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

[TrumpIsPresident]

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-...nap-story.html

Short of troops to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan a decade ago, the California National Guard enticed thousands of soldiers with bonuses of $15,000 or more to reenlist and go to war.

Now the Pentagon is demanding the money back.

Nearly 10,000 soldiers, many of whom served multiple combat tours, have been ordered to repay large enlistment bonuses — and slapped with interest charges, wage garnishments and tax liens if they refuse — after audits revealed widespread overpayments by the California Guard at the height of the wars last decade.

Investigations have determined that lack of oversight allowed for widespread fraud and mismanagement by California Guard officials under pressure to meet enlistment targets.

But soldiers say the military is reneging on 10-year-old agreements and imposing severe financial hardship on veterans whose only mistake was to accept bonuses offered when the Pentagon needed to fill the ranks.

“These bonuses were used to keep people in,” said Christopher Van Meter, a 42-year-old former Army captain and Iraq veteran from Manteca, Calif., who says he refinanced his home mortgage to repay $25,000 in reenlistment bonuses and $21,000 in student loan repayments that the Army says he should not have received. “People like me just got screwed.”

“It was a real sea change in how business was done,” said Col. Michael S. Piazzoni, a California Guard official in Sacramento who oversaw the audits. “The system paid everybody up front, and then we spent the next five years figuring out if they were eligible.”

Instead of forgiving the improper bonuses, the California Guard assigned 42 auditors to comb through paperwork for bonuses and other incentive payments given to 14,000 soldiers, a process that was finally completed last month.

This is just so typical of government incompetence.

Government fucked up here, most egregiously the California government.

Instead of punishing these soldiers who have already faithfully served their terms the money should be found elsewhere.

Maybe California could take some of the tax revenue they have in waiting standby to fund CQHP for illegal immigrants.

Or maybe they should just write it off as their mistake and cut back on some of their million dollar dinners.

I'm not surprised the government made such a mistake.

I'm not surprised the government took a decade to figure it out.

I'm not even surprised they are demanding the money be repaid.

No, the only thing that surprises me here is that they're not charging interests.

Fucking incompetent government assholes.

The California uber wealthy should pony up a few million each and cover this.

The Clinton Foundation should kick in a few million to cover this.

These soldiers should NOT be held responsible for a decades old bureaucratic mistake.

[I Push Buttons]

Yeah fuck that, write it off and punish the idiots who made it happen.

[Kelathos]

There is an incredible sense of cruelty in bureaucracy.

[mizeri]

ya these soldiers needs to lawyer up

[Easo]

I am pretty sure there will be some kind of class action against the state of California and they will win.

[Mihalik]

Just to clarify a couple of things.

I find this both amazingly disgusting and mindboggling. But it is also worth noting that THIS is one of the countless moronic, idiotic, ass backwards retarded policies left over from the Bush era.

There is absolutely no reason to shift the blame or burden either to the State of California, its people or its current government.

There are 3 lots to blame here. The Bush era retards running the Pentagon and the people who just gave them a blank check with no oversight, and the current morons who are indiscriminately hounding veterans for something that isn't their fault.

OP you really need to redirect your anger where it belongs. Bush, the blank check warhawks and the pencil pushers at the Pentagon now.

The Federal government should step in to mend this situation reasonably.

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I am pretty sure there will be some kind of class action against the state of California and they will win.

Again it's not the State of California. It's the California National Guard, under the Pentagon. It was the Pentagon's money and it's the Pentagon demanding it back.

[Deleted]

This is just so typical of government incompetence.

This seems like it's illegal.

[Deleted]

This is just so typical of government incompetence.

Government fucked up here, most egregiously the California government.

Instead of punishing these soldiers who have already faithfully served their terms the money should be found elsewhere.

Maybe California could take some of the tax revenue they have in waiting standby to fund CQHP for illegal immigrants.

Or maybe they should just write it off as their mistake and cut back on some of their million dollar dinners.

I'm not surprised the government made such a mistake.

I'm not surprised the government took a decade to figure it out.

I'm not even surprised they are demanding the money be repaid.

No, the only thing that surprises me here is that they're not charging interests.

Fucking incompetent government assholes.

The California uber wealthy should pony up a few million each and cover this.

The Clinton Foundation should kick in a few million to cover this.

These soldiers should NOT be held responsible for a decades old bureaucratic mistake.

Once more, the US system punishes the people furthest down on the ladder instead of those at the top who made the mistake and can actually pay for it.
Capitalism as usual.

[Deleted]

I am pretty sure there will be some kind of class action against the state of California and they will win.

I am just imagining the court case and all the administration to gain that money back, will outdo the money they actually get back. Now that would be absolutely icing on the cake of bureaucracy screwing up

[Mihalik]

I am just imagining the court case and all the administration to gain that money back, will outdo the money they actually get back. Now that would be absolutely icing on the cake of bureaucracy screwing up

Unfortunately that is unlikely. What typically happens in these scenarios is that the government hires a law firm to pursue mass lawsuits, where due to the bulk nature of the affair it costs them cents on the dollar to hound people into desperation.

[Deleted]

Once more, the US system punishes the people furthest down on the ladder instead of those at the top who made the mistake and can actually pay for it.
Capitalism as usual.

Do not blame capitalism for a poorly functioning state.
A necessary requirement for capitalism is a well functioning state.

[I Push Buttons]

OP you really need to redirect your anger where it belongs. Bush, the blank check warhawks and the pencil pushers at the Pentagon now.

Its Zombergy, that's not going to happen.

This is 100% Obama and Clinton's fault and nothing you say will ever change that in his mind.

[Mihalik]

Do not blame capitalism for a poorly functioning state.
A necessary requirement for capitalism is a well functioning state.

Again for like the 3rd time. It isn't actually the STATE OF CALIFORNIA. It's the California National Guard under the Pentagon. The money was from the Pentagon, and it's the Pentagon demanding it back.

The State of California as an entity has nothing to do with this.

[Templar 331]

I remember back when the wars were going on hearing about these really high enlistment bonuses and thinking "that's got to be to good to be true." Unfortunately for these soldiers it was.

Just another money scheme by a branch of the government already receiving far to much money.

[TrumpIsPresident]

OP you really need to redirect your anger where it belongs.

Its Zombergy, that's not going to happen.
This is 100% Obama and Clinton's fault and nothing you say will ever change that in his mind.

Fucking hilarious, the both of you.

I placed blame squaring where the blame belongs, in government - notice how I used the word government 5 times?

I didn't blame Obama, and I didn't blame Clinton.

Your posts are disingenuous and likely to start a political flame war.

[dextersmith]

Is this how little the US think of their people? Making them believe they were eligible to be used as pigs to the slaughter. Now profiting off them via interest when they're used up? It's a great business model. Too bad those soldiers can't refund their lives and sacrifices. I hope the young see how their country will betray them when they enlist; as if there aren't enough stories of homeless injured veterans abandoned by their government.

There you have it, lives and patriotism is worth nothing.

[I Push Buttons]

Fucking hilarious, the both of you.

I placed blame squaring where the blame belongs, in government - notice how I used the word government 5 times?

I didn't blame Obama, and I didn't blame Clinton.

Your posts are disingenuous and likely to start a political flame war.

You mentioned Clinton paying for it, California paying for it, and rich people in California (aka Democrats in general) paying for it.

ALL THREE of those had quite literally nothing to do with this.

[Crissi]

This is really disgusting. The Pentagon just needs to bite the bullet and absorb the loss, because that will be FAR less demoralizing in the long term.

[TrumpIsPresident]

Again for like the 3rd time. It isn't actually the STATE OF CALIFORNIA. It's the California National Guard under the Pentagon. The money was from the Pentagon, and it's the Pentagon demanding it back.

The State of California as an entity has nothing to do with this.

The California National Guard is under the purview of the California Military Department which under the purview of the Governor of California.

The money is from the Pentagon but it was mismanaged at the state level by persons within the California Military Department.

Other states and their agencies had issues during the period with over/under payment and fraud in the recruiting process but no state comes close to California in any measurement of the scandal.

So that's why California is getting singled out.

In general its a failure of government at multiple levels.

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You mentioned Clinton paying for it, California paying for it, and rich people in California (aka Democrats in general) paying for it.

ALL THREE of those had quite literally nothing to do with this.

Yea that's me expressing an opinion on who can step up and save the vets from having to cover government's mistake.

That is not me blaming people ...now is it?

[Deleted]

Again for like the 3rd time. It isn't actually the STATE OF CALIFORNIA. It's the California National Guard under the Pentagon. The money was from the Pentagon, and it's the Pentagon demanding it back.

The State of California as an entity has nothing to do with this.

Once more, the US system punishes the people furthest down on the ladder instead of those at the top who made the mistake and can actually pay for it.
Capitalism as usual.

In this context, state meant country.
California is not a country.
Did i mean California then?