IPPS-A Issues

[Steve_Zissou]

So, I got approved to receive the STRAP reserve stipend as a resident. I have been waiting on my orders for promotion, and subsequently STRAP stipend since December. I’m approved for back pay through last May for stipend and rank. I’m getting frustrated at how long these orders are taking though. It’s been over 3 months and recently got an email stating that they’re still working on it on IPPS-A but they dont have an estimated time until the orders will actually be in for some nebulous, not well explained reason.

Anyone else running into this issue? Anyone have more insight into issues with IPPS-A?

Wondering if this is something I should elevate to IG with an email?

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[Steve_Zissou]

I’m also getting frustrated because I’m counting on that money to ease the stress of a large move for my advanced program after completing intern year. Moving is expensive AF and my advanced program does not offer any kind of assistance. Fortunately I have some savings aNd family that can help but still.

 

[CCM-MD]

It's been almost 3 months since I commissioned and still waiting for my initial orders assigning to APMC/Unit. Can't do anything until I get those. I've been told its due to IPPS-A and have not been given a timeline. I've been emailing my recruiter and others to follow up periodically but no progress thus far and so the waiting game continues.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

It's been almost 3 months since I commissioned and still waiting for my initial orders assigning to APMC/Unit. Can't do anything until I get those. I've been told it’s due to IPPS-A and have not been given a timeline. I've been emailing my recruiter and others to follow up periodically but no progress thus far and so the waiting game continues.

Wild that they don‘t seem to have any contingent in place to hand-jam orders or something to get these things done. I’ve emailed some leadership at my unit and have heard zip other than an email a few weeks ago stating that I would get an email once my orders were done.

 

[DMBandFan86]

3 months isn’t a lot of time at the Army’s perspective. It is a positive that they have communicated to you that they are working on it and you are guaranteed back pay. The typical Army reserve takes 3-6+ months to get any paperwork done if going above your unit level.

Realize, the govt needs about 10-20 people to do 1 normal persons job. And that sort of work ethic is encouraged and rewarded.

The IG isn’t going to do anything. Anyways, I’d wait 5-6 months before filling. All they are going to say is someone is working on it. You can also do a congressional appeal. Sometimes they can be helpful if you can get the senators office to do anything. That again takes 3-6+ months to get a response.

Anyways you have joined one of the most inefficient operations possible. You will continue to see things like this throughout your reserve career. But eventually you will get paid.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

3 months isn’t a lot of time at the Army’s perspective. It is a positive that they have communicated to you that they are working on it and you are guaranteed back pay. The typical Army reserve takes 3-6+ months to get any paperwork done if going above your unit level.

Realize, the govt needs about 10-20 people to do 1 normal persons job. And that sort of work ethic is encouraged and rewarded.

The IG isn’t going to do anything. Anyways, I’d wait 5-6 months before filling. All they are going to say is someone is working on it. You can also do a congressional appeal. Sometimes they can be helpful if you can get the senators office to do anything. That again takes 3-6+ months to get a response.

Anyways you have joined one of the most inefficient operations possible. You will continue to see things like this throughout your reserve career. But eventually you will get paid.

Really frustrating that it takes so damn long. I guess it’s good that I’m going to get back pay. At this point, it’ll be >$20,000 in a big chunk.

Anyone know if they do back pay for the HPLRP? Was supposed to start for me this coming May, which would be one year after strap was supposed to start. Hoping they will, but who knows

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Would suck to get hit with a huge tax bill from HPLRP + strap back pay all coming in at once, but better than not having it.

 

[TheEarDoc]

So for some reference. I got order of merit wait listed for a year due to all reserve slots for AOC being filled for the year after my packet hit the board. Then I had to re-board for the next year and got a slot. I commissioned in December. I didn't get orders cut until the end of April. That was before all the IPPS-A issues.

Now as a company level S1 I will tell you IPPS-A is a complete charlie foxtrot. We haven't been given half the stuff we were promised with IPPS-A. Tons of stuff has disappeared from records (and even though we told our soldiers to make sure they had paper copies and electronic copies of everything several times before the IPPS-A conversion of course most of them did nothing and now they are missing stuff). S1 and S3 are overloaded across the reserves right now. Many of these folks handling these issues are also not full time folks so we have other jobs too full-time.

APMC is having the same issues, but as others have said civilian workforce in the DOD is very lackluster usually. I have my own gripes about APMC (and being attached to them), but I won't go into those. Suffice it to say things are a mess for everything to do with personnel right now.

Hang in there. It hasn't been that long in military time for you even when things were going as they typically do, but you are dealing with the DOD during a chaos time so extra patience will have to be had.

I would also caution you about going the IG route. You don't want to start making waves before you even get through the door. IG isn't going to do anything at this point other than say "you need to wait and be patient. People are working on it. It has only been X number of days, IPPS-A is being rolled out, etc. etc. etc." and then you also risk pissing off some of the folks that you are going to have to depend on for a lot in your career. If they feel you are a problem to deal with (Yes I know it's crazy that expecting someone to do their job makes you a problem to deal with!) then trust me they can make your life miserable. I've seen it happen.

Just hang in there and be patient. You are learning a valuable lesson here early. Always have a course of action A, B, C, hell maybe even D to deal with problems especially financial ones because I can tell you Uncle Sam will mess up orders, they will mess up pay, and you will be the one who suffers when it happens.

I say this as I just spent this morning tracking down folks in APMC to get a 1380 status update for pay and points I submitted almost a month ago and haven't received anything for yet. It's going to happen. Sometimes you just have to realize the system sucks and nothing you can do but push a few folks as politically correct as possible and have some patience.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

So for some reference. I got order of merit wait listed for a year due to all reserve slots for AOC being filled for the year after my packet hit the board. Then I had to re-board for the next year and got a slot. I commissioned in December. I didn't get orders cut until the end of April. That was before all the IPPS-A issues.

Now as a company level S1 I will tell you IPPS-A is a complete charlie foxtrot. We haven't been given half the stuff we were promised with IPPS-A. Tons of stuff has disappeared from records (and even though we told our soldiers to make sure they had paper copies and electronic copies of everything several times before the IPPS-A conversion of course most of them did nothing and now they are missing stuff). S1 and S3 are overloaded across the reserves right now. Many of these folks handling these issues are also not full time folks so we have other jobs too full-time.

APMC is having the same issues, but as others have said civilian workforce in the DOD is very lackluster usually. I have my own gripes about APMC (and being attached to them), but I won't go into those. Suffice it to say things are a mess for everything to do with personnel right now.

Hang in there. It hasn't been that long in military time for you even when things were going as they typically do, but you are dealing with the DOD during a chaos time so extra patience will have to be had.

I would also caution you about going the IG route. You don't want to start making waves before you even get through the door. IG isn't going to do anything at this point other than say "you need to wait and be patient. People are working on it. It has only been X number of days, IPPS-A is being rolled out, etc. etc. etc." and then you also risk pissing off some of the folks that you are going to have to depend on for a lot in your career. If they feel you are a problem to deal with (Yes I know it's crazy that expecting someone to do their job makes you a problem to deal with!) then trust me they can make your life miserable. I've seen it happen.

Just hang in there and be patient. You are learning a valuable lesson here early. Always have a course of action A, B, C, hell maybe even D to deal with problems especially financial ones because I can tell you Uncle Sam will mess up orders, they will mess up pay, and you will be the one who suffers when it happens.

I say this as I just spent this morning tracking down folks in APMC to get a 1380 status update for pay and points I submitted almost a month ago and haven't received anything for yet. It's going to happen. Sometimes you just have to realize the system sucks and nothing you can do but push a few folks as politically correct as possible and have some patience.

Yeah I have 2 1380s that were submitted a month ago that I haven’t gotten pay for. Actually contacted the finance people twice over the course of a week and they haven’t even responded. Wondering if I should try reaching out again this week.

It’s all fairly frustrating, but it seems like movement is finally happening with the stipend. It’s easier to get upset when we have no real insight as to why ippsa is such an issue. My point of contact people have been very nice and mostly responsive so I can’t complain too much.

 

[TheEarDoc]

Yeah I have 2 1380s that were submitted a month ago that I haven’t gotten pay for. Actually contacted the finance people twice over the course of a week and they haven’t even responded. Wondering if I should try reaching out again this week.

It’s all fairly frustrating, but it seems like movement is finally happening with the stipend. It’s easier to get upset when we have no real insight as to why ippsa is such an issue. My point of contact people have been very nice and mostly responsive so I can’t complain too much.

So I spoke with finance today (finally got in touch with an actual active duty person vs. civilian DOD employee). Apparently several folks were dropped from APMC in IPPS-A when it went live. So we are showing up as APMC attached in RLAS, but not in IPPS-A. So until we are re-attached in IPPS-A to APMC they cannot pay us. So no idea when that will be, but some folks actually depend on that secondary income of BA each month. I know I do. So now that means I will be owed for 2 months of BA pay whenever the system comes back online (March and April). I find that to be unacceptable.

Apparently a lot of folks have forgotten the cardinal list of sins you do not commit in the service
1. You never mess with a service member's pay
2. You never mess with a service member's career
3. You never mess with a service member's family

 

[armytrainingsir]

Yup. I was dropped from APMC and just picked back up.

My unit processed my pay in Jan, APMC is working on FEB and MAR right now.

Sigh

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Same same. Still waiting on several months worth. Hopefully this gets figured out. Surprised at how bad this IPPS-A integration has been.

 

[armytrainingsir]

Same same. Still waiting on several months worth. Hopefully this gets figured out. Surprised at how bad this IPPS-A integration has been.

LOL, why?
Government tends to devolve. I am amazed it works at all.

If you always assume the worst, the army will rarely disappoint you.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

LOL, why?
Government tends to devolve. I am amazed it works at all.

If you always assume the worst, the army will rarely disappoint you.

I just figured they would have prepared alternative options for handling orders in case implementation was a CF, which they must have anticipated that it would be.

Oh well. Sounds like they’re working things now, hopefully that is true and it happens within the next few months. I’ve got about 3 months until that money will be needed, but fortunately have family that has offered to help with us paying back once we get the army stipend. Sounds like the stipend is a done deal, just a matter of time, so that’s reassuring.

 

[TheEarDoc]

LOL, why?
Government tends to devolve. I am amazed it works at all.

If you always assume the worst, the army will rarely disappoint you.

Pretty much. Amazing though if the DOD civilians you depend on missed a paycheck or were told "oh it's a bug in the system we are working on it" they would have the national news, a congressional filed, an IG complaint filed, all within minutes of getting an e-mail about it.

Active duty? Same thing, but us reserve and guard folks as usual are just left to twist in the wind.