FY 2007 Stipend (long)

dry dre · Sep 30, 2006

2007 Defense Appropriations Act (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-5122)

SEC. 564. INCREASE IN BENEFITS UNDER HEALTH PROFESSIONS SCHOLARSHIP AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) STIPEND.--Section 2121(d) of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``the rate of $579 per month'' and inserting ``in an amount not to exceed $30,000 per year''; and
(2) by striking ``That rate'' and inserting ``The maximum amount of the stipend''.
(b) ANNUAL GRANT.--Section 2127(e) of such title is amended--
(1) by striking ``$15,000'' and inserting ``in an amount not to exceed $45,000''; and
(2) by striking ``The amount'' and inserting``The maximum amount''.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.--The amendments made by this section shall take effect on October 1, 2006.
(d) PROHIBITION ADJUSTMENTS 2007.--No adjustment under subsection (d) of section 2122 of title 10, United States Code, in the maximum amount of the stipend payable under such section 2122, and no adjustment under subsection (e) of section 2127 of such title in the maximum amount of the annual grant payable under such section 2127, shall be made in 2007.

The New Law (ie as ammended by the 2007 appropriations act)

Bold = new law (changes)
Green= pertinent for pay dates (not changes, just my emphasis)

USC Title 10, Chapter 2121

(a) For the purpose of obtaining adequate numbers of commissioned officers on active duty who are qualified in the various health professions, the Secretary of each military department, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, may establish and maintain a health professions scholarship and financial assistance program for his department.
(b) The program shall consist of courses of study and specialized training in designated health professions, with obligatory periods of military training.
(c) Persons participating in the program shall be commissioned officers in reserve components of the armed forces. Members pursuing a course of study shall serve on active duty in pay grade O1 with full pay and allowances of that grade for a period of 45 days during each year of participation in the program. Members pursuing specialized training shall serve on active duty in a pay grade commensurate with their educational level, as determined by appointment under section 12207 of this title, with full pay and allowances of that grade for a period of 14 days during each year of participation in the program. They shall be detailed as students at accredited civilian institutions, located in the United States or Puerto Rico, for the purpose of acquiring knowledge or training in a designated health profession. In addition, members of the program shall, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, receive military and professional training and instruction.
(d) Except when serving on active duty pursuant to subsection (c), a member of the program shall be entitled to a stipend at in an amount not to exceed $30,000 per year. The maximum amount of the stipend rate shall be increased annually by the Secretary of Defense effective on July 1 of each year by an amount (rounded to the next highest multiple of $1) equal to
(1) the amount of such stipend (as previously adjusted (if at all), multiplied by
(2) the overall percentage of the adjustment (if such adjustment is an increase) in the rates of basic pay for members of the uniformed services made effective for the fiscal year in which the school year ends.

2127. Scholarships and financial assistance: payments

(a) The Secretary of Defense may provide for the payment of all educational expenses incurred by a member of the program, including tuition, fees, books, and laboratory expenses. Such payments, however, shall be limited to those educational expenses normally incurred by students at the institution and in the health profession concerned who are not members of the program.
(b) The Secretary of Defense may contract with an accredited civilian educational institution for the payment of tuition and other educational expenses of members of the program authorized by this subchapter. Payment to such institutions may be made without regard to subsections (a) and (b) of section 3324 of title 31.
(c) Payments made under subsection (b) shall not cover any expenses other than those covered by subsection (a).
(d) When the Secretary of Defense determines, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, that an accredited civilian educational institution has increased its total enrollment for the sole purpose of accepting members of the program covered by this subchapter, he may provide under a contract with such an institution for additional payments to cover the portion of the increased costs of the additional enrollment which are not covered by the institutions normal tuition and fees.
(e) A person participating as a member of the program in specialized training shall be paid an annual grant in an amount not to exceed $45,000 in addition to the stipend under section 2121 (d) of this title. The maximum amount of the grant shall be increased annually by the Secretary of Defense, effective July 1 of each year, in the same manner as provided for stipends.

Obviously the 2122 typo was left in (should read 2121).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some discussion. I don't know why there are so many reads on this legislation...

-This is a FY2007 budget, not a FY2008 budget etc. These changes are the law on Oct 1, 2006 (or whenever the bill is signed). The prohibitions put a freeze during 2007 on the statutory increases outlined in 2121 and 2127 (ie so that no increase above the 30/45k max will occur by adding the percent increase in basic pay factor).

-If you're already getting a stipend, I see nothing that says DOD has to increase your stipend/FAP grant before July 1, 2007. If history is any guide, BOHICA.

-The changes designate what the maximum amount of the stipend COULD be changed to, not what they WILL be changed to. In the near future this will be parsed out...

-Note that no minimum is listed; nothing states that all recipients have to be offered the same amounts.

-There are reports from the house committee makes one wonder if the stipends might be reduced in the future: See page 338 from the House Armed Services Committee: http://armedservices.house.gov/NDAA2007CommiteeReport.pdf
"Section 621Pilot Program for Recruitment Bonus for Critical
Health Care Specialties
"This section would authorize the Secretary of Defense to estab-
lish a two-year pilot program to offer additional financial recruiting
incentives under the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship
and Financial Assistance Program for up to five critical medical
specialties. The Secretary would be required to submit a mid-term
and final report on lessons learned from the pilot program to the
Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House Committee on
Armed Services."

-I'd be curious to learn from any HPSP/FAP recipients if their contracts provided a guarantee that there stipend/FAP bonus would not go down...

-If the big bucks don't start flowing soon after this bill is law, I suspect medical recruiters will hear nothing but crickets chirping while all the would-be HPSP and FAP folks wait for next July. Maybe they'll first offer 20k/year and see how many bite...25k etc...only go up PRN.

-At any rate, not paying up everyone quick and offering the highest amounts to everyone will likely only stir up the already perturbed ranks.

BOHICA-FIGMO · Sep 30, 2006

Thanks for the post DrDre. Is the 5121 language considered a part of the 5163 defense authorization bill or is it to be considered seperately? I think that is the source of everyone's confusion. I guess that is why I decided to become a doctor not a lawyer ;-). If passed, the 5121 bill makes it sound like 1 July 2008 is when our stipends should increase should the services, if they decide that people are worth more than F-22s or submarines, decide to do so.

MedicalCorpse · Sep 30, 2006

BOHICA-FIGMO said:
...if they decide that people are worth more than F-22s or submarines, decide to do so.

Big if. The multinational corporations that make the F-22s and subs contribute more to our Congress People's campaigns than average Joe/Jane military docs by a factor of, um, googolplex or so. No matter what anyone says negative about our Congressional representatives and senators, they can do the proverbial math.

--
R
Still waiting for military docs to be more highly valued than O-7 furniture.
http://www.medicalcorpse.com

Tooth · Oct 7, 2006

dry dre said:
2007 Defense Appropriations Act (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-5122)

SEC. 564. INCREASE IN BENEFITS UNDER HEALTH PROFESSIONS SCHOLARSHIP AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) STIPEND.--Section 2121(d) of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``the rate of $579 per month'' and inserting ``in an amount not to exceed $30,000 per year''; and
(2) by striking ``That rate'' and inserting ``The maximum amount of the stipend''.
(b) ANNUAL GRANT.--Section 2127(e) of such title is amended--
(1) by striking ``$15,000'' and inserting ``in an amount not to exceed $45,000''; and
(2) by striking ``The amount'' and inserting``The maximum amount''.
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.--The amendments made by this section shall take effect on October 1, 2006.
(d) PROHIBITION ADJUSTMENTS 2007.--No adjustment under subsection (d) of section 2122 of title 10, United States Code, in the maximum amount of the stipend payable under such section 2122, and no adjustment under subsection (e) of section 2127 of such title in the maximum amount of the annual grant payable under such section 2127, shall be made in 2007.

The New Law (ie as ammended by the 2007 appropriations act)

Bold = new law (changes)
Green= pertinent for pay dates (not changes, just my emphasis)

USC Title 10, Chapter 2121

(a) For the purpose of obtaining adequate numbers of commissioned officers on active duty who are qualified in the various health professions, the Secretary of each military department, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, may establish and maintain a health professions scholarship and financial assistance program for his department.
(b) The program shall consist of courses of study and specialized training in designated health professions, with obligatory periods of military training.
(c) Persons participating in the program shall be commissioned officers in reserve components of the armed forces. Members pursuing a course of study shall serve on active duty in pay grade O1 with full pay and allowances of that grade for a period of 45 days during each year of participation in the program. Members pursuing specialized training shall serve on active duty in a pay grade commensurate with their educational level, as determined by appointment under section 12207 of this title, with full pay and allowances of that grade for a period of 14 days during each year of participation in the program. They shall be detailed as students at accredited civilian institutions, located in the United States or Puerto Rico, for the purpose of acquiring knowledge or training in a designated health profession. In addition, members of the program shall, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, receive military and professional training and instruction.
(d) Except when serving on active duty pursuant to subsection (c), a member of the program shall be entitled to a stipend at in an amount not to exceed $30,000 per year. The maximum amount of the stipend rate shall be increased annually by the Secretary of Defense effective on July 1 of each year by an amount (rounded to the next highest multiple of $1) equal to
(1) the amount of such stipend (as previously adjusted (if at all), multiplied by
(2) the overall percentage of the adjustment (if such adjustment is an increase) in the rates of basic pay for members of the uniformed services made effective for the fiscal year in which the school year ends.

2127. Scholarships and financial assistance: payments

(a) The Secretary of Defense may provide for the payment of all educational expenses incurred by a member of the program, including tuition, fees, books, and laboratory expenses. Such payments, however, shall be limited to those educational expenses normally incurred by students at the institution and in the health profession concerned who are not members of the program.
(b) The Secretary of Defense may contract with an accredited civilian educational institution for the payment of tuition and other educational expenses of members of the program authorized by this subchapter. Payment to such institutions may be made without regard to subsections (a) and (b) of section 3324 of title 31.
(c) Payments made under subsection (b) shall not cover any expenses other than those covered by subsection (a).
(d) When the Secretary of Defense determines, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, that an accredited civilian educational institution has increased its total enrollment for the sole purpose of accepting members of the program covered by this subchapter, he may provide under a contract with such an institution for additional payments to cover the portion of the increased costs of the additional enrollment which are not covered by the institutions normal tuition and fees.
(e) A person participating as a member of the program in specialized training shall be paid an annual grant in an amount not to exceed $45,000 in addition to the stipend under section 2121 (d) of this title. The maximum amount of the grant shall be increased annually by the Secretary of Defense, effective July 1 of each year, in the same manner as provided for stipends.

Obviously the 2122 typo was left in (should read 2121).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some discussion. I don't know why there are so many reads on this legislation...

-This is a FY2007 budget, not a FY2008 budget etc. These changes are the law on Oct 1, 2006 (or whenever the bill is signed). The prohibitions put a freeze during 2007 on the statutory increases outlined in 2121 and 2127 (ie so that no increase above the 30/45k max will occur by adding the percent increase in basic pay factor).

-If you're already getting a stipend, I see nothing that says DOD has to increase your stipend/FAP grant before July 1, 2007. If history is any guide, BOHICA.

-The changes designate what the maximum amount of the stipend COULD be changed to, not what they WILL be changed to. In the near future this will be parsed out...

-Note that no minimum is listed; nothing states that all recipients have to be offered the same amounts.

-There are reports from the house committee makes one wonder if the stipends might be reduced in the future: See page 338 from the House Armed Services Committee: http://armedservices.house.gov/NDAA2007CommiteeReport.pdf
"Section 621Pilot Program for Recruitment Bonus for Critical
Health Care Specialties
"This section would authorize the Secretary of Defense to estab-
lish a two-year pilot program to offer additional financial recruiting
incentives under the Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship
and Financial Assistance Program for up to five critical medical
specialties. The Secretary would be required to submit a mid-term
and final report on lessons learned from the pilot program to the
Senate Committee on Armed Services and the House Committee on
Armed Services."

-I'd be curious to learn from any HPSP/FAP recipients if their contracts provided a guarantee that there stipend/FAP bonus would not go down...

-If the big bucks don't start flowing soon after this bill is law, I suspect medical recruiters will hear nothing but crickets chirping while all the would-be HPSP and FAP folks wait for next July. Maybe they'll first offer 20k/year and see how many bite...25k etc...only go up PRN.

-At any rate, not paying up everyone quick and offering the highest amounts to everyone will likely only stir up the already perturbed ranks.

Do you think the "prohibition adjustments 2007" part just refers to that there will be no "further" adjustments made in 2007? Because the "Effective Date" of these adjustments is Oct 1, 2006, as written just before the "prohibition adjustments".

DD214_DOC · Oct 7, 2006

Tooth said:
Do you think the "prohibition adjustments 2007" part just refers to that there will be no "further" adjustments made in 2007? Because the "Effective Date" of these adjustments is Oct 1, 2006, as written just before the "prohibition adjustments".

The version of the bill (there are 6) presented to the President for his signature reads a bit differently than what dry dre posted. Here it is:

===================================================

SEC. 538. HEALTH PROFESSIONS SCHOLARSHIP AND FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR ACTIVE SERVICE.

(a) Maximum Stipend Amount- Section 2121(d) of title 10, United States Code, is amended--

(1) by striking `at the rate of $579 per month' and inserting `at a monthly rate established by the Secretary of Defense, but not to exceed a total of $30,000 per year'; and

(2) by striking `That rate' and inserting `The maximum annual amount of the stipend'.

(b) Maximum Annual Grant- Section 2127(e) of such title is amended--

(1) by striking `$15,000' and inserting `in an amount not to exceed $45,000'; and

(2) by striking `The amount' and inserting `The maximum amount'.

(c) Report on Program- Not later than March 1, 2007, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Congress a report on the Health Professions Scholarship and Financial Assistance Program for Active Service under subchapter I of chapter 105 of title 10, United States Code. The report shall include the following:

(1) An assessment of the success of each military department in achieving its recruiting goals under the program during each of fiscal years 2000 through 2006.

(2) If any military department failed to achieve its recruiting goals under the program during any fiscal year covered by paragraph (1), an explanation of the failure of the military department to achieve such goal during such fiscal year.

(3) An assessment of the adequacy of the stipend authorized by section 2121(d) of title 10, United States Code, in meeting the objectives of the program.

(4) Such recommendations for legislative or administrative action as the Secretary considers appropriate to enhance the effectiveness of the program in meeting the annual recruiting goals of the military departments for medical personnel covered by the program.

(d) Effective Date-

(1) IN GENERAL- The amendments made by this section shall take effect on October 1, 2006.

(2) PROHIBITION ON ADJUSTMENTS- The adjustments required by the second sentence of subsection (d) of section 2121 of title 10, United States Code, and the second sentence of subsection (e) of section 2127 of such title to be made in 2007 shall not be made

==============================================

Sentence (2) of Sec 2121 (d) of Title 10 is the typical yearly percentage increase in the stipend. This version of the bill is a little less ambiguous than previous versions.

So, that's that. As long as the President signs it, we get our stipend increase retroactive I guess to October 1, 2006 with no percentage increase in 2007. Now, when they actually decide to raise the stipend is another story. $20 says the Air Force doesn't do it because they're already meeting their recruiting goals. Navy will do it before Army. Any takers?

Tooth · Oct 7, 2006

$20 says the Air Force doesn't do it because they're already meeting their recruiting goals. Navy will do it before Army. Any takers?[/QUOTE said:
That's what I initially thought, but knowing how the Air Force always has the "Best" of everything, I really doubt they're going stand back and look like cheapos. My guess is that the Army will be fastest, followed by the Air Force, and then the Navy. Why? Because I have that kind of luck (I'm Navy), and there's a reason why people pick the Navy last, paperwork can be really slow.

MedicalCorpse · Oct 7, 2006

Tooth said:
That's what I initially thought, but knowing how the Air Force always has the "Best" of everything, I really doubt they're going stand back and look like cheapos.

Who says the USAF "always has the 'Best' of everything"???

Were they "cheapos" enough to deny me AFIT funding to attend the final medical conference of my (aborted) career? Yes.

Were they "cheapos" enough to pay my ISP late nearly every SINGLE year after 1997 or so? Yes.

Were they "cheapos" enough to look at me, a LtCol Board Certified anesthesiologist physician, as an appropriate replacement for the PACU nurses they didn't want to pay for? Yes.

Were they "cheapos" enough to put me into a CCU deployment team in a respiratory therapist slot, because they didn't feel like hiring and/or retaining enough RTs (ping: Dropkick Murphy, yet again)? Yes.

Were they "cheapos" enough to deny TRICARE reimbursement for a $4000.00 anesthesia bill for my autistic son, resulting in weeks of struggle on my part to keep the bill from going to collections? Yes.

Were they "cheapos" enough force me to pay back a "debt" created when they f***ed up my pay over 12 months, rather than in smaller bits over my then 11 year ADSC? Yes.

Were they "cheapos" enough to mandate active duty docs to devote a Saturday to cleaning up the woeful mess of the Gold Team Primary Care records room, because the regular enlisted maroons and senile volunteers couldn't handle it? Yes.

Did they or did they not force clinics to close so that physicians and other "providers" could pick up leaves and sticks left behind by hurricane Isabel? Yes.

I could go on forever, as you may imagine, but I won't.

All of the military services are run by "cheapos", who irrationally expect their minions to do more work with less (pay, morale, support, funding, prestige, quality) ad infinitum. May the Goddess preserve our poor troops when these turkeys come home to roost.

Your humble, avian-analogy-obsessed curmudgeon,

BOHICA-FIGMO · Oct 7, 2006

Okay, I've done a little more homework on this. So, how are people arriving at 1 July 07 as the date for increase in the stipend? The bill prohibits adjustments in FY 07, so to me, it sounds like we won't see an increase until Oct 07 or later (FY 07 ends on 30 Sep 07). Any thoughts?

DD214_DOC · Oct 7, 2006

MedicalCorpse said:
Your humble, avian-analogy-obsessed curmudgeon,

Thanks for hijacking the thread to use as your personal soapbox. You got screwed by the Air Force -- we got the hint in the 20020202 other posts you've made.

To BOHICA,

The bill prohibits the traditional yearly percentage increase that we get every year, not the initial increase of the stipend based upon the new maximum, whatever it may be. Ergo, we should get a substantial increase to X amount, but the yearly % increase we get every year won't happen next year. Basically, we still get the same stipend every month for two years instead of one.

MedicalCorpse · Oct 7, 2006

HooahDOc said:
Thanks for hijacking the thread to use as your personal soapbox. You got screwed by the Air Force -- we got the hint in the 20020202 other posts you've made.

I dispute this label. I am no hijacker. The poster stated that the Air Force always gets the best of everything, and that they (the USAF) couldn't possibly be "cheapos". I responded to these statements. Now, folks who digress into Angelina Jolie and uniforms from CBT (my earlier thread) or sectarian religious pigeonholing (another thread) might be correctly accused of this evidently terrible crime of "thread hijacking". I was commenting on monetary issues on a monetary thread. I think your characterization of my post is unfair.

IMHO, those who use this term "thread hijacking" are those who wish to stifle dissent. I have never seen anyone who posts "negative" issues on this forum scream the H word to make others shut up.

My post was on topic. You don't agree with it. Fine. Ignore it. While you're at it, ignore this post as well. In fact, ignore everything I post. Easily enough done, as you well know.

Now, on to discussion of FY 2007 stipend issues, already in progress.

aau22 · Oct 9, 2006

Wow is this really going to happen??? Anyone have any contacts that havebeen able to confirm anything? I pretty much thought this was a never gonna happen kind of thing even if the code was changed...So the actual language allows the increase for this current year but just no 2.2% bump in july?

SquidDoc · Oct 11, 2006

Well a few hpsp'ers in my class just got a crazy jump in pay! Did everyone else notice an extra 1k in their account????

edit* after further investigation, it seems that this pay was some sort of "other credits" pay, and was not taxable. Either they messed up one of my reimbursements, or this may represents some other sort of pay that I have yet to understand.

DD214_DOC · Oct 11, 2006

SquidDoc said:
Well a few hpsp'ers in my class just got a crazy jump in pay! Did everyone else notice an extra 1k in their account????

edit* after further investigation, it seems that this pay was some sort of "other credits" pay, and was not taxable. Either they messed up one of my reimbursements, or this may represents some other sort of pay that I have yet to understand.

We're not even sure how you're getting paid this early.

MedicalCorpse · Oct 11, 2006

SquidDoc said:
edit* after further investigation, it seems that this pay was some sort of "other credits" pay, and was not taxable. Either they messed up one of my reimbursements, or this may represents some other sort of pay that I have yet to understand.

I vote A: They messed up, and will expect you to pay back the incorrectly deposited money as a "debt" you owe to Uncle Sam.

If I am wrong, and they suddenly gave HPSP folks *nontaxable* raises, well, hay-ull, bravo! You earned it! Enjoy.

But, after 24 years of dealing with military finance dweebs (1981-2005), I really don't think I'm wrong. They're about as reliable as inebriated meerkats, and half as smart.

--
R

psychbender · Oct 11, 2006

SquidDoc, you're not alone. I just checked my account and saw about $600 deposited that I cannot account for. My textbook reimbursements for this period only came to ~$200, so maybe this has to do with the (at school) ADT I just finished September 30? Weird.

SquidDoc · Oct 11, 2006

My check, on a non-pay day (oct 6th??) was $2009.83. It says "other credits" were $1547, and books/supplies reimbursements were $552.

Further down on the LES it notes, "BAH BACK PAYMENT FOR LES DTD 060501 TO 060614". I assume that this means that they back paid me for BAH that I have not received since 060501, which is 17 months...~$91 a month. This is strange. I am not sure if it is because I have 10 yrs of service on my LES or not, but that is what it reads.

Having 10 yrs of service, I plan on not spending a dime of this money...ever. I do know that if this is an DFAS error, they will gladly take the money back whenever they feel is convenient for them, and will not notify me first.

Mirror Form · Oct 13, 2006

MedicalCorpse said:
I dispute this label. I am no hijacker. The poster stated that the Air Force always gets the best of everything,

Actually, you sort of are a hijacker. Your point would have been relevant, but you wrote the post in such a way so as to turn it more into a mouthpiece for your views.

FliteSurgn · Oct 13, 2006

SquidDoc said:
Further down on the LES it notes, "BAH BACK PAYMENT FOR LES DTD 060501 TO 060614". I assume that this means that they back paid me for BAH that I have not received since 060501, which is 17 months...~$91 a month. This is strange. I am not sure if it is because I have 10 yrs of service on my LES or not, but that is what it reads.

Actually, the period of 060501 to 060614 is 45 days. 060501=May 1, 06 and 060614=June 14, 2006 in military finance speak. Since the period is 45 days, I assume this corresponds to an ADT that you performed.

BUNavyDoc · Oct 15, 2006

I'm not sure if this is applicable since I'm new to HPSP, but...

When I was at OIS this summer, everyone mentioned something about this happened starting October (new fiscal year), so I don't think it's total bull****. I'm also hoping it's not since I have a huge chunk of change in my account as well!

Basically, what the people at OIS said was that we would be getting active pay as opposed to stipend. The money in my account is ensign pay, so that makes sense.

Yay!!!

DD214_DOC · Oct 15, 2006

BUNavyDoc said:
I'm not sure if this is applicable since I'm new to HPSP, but...

When I was at OIS this summer, everyone mentioned something about this happened starting October (new fiscal year), so I don't think it's total bull****. I'm also hoping it's not since I have a huge chunk of change in my account as well!

Basically, what the people at OIS said was that we would be getting active pay as opposed to stipend. The money in my account is ensign pay, so that makes sense.

Yay!!!

The pay you just received I'm sure has something to do with your OIS and not an increase in stipend/change to AD pay, unless you're the only person on HPSP who got the stipend increase

BUNavyDoc · Oct 15, 2006

Doubtful, since I was reimbursed for all my OIS stuff months ago, when I finished and since I've been getting normal stipend up until now. Maybe I'm just optimistic

I suppose we'll see in two weeks!

BUNavyDoc · Oct 15, 2006

EXCELLENT! So it wasn't just me!!!

I'm hoping this is for real!!!!!

NavyFP · Oct 16, 2006

The extra money Navy HPSP students are getting is the difference between BAH I and BAH II. Last years law provided that all reservists on active duty for greater than 30 days get the usual BAH which is based on zip code. This tends to be higher than the flat rate of BAH II. It was intended for reservists called up for the Global War on Terrorism, but the law of unintended consequenses gives HPSP students a little extra money. So the extra cash coming to your bank acount is a one shot deal.

Have any Army or AF HPSP students seen any of this action?

cincityghost · Oct 24, 2006

seen any bumps in pay, I have not. i've been hearing these rumors too. seems too good to be true, but man wouldn't it would be nice to have our pay doubled.

~army HPSPer

jmspilka · Nov 14, 2006

I got the bonus too. About 1500 extra was nice at first..then they realized it was paid in error from some system wide error and now DFAS is withholding my stipend until the amount is paid off. Beware navy LES bearing extra pay!! But on that note during OIS in summer 2006 we were told that a bonus of 20K was goign to be given to every HPSP officer. Anyone hear anything about that whole thing or was it just another enticing recruitment trick?

NavyFP · Nov 15, 2006

jmspilka said:
I got the bonus too. About 1500 extra was nice at first..then they realized it was paid in error from some system wide error and now DFAS is withholding my stipend until the amount is paid off. Beware navy LES bearing extra pay!! But on that note during OIS in summer 2006 we were told that a bonus of 20K was goign to be given to every HPSP officer. Anyone hear anything about that whole thing or was it just another enticing recruitment trick?

The people who were eligible for the BAH adjustment were:

1) Anyone on school orders after 1 Jan 06
2) Anyone with dependants on orders after 1 Jan 06
I hear OIS did not count because they provide lodging, but if you have dependants you should get it. (they have to live somewhere)

If you got full BAH II for part of your orders there should have a slight adjustment.

cyclegirl · Nov 15, 2006

Anyone who goes on active duty, included training (like OIS), with dependents will get full BAH. I learned that the hard way. The Navy gave me an extra $1100 and when I called to ask what it was for they said it was BAH back pay for the time I was at OIS. Then a month later I was informed that they will not pay me my stipend until the money is payed back because they did not realize that I did not have dependents. The moral of the story is if you get extra money and even if you call them to verify that it was not a mistake do not spend the money for a couple of months because they may take it back. But if you have dependents you will get full BAH while on active duty.

MedicalCorpse · Nov 16, 2006

cyclegirl said:
Anyone who goes on active duty, included training (like OIS), with dependents will get full BAH. I learned that the hard way. The Navy gave me an extra $1100 and when I called to ask what it was for they said it was BAH back pay for the time I was at OIS. Then a month later I was informed that they will not pay me my stipend until the money is payed back because they did not realize that I did not have dependents. The moral of the story is if you get extra money and even if you call them to verify that it was not a mistake do not spend the money for a couple of months because they may take it back. But if you have dependents you will get full BAH while on active duty.

Welcome to the military, where galactic incompetence is ubiquitous, deployment is mandatory, but pay is optional.

"Accelerate your insolvency." <-- New Navy Motto

"Non sibi sed stultori" <-- "Not For Self But For Stupid People" (New Motto 2)

--
R

BOHICA-FIGMO · Nov 18, 2006

cyclegirl said:
Anyone who goes on active duty, included training (like OIS), with dependents will get full BAH. I learned that the hard way. The Navy gave me an extra $1100 and when I called to ask what it was for they said it was BAH back pay for the time I was at OIS. Then a month later I was informed that they will not pay me my stipend until the money is payed back because they did not realize that I did not have dependents. The moral of the story is if you get extra money and even if you call them to verify that it was not a mistake do not spend the money for a couple of months because they may take it back. But if you have dependents you will get full BAH while on active duty.

Yeah, you only get this if you are married. Now, tell me, is there ANY civilian corporation in the WORLD, that pays married employees more than single employees? The DoD must abandon this archaic 1950's social model and give us single folks equal pay for equal work!

MedicalCorpse · Nov 18, 2006

BOHICA-FIGMO said:
The DoD must abandon this archaic 1950's social model and give us single folks equal pay for equal work!

The way finance is run in the U.S. military, you're lucky if you get ANY pay for your hard work defending our Constitution. Just try to go to finance for help after your clinic closes/after the O.R. elective schedule is done (1600-1630): the military pay dweebs will have shut off their lights and locked their doors at 1400, EVEN if they are still physically around playing FreeCell on the government dime. Oh, and every Friday, and before every Federal holiday, you'll note that finance (and the MPF/MilPers) will be closed after NOON for:

"unit PT"
"training"
"a special event"
"an exercise"
"deployment processing"
"a retirement ceremony"
"minimal manning due to lack of planning by the Pentagon to ensure adequate numbers of trained bodies to provide critical pay support for busy warfighters and their families"
some other bogus excuse for getting a head start on their weekends.

Now, as a military physician, you try shutting down the O.R.s at noon because you are "minimally manned", or taking only patients with "appoinments" in your E.D. except between the hours of 0930 and 1000 on alternate Tuesdays.

And when you do get to sit down with the Military Finance two-striper to fix your mucked up pay, guess what: MSgt Soandso, the only one who actually knows how to fix your complex problem, is (pick one):

On leave
TDY
Deployed
Attending a function across base
In a training session
On quarters
PCSing
AWOL (Absent With Obtuse Loser subordinates wasting government oxygen until her return)

However, Major Doctor, feel free to return next Tuesday between the hours of 0930 and 0931, but only if there's a new moon and a neap tide... otherwise, Finance will be closed for...

If any other organization screwed its hard-working physicians (and others) so badly, and so routinely, they would all quit en masse...oh, wait, you can't quit the military, so they don't have to give you good service...or any service at all, for that matter (Do It Yourself LeaveWeb, MyPay, bonus paperwork you have to print out in your copious free time, etc.).

So, if you have already signed your life away for the Thirty Pieces of Silver which is HPSP/USU/FAP: get used to financial nightmares caused by the military's incompetent support staff. You will deploy, but won't get the hazardous duty pay/separation allowance you are owed. If your money is tax-free while deployed (if), the finance idiots will incorrectly continue to make it tax-free after your return. Your bonuses will be late, due to lack of funding and lack of caring on the part of the military hierarchy. If some two-striper pencil pusher messes up your pay, and you don't catch it immediately (like, for example, you are working 80 hours/week as a resident, or 120 hours/week as an attending), the military will declare that you owe the U.S. Treasury a "debt" (as if you drove up to Ft. Knox and stole a brick of gold, instead of being a helpless victim of military malfeasance and lack of fiduciary duty on the part of a system which SHOULD be treating its hard-working, life-risking, grindstone-shouldering troops like family, rather than like offal).

If you haven't already signed your life away: you are warned.

QED

--
R

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