GAO report: 94 percent of those in six units had pay problems
WHILE NATIONAL Guard soldiers fulfill their duty, risking their lives around the world, the Pentagon apparently is not living up to its obligation to pay them the right amount or on time. That’s according to a new congressional report obtained by NBC News, which finds the Pentagon’s pay process is such a mess it’s having “a profound financial impact on individual soldiers and their families.”
“This is well beyond anything I could ever imagine,” said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., “I would like to think if we send people off to war that we’re not going to have them worry about whether their home is going to be taken because they can’t pay their mortgage.”
One sergeant, who wanted his identity concealed, said when his unit was in Afghanistan chasing al-Qaida terrorists, every single soldier had pay problems — mostly late or missing checks.
In one Colorado unit, soldiers had their checks docked, to pay off $48,000 each in debt they did not owe. "They were mad, and they still are," insists Sgt. Blair Donaldson of the Colorado Air National Guard, "and justifiably so."
Wednesday night the Pentagon said only that it’s aware of the problem, agrees with the report, and is working to fix the system.
As a computer consultant and programmer I find this beyond bizarre. This is not some little glitch in the payroll system, this is a monumental screw-up. The first rule of computer programming for businesses or governments is, every other computer program can malfunction, but the payroll program must always work perfectly. Always always always.
