in of the problem is that my Check is sent to a German address. Contractor with american addresses often get their checks earlier i could eel a Post off icebox but thai would involve changing the address on my contract. I know someone who did thai and then their problems really guess what s really irritating me Are the dates on the accompanying paperwork when i gel my Check. Frankfurt receives he paper work As 1 said in the first couple of Days of the month. The vouchers Are Theo prepared Between the20th and the 25lh and the checks sent. Thit delay is even More aggravating with inc second hand stories one heart about finance that actually very Little need be done to the paper work once received and hat contractors Are deliberately paid at the Blest possible time to save the government Money through in Terest. For the last two years i be been hav ing problems with my pay i be been thinking of writing this letter almost every month. My supervisors say that nothing can be done and leave it at that reason i m a name withheld my questions Are what needs to Bedone to the paper work after the 18lh finance gels it. I.e., Why do they Send the checks out so late is it True the army s required to pay me within 20 Days of receiving the paper work but Trihey Don l until 35 Days i have no Legal re course after 35 Days i then gel a 10 percent penalty. What exactly is the procedure once the checks Are finished with i.e., How Long does in take before theban Dispost receives them 1 ask this be cause a convenient excuse Given is that the German Post takes so Long. For several months i be been working overtime and on weekends with no compensation to catch up on the work my rent and health insurance Are due and i la borrow Money to pay them. Name Tod location withheld editor s note maj. Ken Altai office Oft Deputy Cal eff suit. Reran management Elk Usamah replies your letter provides an Opportunity to Hare mow information which May also be of interest to 4hr personnel ibo like Yon Wolf in not on the government s Mili tary or or Fiina payrolls but have contracted with the government to provide no personal mar kit you Are absolutely Comet in staling Ibal contractors an deliberately paid at the latest possible Lime. Please let me explain Why. In 1981, the Congress concerned Over escalating interest coif ind Cash management within the Federal government and under pressure from commercial Ven Dors for Man timely payments passed Taw known As the prompt payment simplest terms the act requires Federal agencies including the is. Army to pay their Bills on time neither Early nor tale but on the Date they Are Doe. These by a tents Are to be made As close As administratively possible to the due Dale which the act established a 30 Days after receipt of the proper documentation in the paying finance office unless a differentiate is specified in the contract in addition the prompt payment act requires the payment of interest penalties when payments Are made late but ii granted n 15-Day Grace period for pay meals made Iril Nin 15 Days of the Doe Date no interest a payable however if payment it not made until 16 Days after Ilis Doe then the Amy most pay h Days of interest currently at an annual rate of 7,625 percent. Finance i required to automatically Cathadale and include in the pay ment any interest penalty do. Under the Cal lat bad for a Oman officer o Pur Early at it a to pay we. Finance officers an not unsympathetic to the need for contractors to receive pay ments due them in a timely manner knowing that for nut this payment coast How your however explained they Art required by Law to Takeall their contractual payments As close As possible to the established Doe Dale. Knowing what your due Date Shedd be will allow Yon to estimate when your Check should arrive by adding to it the number of Days it lakes to be delivered bythe postal system. Finally from your letter it is not dear that you have been in Contact with the finance office. All finance offices Are staffed by personnel who Are Bolh capable and willing to provide inh mation to their contractors regarding the status of specific payment. I recommend Yon Contact your finance office to discus the details of your Lori Rhonat contract illegal delivery by military vehicle cited my husband and i recently Pur chased a television from the Exchange. The to was too Large to be transport Din our car so we look advantage of the Exchange Home delivery service an for 110 had the to delivered to our quarters in an cafes truck by two civilian employees a week later i noticed a military vehicle and two soldiers delivering a Sim Ilar icim to a neighbor s quarters. I reported the incident to the maps along with the vehicle identification numbers under he Assumption that using military vehicles and manpower in this fashion was inappropriate if no against regulations. The maps spoke with the first ser Geant of the unit involved Only to Dis cover the first sergeant Felt helping the troops in this fashion was perfectly Allright and was a commander s personal decision. I m not against helping the troops but if some commanders feel it s acceptable and others Don t it s nol Avery equitable policy for helping the troops. We pay $10 for delivery serv and the Guy next door does t. Also where does Usa eur draw theline on using military vehicles and manpower for personal use name withheld bad a Reinach Germany editor s note Rahn o. Bee son chief transportation management division Usa eur non tactical vehicle office in coordination with it. Col. Bornhorst office of the Susareu judge advocate replies he Usa eur can appreciate com Manders and first sergeants wanting to help the troops but the line is clearly drawn on use of government vehicles. The writer of this letter is Correct using a military vehicle for personal business such As Home delivery of an Exchange Purchase violates not Only several military regulations but also Federal Lair. Government property May be used Only for official business. Using a Mili tary vehicle for personal convenience could subject the Driver plus whoever authorizes misuse of the vehicle to punitive action. It May seem insignificant to allow a military vehicle to be used for a Short trip to the Exchange and Home but i every unit helped the troops with Mil itary vehicles for personal bassinets the Cost to the government would skyrocket. The cafes Home delivery Sylce used by the writer is the answer to transporting Bulky personal purchases. The writer was right in reporting this situation to the military police the fraud waste and abuse ets 380-6669 or civilian 0621-730-6669, could also have Bee used. Thank you for the Opportunity to bring the problem of vehicle misuse to he attention of stars and Stripe read army debt collection procedures discussed this past october i got divorced but did t know it until november when received the final put in the paper work to get the bad and uha slopped for my the Lime finance got hold of in i received a no pay due for the end of december. This left me and my new family with nothing. We could t playbills or buy what we needed. Why do they Lake it All Back in one Lump sum i thought the army look care of its own. The Way i see in if Soldier gets paid Loo much they should prorate in so the individuals Aren t left with nothing prejudice feared resurfacing when you ask a commander or senior nip Aboul the equal Opportunity climate in his unit the answers you hear the Mast will be things have gotten a lot belter we have come along Way or even we Don l have any to problems i m not really sure what those an Swers mean. I believe that we have been Palling ourselves on the Back Forso Long Hal we did l notice the Steps backward that were being made. When the civil rights movement Wasa hoi Issue and at the front of every one s awareness the folks Al the to always checked themselves before making a decision. Good leaders were asking themselves if they were being fair and they were very careful nol Lolet their personal prejudices affect any actions thai they look. Now that we Don l have any to problems Many leaders Are nol Tak ing the time and Effort to Check them selves out and prejudice is coming Back to the surface like a Weed. Prejudice can work its Way into the Deci Sion making process and the decision maker May nol even be aware of in i still have a lot of Faith in the offi cers and cos that we have today. This is just a reminder for All of us that the strength of our nation came from the belief thai All men Are create equal. I want to close with some quote from the Creed of the noncommissioned officer i will be fair and impartial when recommending both re wards and punishment. 1 will no forget nor wit 1 allow my comrades to forget that we Are Sec. Richard Sadler wll Flecken Germany name and location withheld editor s note sat. Maj. Rob Ert e. Sears office of the Deputy chief of staff resource management he Usa eur replies unfortunately there is no Standard policy on pronoun of debts. Therefore when your paper work was submitted without a request for proration the pay clerk quite properly let the computer do the work. The pay computer located at fort Benjamin Harrison ind., is programmed to collect what the Law allows normally two thirds of a Soldier s pay. Any allotments in effect Are part of the Soldier s one third payment. Sometimes this results in a Soldier receiving a copay pen pals Lim Eton anti in . Timoti Sutil of Lukwin Nuto Onan Taipei ppr i Shuit to truth my Namtaj to the Pon a i Dunin. L g unworn . I m 19 ind in i Owa us Siviy. My ebb i Bash Huml. Tip fam. Bercan Namei country no Caird ipod
