Posted on Dec 9, 2022
As a prior-service Soldier, does commissioning through ROTC change my pay date?
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The pay date on my LES reads as my enlistment date, and I am told this pay date actually needs added to it about a year and some change, and that I owe a lot of money. If I understand it right, it's because I had a break in service and I have to add the total amount of time equal to my break in service to the pay date to ensure I am getting paid appropriately.
I am cautious to share all of my personal career details in the public forum, but could PM someone if you are available to help me further. I would greatly appreciate a second opinion on this. If I owe money, fine. I just want to be sure.
I am transitioning from active to reserves and I am trying to square away my time in service for my DD 214, in fact I have been trying to square it away since I commissioned. I enlisted in ‘08, in ‘12 went into the reserves, and I contracted into ROTC in ’18. I did not enter the SMP, and I have a break in service until December 2019 when I commissioned. I completed a 1506 in 2020 with the finance office at FT. Lee that said all this. We sent it up, I thought I was good to go. Yet, I believe the DD 214 that transitions is showing me now does not reflect this. In order for them to fix it, they need a 1506 from another office and that office is telling me I owe money. Hence my current situation.
Again, I can send details via PM and I would greatly appreciate being schooled up on the situation.
I am cautious to share all of my personal career details in the public forum, but could PM someone if you are available to help me further. I would greatly appreciate a second opinion on this. If I owe money, fine. I just want to be sure.
I am transitioning from active to reserves and I am trying to square away my time in service for my DD 214, in fact I have been trying to square it away since I commissioned. I enlisted in ‘08, in ‘12 went into the reserves, and I contracted into ROTC in ’18. I did not enter the SMP, and I have a break in service until December 2019 when I commissioned. I completed a 1506 in 2020 with the finance office at FT. Lee that said all this. We sent it up, I thought I was good to go. Yet, I believe the DD 214 that transitions is showing me now does not reflect this. In order for them to fix it, they need a 1506 from another office and that office is telling me I owe money. Hence my current situation.
Again, I can send details via PM and I would greatly appreciate being schooled up on the situation.
Finance
ROTC
Military Pay
Time in Service
Transition
Edited 2 y ago
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 6
Short answer: Your PEBD will be adjusted.
Long answer: Your PEBD would stay the same as long as you didn't have a break in service (there are a couple of other things that could affect it, but they don't seem to apply in your situation). The time between when your enlistment contract ended (I assume sometime before you contracted in 2018) and your commissioning in 2019 doesn't count.
You can go through the entire process* of determining creditable time, but in your situation it would be easiest for you would be to add the amount of time you had as a break in service to your enlistment date.
Yeah ... sucks. Things they should tell people in your situation about going SMP - if you did, you wouldn't have had a break in service.
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* https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/archive/07aarch/07a01.pdf
Long answer: Your PEBD would stay the same as long as you didn't have a break in service (there are a couple of other things that could affect it, but they don't seem to apply in your situation). The time between when your enlistment contract ended (I assume sometime before you contracted in 2018) and your commissioning in 2019 doesn't count.
You can go through the entire process* of determining creditable time, but in your situation it would be easiest for you would be to add the amount of time you had as a break in service to your enlistment date.
Yeah ... sucks. Things they should tell people in your situation about going SMP - if you did, you wouldn't have had a break in service.
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* https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/archive/07aarch/07a01.pdf
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1LT (Join to see)
I think I am getting it. I appreciate it sir.
Another question, does training at advanced camp (Ft. Knox), for which cadets were on orders, count as time for that PEBD?
I would have done things a little different, knowing what I know now, but I did choose to leave the reserves and not continue via SMP (though I had been wearing the dot around my unit for years already). My family was just too busy that year, we needed the extra time.
Another question, does training at advanced camp (Ft. Knox), for which cadets were on orders, count as time for that PEBD?
I would have done things a little different, knowing what I know now, but I did choose to leave the reserves and not continue via SMP (though I had been wearing the dot around my unit for years already). My family was just too busy that year, we needed the extra time.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
1LT (Join to see) - No, your Cadet time is dead time unless you were SMP. But you said you enlisted in 2008, came off Active Duty in 2012 and then went into the Army Reserve until 2018? If that's the case, you should be paid at O-2E rate. Did you have over 1460 retirement points when you commissioned or over 4 years enlisted?
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1LT (Join to see)
CPT Lawrence Cable Yes, I squared that away at BOLC and had my "E" by the time I arrived at Fort Campbell.
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COL Randall C.
1LT (Join to see) - Apologies - I didn't read the rest of your response (question about cadet time). CPT Lawrence Cable is correct - you weren't in the military at the time so it doesn't count. You were on orders for pay and allowances.
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What office did you go to that told you that you will owe money? Career Counselors are the subject matter experts and the ones responsible for completing 1506s.
When you had one done before and it was submitted to finance, did the pay date on your LES change? It sounds like it didn't, meaning your 1506 was returned for corrections or just never submitted. If you get it fixed now you can submit a debt remission packet and it should be waived. If you wait till you separate you won't have that option. Finance does an audit of all the pays you received and should have received when you separate and you would walk away with a debt.
Assuming you were in the Reserves until you joined ROTC, you had a one or two year break in service, so that's how much later than your enlistment date your PEBD should be. Your IRR time if you have any, counts toward pay.
Again, your Career Counselor is the subject matter expert on calculating time in service and 1506 so they can explain your time to you
You don't need to worry about this being reflected on your 214, most 214s don't account anyway, it's irrelevant and not a valid source document for that source of information. The only valid information from that block is the start date and end date.
When you had one done before and it was submitted to finance, did the pay date on your LES change? It sounds like it didn't, meaning your 1506 was returned for corrections or just never submitted. If you get it fixed now you can submit a debt remission packet and it should be waived. If you wait till you separate you won't have that option. Finance does an audit of all the pays you received and should have received when you separate and you would walk away with a debt.
Assuming you were in the Reserves until you joined ROTC, you had a one or two year break in service, so that's how much later than your enlistment date your PEBD should be. Your IRR time if you have any, counts toward pay.
Again, your Career Counselor is the subject matter expert on calculating time in service and 1506 so they can explain your time to you
You don't need to worry about this being reflected on your 214, most 214s don't account anyway, it's irrelevant and not a valid source document for that source of information. The only valid information from that block is the start date and end date.
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1LT (Join to see)
Got it. And yes, first person I talked to was my career counselor. We're following up Monday. This is coming from a civilian office on post.
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1LT (Join to see)
I am tracking the remission packet, went to finance and picked up the template, anticipating I would have a debt. Let's say I don't get this issue fixed and I transfer to the reserves in a few weeks, would it be best to try and handle it then? Then I would have more time to submit the remission for debt forgiveness?
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MAJ Byron Oyler
1LT (Join to see) - If you are active now, absolute best option is to finish while AD. Once you move to the reserves, different people and different cares in the world. This is not something that will get better with time.
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They will probably have to recompile your Basic Active Service Date!
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