European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 30, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday August 30, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 3 new pay system the army finance offices located in Europe and the Middle East will convert to the new pay system by the following schedule conversion month aug sept. Oct. Nov. Feb. Finance office Heidelberg Germany. Baum older Germany Berlin Germany Schweinfurt Germany Vicenza Italy Grafen Ghr Germany training Mission saudi Arabia Kaiserslautern Germany Pir Masens Germany Mons Belgium Stuttgart Germany ludwigs Burg Germany Bremerhaven Germany Furth Germany Ansbach Germany Bamberg Germany Wurzburg Germany Giessen Germany Fulda Germany Frankfurt Germany Hanau Germany Wiesbaden Germany Augsburg Germany 1st new spa mid sept. Mid oct. Mid nov. Mid dec. Mid March a net pay advice will be received on the 15th of the month and the new leave and  will arrive at the end of the month. No finance offices will convert during december and january. Improved earnings system will pay off for soldiers a amps Sharon Kilday by Janet Howells Tierne Washington Bureau Washington a soldiers will receive More accurate and More informative pay vouchers As army finance offices in Europe and the Middle East convert to the air Force pay system during the next seven months officials said. Airmen will also receive improved pay statements in october or november said Jean Marie Ward of the defense finance and accounting service in Washington. The service a consolidated version of the military a finance centers began operations in january. The changes Are the result of a switch to joint service software which is an enhanced version of the computer system used by air Force finance offices since the mid-1970s. By March 1992, the army pay system and the 24 finance offices serving soldiers in Europe and the middie East will convert to the new software. The conversion originally scheduled for january was delayed because of the persian Gulf War. When a soldiers finance office has made the change he or she will receive a new form called a net pay advice and a six Page packet explaining the differences of the new pay statements officials said. A net pay advice will be sent out on the 15th of each month to All soldiers regardless of whether they receive mid month pay or not. It will include administrative announcements that have been printed in the remarks Section of the old leave and earnings statement or Les. The new Les will include Only pay related information in that Section. The new end of month Les will include the same pay information As the old statements plus some items that have never appeared on army pay vouchers said Robert Burke director for military pay policy and systems at the accounting service Indianapolis Center at fort Benjamin Harrison ind. The new Les will list everything from the actual amount of rent paid by a service member to the number of leave Days that could be lost if they Arentt used by oct. 1. Also the deductions and allotments columns will Trade places on the new form. Obvious changes will also be made in the Speed of processing finance transactions and pay inquiries Burke said. A under the new system pay changes will occur overnight a Burke said. A updates will be run every night not just two or so every week As under the current system. A if a mistake is made the finance office wont have to wait five Days to find out about if. The new system will mean enhanced efficiency and it will make life a lot easier for finance  special teams have been training finance office workers in Europe on the new computer system. Master sgt. David Smith one of the trainers from the accounting service Indianapolis Center said the procedures Are easier than the old ones and there Are improved communications Between the finance offices and fort Harrison. That Means a it is quicker at getting feedback Over the Ocean a he said. A the personnel in Europe Are looking Forward to the new system and want to get started on  the computer system can hold up to 24 months of an individuals pay history which will Speed up pay inquiries Burke said. Troop cutback injects urgency into visa requests by David Tarrant staff writer Frankfurt Germany a when spec. Robert Mathews Learned recently that his unit would deactivate and he would return to the United states he saw Green. That is Green As in the a Green card a the registration card granting a foreigner permission to reside and work in the United states. Mathews like hundreds of other soldiers involved in the draw Down is married to a German citizen who must obtain an immigration visa in order to live in the United states. Since the recent announcements of draw Down units Long lines have formed every morning outside the . Consulate in Frankfurt and the number of persons applying for immigration visas has nearly doubled. In August normally a Busy month for the consulate anyway the number of visas issued will be about 800 As compared to an average of 500 in previous years. A the increase is because of the draw Down a said Lucy Perron Uncini visa Branch chief at the Frankfurt consulate which is the Only . Office in Germany that issues immigration visas. A they announced the draw Down and everybody started running around to fill out petitions for the visas. The process has been going smoothly because people Are better prepared than in years past on ii said. A a we re actually having fewer people who can to get their paperwork  until recently military commanders have Seldom shown much interest in providing information or help to service members on How to. Register foreign born spouses for visas Uncini said. A now the units Are coming to us and asking us a what can we do to help a whether that information a getting Down to the troops in a not sure. But it seems to be  to ensure  process continues to go smoothly Uncini advises planning ahead because there Are a lot of documents needed to get a visa. For example service members married to a foreign spouse must have either a certified copy of their birth certificate or a passport to spec. David Shauger with his son Dominik and his German born wife Petra talk with Vila Branch chief Lucy Perron Oncil. A amps Jim Derheim prove they Are . Citizens. Their military id card does no to work she said. They also need a marriage certificate and divorce decrees if pertinent to show Legal proof of their relationship with their spouse. It can take a lot of time to get original copies. A sometimes a couple will have a combined total of five divorce decrees a Uncini said. The spouse applying for a visa must also have a valid passport and birth certificate. Also a key requirement of the visa Section is a police certificate of Good conduct from every country where the foreigner has lived for six months or More after age 16. Some countries such As Korea and the Philippines can take up to four months to respond to such a request. A formal interview with the visa Section can be scheduled once a petition has been filed and All the proper documents have been obtained. The interview is the final screening said Uncini. If the applicant is successful the immigrant visa is usually ready in about four Days. But Success is not guaranteed and there Are a number of reasons for rejecting a visa application. Conviction of any drug related crime except for very Small Possession will automatically disqualify a candidate. Also anyone convicted of a crime in which they could have received a maximum penalty of More than 30 Days in jail even if they actually served less than 30 Days cannot qualify for a visa. Finally an applicant who is married to a service member who is leaving the military must show some evidence of financial support either through the Promise of a Job by either partner or a pension and savings in the Case of a Retiree Uncini said. Several soldiers said that they had been thinking  getting immigration visas for their spouses for some time but the draw Down made it an urgent priority. But it is also forcing european spouses to confront the reality of moving permanently to the states. Mathews 23, who has been married about 18 months said the deactivation of his unit the 22nd chemical co., in Frankfurt was the incentive to apply for a visa for his wife Ingrid who is also from Frankfurt. Although Mathews and his wife Are having no problem getting All the documents they need Ingrid is still dealing with the emotional aspects of the move Mathews said. A she understands everything that has to be done but i think shed rather stay Here if she could a he said