FederalDaily - January 11, 2006
Soldiers Face Punishment for Avoiding Duty
The Army said boards will soon be convened to decide whether to discharge
about 80 soldiers in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) who failed to report
for duty over the past 18 months. By conducting separation proceedings for
the 80 who did not report, Army officials said they want to send a message
that not obeying lawful orders to mobilize is unacceptable, and that those
who intentionally fail to obey their orders are breaking the law. The Army
said it contacted the soldiers through methods including telephone conversations,
certified mail, e-mail and through messages left with relatives. Each soldier’s
circumstances will be handled on a case-by-case basis, officials said. A soldier
who receives an “under other than honorable discharge” may be ineligible
for numerous benefits and may encounter difficulties in seeking civilian employment,
they said.
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Improved Benefits for Servicemembers
The 2006 National Defense Authorization Act signed into law on Jan. 6 provides
enhanced benefits for servicemembers, the Department of Defense stated. Maximum
enlistment bonuses were raised from $20,000 to $40,000, and re-enlistment bonus
ceilings were raised from $60,000 to $90,000. The bill also authorizes an average
5.9 percent increase in housing allowances, including authority to temporarily
increase rates by 20 percent in response to natural disasters or troop surges
from force realignments. Other changes include:
- bonuses of up to $2,500 for servicemembers who agree to transfer
from one service to another for at least three years;
- payment of premiums for the $150,000 Servicemembers’ Group
Life Insurance policy for troops serving in Operations Iraqi
and Enduring Freedom; and
- full housing allowance payments for reservists activated
for more than 30 days.
For more information on military pay and benefits visit www.defenselink.mil/militarypay/.
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New Benefits for Reservists
The same law provides new benefits for members of the reserves. These include:
- full housing allowance payments for reserve members called
to active duty for more than 30 days, versus the previous 140-day
requirement;
- income replacement benefits to help offset the pay loss
some reservists and guardsmen experience when called to active
duty, based on guidelines to be established within the next
six months;
- accession and affiliation bonuses of up to $20,000 for enlistment
in the Selected Reserve, and an increase for officers for service
in the Selected Reserve, from $6,000 to $10,000; and
- a bonus of up to $100,000 for members with a designated
critical skill or who volunteer to serve in a designated high-priority
unit.
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TSP Restrictions Waived for Hurricane Victims
In the Jan. 9 issue of the Federal Register, the Federal Retirement
Thrift Investment Board announced a temporary rule lifting certain restrictions
on financial hardship in-service withdrawals from federal employees’ and
uniformed servicemembers’ Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) accounts. These temporary
regulations are intended to assist TSP participants affected by Hurricanes Katrina,
Rita and Wilma. The new regulations are effective through March 31. The TSP’s
permanent regulations prohibit participants from requesting a financial hardship
in-service withdrawal from their accounts if they have received another financial
hardship withdrawal within the last six months. The temporary regulations delete
this restriction if the financial need resulted from one of the three hurricanes.
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