Olevet, Homey, and other military folk...

[SoonerStormchaser]

Ok...bear with me on this story...cause there's a question at the end.

Being that Carolyn's staying up in Norman for the entire time I'm down here in Nav school, I'm living on base in the single officer's dorms. I went to base finance two weeks ago to see if I could at least get "separation allowance" since I'm living here without my wife and am spending a ****load just to go home and see her on the weekends (the allowance is an extra $250 a month). The finance gurus down the street said that, since she wasn't on my orders (we got married after I PCS'd here), I wasn't eligible for the separation pay. HOWEVER, they said that I was eligible for BAH...even though I was living on base...cause she was living separately from me. So now I'm getting the SAN ANTONIO rate for BAH (which is $200 more per month than the Norman rate). I got my end of month paycheck today...all my backpay BAH is on it (backdated to January 27th).

Ok...my question: Is my BAH split up over the two semi-monthly checks or is all tacked on at the end of the month paycheck?

[OUinFLA]

heh, your housing allowance is greater than my base pay was during the Nam era.

[Sooner in Tampa]

Ok...bear with me on this story...cause there's a question at the end.

Being that Carolyn's staying up in Norman for the entire time I'm down here in Nav school, I'm living on base in the single officer's dorms. I went to base finance two weeks ago to see if I could at least get "separation allowance" since I'm living here without my wife and am spending a ****load just to go home and see her on the weekends (the allowance is an extra $250 a month). The finance gurus down the street said that, since she wasn't on my orders (we got married after I PCS'd here), I wasn't eligible for the separation pay. HOWEVER, they said that I was eligible for BAH...even though I was living on base...cause she was living separately from me. So now I'm getting the SAN ANTONIO rate for BAH (which is $200 more per month than the Norman rate). I got my end of month paycheck today...all my backpay BAH is on it (backdated to January 27th).

Ok...my question: Is my BAH split up over the two semi-monthly checks or is all tacked on at the end of the month paycheck?I did pay and entitlements for 15 yrs for Uncle Sam (USMC)...your entitlements are on a monthly basis and it divided up into two paydays. The biggest reason for massive flucuations in pay is due to admin sections not inputting information into the pay system in a timely manner.
It has been almost 10 yrs since I actively did it...back in the day we still had VHA and BAQ...but it sounds about right.

The two questions I have are this:

How long have you been there?
How many paychecks have you gotten with "married entitlements" ?

[jk the sooner fan]

vha and baq are rolled into bah these days, and they do split the payment in two if you have mid month and end of month pay option

i always got paid once a month only

as for the separation pay, i think you have to be away from your duty station and your wife to get it.....in other words, i dont think you get sep pay because she's living in a city different than where you are permanently assigned..you'd get it if you left your permanent duty station though

[Suerreal]

Retired Army here.

They add up all your "normal" entitlements for a month (Base pay, BAH, BAS, any special qualification pays, etc), then subtract any allotments as well as Fed & any state taxes (hint: Texas residency is a good thing to claim forever), Soc Security and Medicare taxes, and calculate your gross pay. Then they give you up to half of that on the 15th, and the rest on the 1st of the next month.

IIRC, you can request an amount less than 50% of your monthly pay for mid-month payment if it makes budgeting easier (mortgage/rent due monthly), but you can really do the same thing yourself by just not spending the whole mid-month pay so that you'll have enough at the end of the month to cover your expenses then.

- Sue

Edited to add:

Mid-month pay any given month is actually determined at the time your LES is prepared for the previous month. So if you're newly eligible for BAH, depending on the timing, your mid-month pay for May might not include this, but you'll get it all at the end of May. Your mid-month pay for June should reflect the BAH.

I got out in '03, and was Army, so apply the above to current DFAS practices with caution.

- Sue

[Sooner in Tampa]

BTW...you need to double check on the FSA. I am pretty sure you rate. The key will be that you were never authorized to transport your dependent @ govt expense!! I think they got it wrong...unless they changed the rules. We had kids get married all the time and mama was still in Butcher Holler...the govt didn't authorize in orders for her to move so FSA was paid.

[jk the sooner fan]

suereal - where did you retire from?

i got out in 04 (retirement) from Fort Sam

and i could be wrong on the FSA - but i really think his situation doesnt apply because he's AT his duty station - he's not separated from his fam because of the military

[olevetonahill]

Hell If I know
those questions are way above my pay grade
Im like OuinFla
I think My total pay for my year in the boonies was 3500.

[Suerreal]

suereal - where did you retire from?

i got out in 04 (retirement) from Fort Sam

and i could be wrong on the FSA - but i really think his situation doesnt apply because he's AT his duty station - he's not separated from his fam because of the military
I retired Oct 31st, 2003 from Ft. Bliss TX.

I spent about 2 1/2 months from February through May '03 being 3 days away from Iraq. My foot locker went; I didn't. I barely got it back in time to clear...

- Sue

[Okla-homey]

Go to the mil pay section at Finance and ask the nice airman at the customer service counter. That's why they are there.

[SoonerStormchaser]

How long have you been there?
How many paychecks have you gotten with "married entitlements" ?


Sorry...finally got done with class for the day.

I commissioned on September 29th and got here October 5th. Carolyn and I got married on January 27th. Thus she was never cut into my orders.

This is the first paycheck I've gotten ANY "married entitlements" was this one today...when I got the backpay in BAH that they owed me.

[Sooner in Tampa]

Your pay should really level out now and you will get a good idea of how much you are going to get on a regular basis. Unless the Air Force does something different than the Marine Corps, you BAH should be divided in half and this is what you should recieve each pay period for BAH. The same goes for BAS.

You BAH sounds correct. You get paid BAH for YOUR location, not the wife's. Sometimes that is good...sometimes not so good.

I REALLY think you are entitled to FSA. I did a little reading into the online DODFMR (DoD Pay Manual) and the it said the same thing about you not having the opportunity to move your wife at govt expense. That is the key!

[Sooner in Tampa]

Go to the mil pay section at Finance and ask the nice airman at the customer service counter. That's why they are there.Come on now homey...how many times have you been given bum scoop by Airman Snuffy working at the service counter?

[Okla-homey]

Come on now homey...how many times have you been given bum scoop by Airman Snuffy working at the service counter?

I don't recall that ever happening. I think that's mainly because folks who are predisposed towards being beancounters tend to gravitate towards finance. Since the USAF is unique among the services in that the officers do the vast majority of the fighting and the enlisted folks stay back and support the fight, the USAF enlisted population tends to be about half beancounters and half mechanics. They always put the cream of the crop into finance.

[Sooner in Tampa]

I don't recall that ever happening. I think that's mainly because folks who are predisposed towards being beancounters tend to gravitate towards finance. Since the USAF is unique among the services in that the officers do the vast majority of the fighting and the enlisted folks stay back and support the fight, the USAF enlisted population tends to be about half beancounters and half mechanics. They always put the cream of the crop into finance.You were a lucky man then. I wish I had quarter for all of the complaints that come out about the MacDill Finance Center. They are a hatred group of individuals over there...and they seem quite lazy too.

[jk the sooner fan]

I don't recall that ever happening.

thats the difference in treatment between an officer and enlisted

since i was both, i can attest!

[Sooner in Tampa]

thats the difference in treatment between an officer and enlisted

since i was both, i can attest!
I didn't want to go there...but since you did-----Thanks.

[jk the sooner fan]

the guy at the finance office is alot like the drive in guy at mcdonalds.....you may have some level of superiority over him, but you sure as hell dont want him spitting in your food.....or screwing up your pay beyond all belief after you leave the office

[SoonerStormchaser]

Come on now homey...how many times have you been given bum scoop by Airman Snuffy working at the service counter?

That's my point, they told me that I'm not eligible for FSA because I got married AFTER I PCS'd here from Maxwell...and she wasn't on my orders.

Can you point me to the link about the FSA section? If they're wrong, I wouldn't (secretly) mind going back over there and flexing my butter bars just a little (c'mon, how often will I ever get to do that?).

[Okla-homey]

That's my point, they told me that I'm not eligible for FSA because I got married AFTER I PCS'd here from Maxwell...and she wasn't on my orders.

Can you point me to the link about the FSA section? If they're wrong, I wouldn't (secretly) mind going back over there and flexing my butter bars just a little (c'mon, how often will I ever get to do that?).

just remember grasshoppa, you get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar...even if you outrank the flies.

[jk the sooner fan]

dont flex your butter bar, you'll just get laughed at - ask for the oic of the office and have whoever that is verify what you've been told

[Sooner in Tampa]

That's my point, they told me that I'm not eligible for FSA because I got married AFTER I PCS'd here from Maxwell...and she wasn't on my orders.

Can you point me to the link about the FSA section? If they're wrong, I wouldn't (secretly) mind going back over there and flexing my butter bars just a little (c'mon, how often will I ever get to do that?).
The point here is that you were not afforded the opportunity to move your wife at govt expense.

. Transportation of dependents (including dependent acquired after effective date of orders), is not authorized at government expense and the dependents do not live in the vicinity of the member's home port/permanent duty station
I agree with JK...don't try to flex the butter bars (even though you are right) it usually ends bad.

Your are in entitled to this money...just go and ask Airman Bennots to verify the info he/passed to you.

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/fy2005paycharts/a/fsa.htm

[1stTimeCaller]

'flexing a butterbar' is the funniest thing I've heard in a while.

I've heard the happiest two days in an officer's career are the day he pins on a butterbar and the day he replaces it.

[Sooner in Tampa]

'flexing a butterbar' is the funniest thing I've heard in a while.I agree dude...that is some funny $hite!!!

[jk the sooner fan]

those times when i was tdy at fort mccellan - home of the MP school - there was always an MP OBC class in session - throwing a left handed salute to a 2LT was always a great source of laughter :)

[Sooner in Tampa]

those times when i was tdy at fort mccellan - home of the MP school - there was always an MP OBC class in session - throwing a left handed salute to a 2LT was always a great source of laughter :)HEH...I have gotten many great laughs from that! :P

One of my favorites was telling the off going OOD (Officer of the Day) that the keys to HUMMV were missing :P

[stoopified]

I' m more confused now than I was at the start of the thread.Trust the government to coplicate things.That way you have to ask questions and they can keep a bunch of answer people on payroll to confuse you further.

[jk the sooner fan]

one thing to remember bout entitlements and "pay"......anthing you get that has the word "pay" on the end of it, is taxable..everything else is not

family sep pay
hazardous duty pay (iraq being the exception)
jump pay
drill pay


entitlements such as bas and bah - not taxable

[SoonerStormchaser]

I know I know...and no I'm not seriously gonna flex the bars...trust me.

[Boffingham]

How is nav school going? Have you decided between Nav and EWO yet?

[C&CDean]

I know I know...and no I'm not seriously gonna flex the bars...trust me.

"bars?" I think you mean "bar."

In the 82nd, we had to say "all the way sir" when you saluted, and the officer said "Airborne!" in response. What we did to new leftinents was say "Airborne! sir" and watch them fumble over "air...er..all the way...airborne..."

It wasn't much, but it was the only thing we could get away with.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Definitely CSO. Here's my top 4 choices (and assignments):

1. E-3 (Tinker AFB, OK)
2. KC-135 (McConnell AFB, KS)
3. EC-130 (Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ)
4. RC-135 (Offut AFB, NE)

I had my second SIM yesterday...standard departures and approaches...

I had my first T-43 flight today...AND THE DAMN PLANE BROKE!!! We started both engines...but the generator in engine 2 wasn't working...and it took out our APU and batteries in the process. We had to switch aircraft.

[jk the sooner fan]

dean - the air force types wear bars on each collar, where as the army types have one bar and their branch insignia on the other

[SoonerStormchaser]

"bars?" I think you mean "bar."

In the 82nd, we had to say "all the way sir" when you saluted, and the officer said "Airborne!" in response. What we did to new leftinents was say "Airborne! sir" and watch them fumble over "air...er..all the way...airborne..."

It wasn't much, but it was the only thing we could get away with.


Trust me Dean...I'm still walking around here wondering how I got those bars on my shoulders. I still get giddy when the security guard at the main gate says "Have a good day Lieutenant." Who? ME??

[C&CDean]

dean - the air force types wear bars on each collar, where as the army types have one bar and their branch insignia on the other

Dude, c'mon, you think I'd not remember that? My dad is retired AF. And what does Mr. Soonerstormchaser have on his collar? That's right, a single yellow bar.

[jk the sooner fan]

i had no idea what your dad did

when i have the need to go out to NAS JRB in Fort Worth, I still get saluted at the gate........makes mrs jk laugh everytime

[C&CDean]

Dude, you weren't a real officer.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Dude, c'mon, you think I'd not remember that? My dad is retired AF. And what does Mr. Soonerstormchaser have on his collar? That's right, a single yellow bar.


:dean:That's 2 Lt. SoonerStormchaser to you!;)

[C&CDean]

That's 2 Lt. SoonerStormchaser to you!

All the way, sir!!

[jk the sooner fan]

no, i wasnt an RLO

but warrants commanded much more respect from the enlisted troops and senior officers than any Lt thru Major ever did! :)

funny though, some of the captains and such used to get super ****ed when we'd call them RLO's....

[C&CDean]

no, i wasnt an RLO

but warrants commanded much more respect from the enlisted troops and senior officers than any Lt thru Major ever did! :)

funny though, some of the captains and such used to get super ****ed when we'd call them RLO's....

Yeah, we always appreciated our WO's, but they were the ones flying the choppers that bring you home. Or at the hospital. I didn't know they even had WO's in the MPs.

[SoonerStormchaser]

AIRBORNE!

[jk the sooner fan]

not technically in the MP's.........although MP is our branch as of a few years ago, CID is separate from the MP's

and CID Warrants only got respect from CID types and MP officers.....everybody else pretty much hated us

[C&CDean]

tears...to...my...eyes...

[C&CDean]

not technically in the MP's.........although MP is our branch as of a few years ago, CID is separate from the MP's

and CID Warrants only got respect from CID types and MP officers.....everybody else pretty much hated us

You guys were the pricks that came in and busted us for having weed in our wall lockers.

[SoonerStormchaser]

You should lay off the onions then Dean.

[jk the sooner fan]

You guys were the pricks that came in and busted us for having weed in our wall lockers.

yes, yes we were......normally because you had a snitch in your unit that you werent able to control yourself ;)

[SoonerStormchaser]

No no...NOT THE SOAP!!

[olevetonahill]

If My chute
Dont open wide
Ill be a spot
On the country side .
Did I member that right , Dean ?

[jk the sooner fan]

you got it perfect olevet

[olevetonahill]

You guys were the pricks that came in and busted us for having weed in our wall lockers.
You hid your stash in your wall locker ? :confused:
you deserved to get busted . :D

[SoonerStormchaser]

And who's now flying the planes that are dropping those airborne units?

[C&CDean]

If My chute
Dont open wide
Ill be a spot
On the country side .
Did I member that right , Dean ?

Pretty close.

"C-130 rollin' down the strip, airborne daddy gonna take a little trip,
stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door, jump right out and count to four,
if my chute don't open wide, I'll be a part of the countryside (or the ever popular "if my chute don't open wide, I've got another one by side, if that one should fail me too, tell St. Peter I'm comin' through....here we go, all the way, every day, Airborne! Ranger! Airborne! Danger!").

[olevetonahill]

And who's now flying the planes that are dropping those airborne units?
We had a way to ripen up those green as shat butter boys fast
just sayin

[jk the sooner fan]

one, two, three and a quarterrrrr
i got a date with the general's daughterrrrrrrrr
my oh my, aint she a suckerrrrrrrrr
allllllll i want to do is

kiss and huggherrrrr

[olevetonahill]

Pretty close.

"C-130 rollin' down the strip, airborne daddy gonna take a little trip,
stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door, jump right out and count to four,
if my chute don't open wide, I'll be a part of the countryside (or the ever popular "if my chute don't open wide, I've got another one by side, if that one should fail me too, tell St. Peter I'm comin' through....here we go, all the way, every day, Airborne! Ranger! Airborne! Danger!").
I aint older than dirt But I think I helped toss out the 1st shovel full :cool:
I knew I didnt remember it all

[C&CDean]

And who's now flying the planes that are dropping those airborne units?

Fixed wing? Air Force. After I got to my permanent party unit, most of my jumps were out of Hueys or Chinooks - which were piloted by Army WO's.

[C&CDean]

one, two, three and a quarterrrrr
i got a date with the general's daughterrrrrrrrr
my oh my, aint she a suckerrrrrrrrr
allllllll i want to do is

kiss and huggherrrrr

WTF? An Airborne trooper wouldn't ever say some **** like that.

"Your momma was there when you left. Your sister was there when you left. Your momma was there when I came. Your sister was there just the same. Sound off, 1,2...."

[SoonerStormchaser]

That's right...

And that's why you need to be nice to butter bar navs...cause we tell the pilots where to go to drop your badasses on time and on target!

[olevetonahill]

Gots to love the chopper drivers
They put thier *** on the line to save yours .
Salut

[C&CDean]

That's right...

And that's why you need to be nice to butter bar navs...cause we tell the pilots where to go to drop your badasses on time and on target!

Oh? So you were the **********s that dropped us down the ****ing Chagres river in Panama? And right dead center of Raeford Road during rush hour in North Carolina? And 2 miles from the drop zone in Eglund, Florida? And in the God-forsaken swamp at Camp Lejune? Bastards.

[olevetonahill]

WTF? An Airborne trooper wouldn't ever say some **** like that.

"Your momma was there when you left. Your sister was there when you left. Your momma was there when I came. Your sister was there just the same. Sound off, 1,2...."

Yup more like
I know a gal
From frisco Bay
she wont ****
but her brother may .

[olevetonahill]

Oh? So you were the **********s that dropped us down the ****ing Chagres river in Panama? And right dead center of Raeford Road during rush hour in North Carolina? And 2 miles from the drop zone in Eglund, Florida? And in the God-forsaken swamp at Camp Lejune? Bastards.
Be easy on em Dean , they was busy thinking about gettin back to A/C barracks and a cold brew an a hot broad .

[C&CDean]

"Around my dick, I wore a yellow ribbon, I wore a yellow ribbon in the merry month of May, and if, you ask, me why the hell I wore it, I wore it for your sister who was such a ****ty lay....Far away, far away, I wore it for your sister who was such a ****ty lay..."

[SoonerStormchaser]

Oh? So you were the **********s that dropped us down the ****ing Chagres river in Panama? And right dead center of Raeford Road during rush hour in North Carolina? And 2 miles from the drop zone in Eglund, Florida? And in the God-forsaken swamp at Camp Lejune? Bastards.


Hell yes...you guys needed excitement in your lives!

[C&CDean]

A yellow bird... with a yellow bill
Was sitting on ... my window sill
I lured him in... with a piece of bread
And then I smashed... his f'in head

If I die in a combat zone,
Box me up and send me home.

Old school.

"Two old ladies layin' in bed, one rolled over to the other and said,
I wanna be an Airborne Ranger, live the life of sex and danger,
I wanna go to Viet Nam, I wanna kill some Charlie Cong,
Here we go, all the way, every day,...."

[olevetonahill]

Ait has come and gone
Soon well be in veit nam
Now I am in veit nam
fighting with the
veit cong
Now i hear a rifle crack
feel the slug go in my back
Now I wait on a medivac
to pick me up and
Take me back

[C&CDean]

I asked my dad what songs the Air Force sang when they marched. He said "marched?" Heh.

[jk the sooner fan]

i learned that cadence from an airborne ranger dean! true story

[olevetonahill]

I asked my dad what songs the Air Force sang when they marched. He said "marched?" Heh.
LMFAO yup
I loved getting to an AFB in the Nam
man they had Hot and cold running water / A/C . and FLUSH Toilets . :eek:

[jk the sooner fan]

i remember the two old ladies cadence, and the yellow bird

wish i could remember a few others....i'm sure jk2 could add a few to the mix

dean - the guys at fort campbell have to yell "air assault" when they salute an officer......i was a sponsor for a SPC coming from Ft Campbell, walking over to finance, he see's the captain, salutes and yells air assault.......the captain had no earthly idea what to say......pretty funny

[C&CDean]

i remember the two old ladies cadence, and the yellow bird

wish i could remember a few others....i'm sure jk2 could add a few to the mix

dean - the guys at fort campbell have to yell "air assault" when they salute an officer......i was a sponsor for a SPC coming from Ft Campbell, walking over to finance, he see's the captain, salutes and yells air assault.......the captain had no earthly idea what to say......pretty funny

It'd have been cool if the captain said "air assault this!"

"Look to my left and what do I see, a nasty leg lookin' at me..."

"Sing him a hymn men, him, him, **** him..."

[usmc-sooner]

Momma, momma, can't you see
what the Corps has done to me

I used to drive a Cadillac
Now I hump it on my back

Momma, momma, can't you see
what the Corps has done to me

I used to date a beauty queen
Now I hug my M-16

[C&CDean]

This is my weapon,
this is my gun,
this is for shooting,
this is for fun...

[Sooner in Tampa]

a mouth full of ***** and a hand full of ***
a '57 chevy and a tank full of gas

[IronHorseSooner]

You were a lucky man then. I wish I had quarter for all of the complaints that come out about the MacDill Finance Center. They are a hatred group of individuals over there...and they seem quite lazy too. I am an active duty finance officer, who commanded 3 finance units. In short, you are authorized FSA, but you are not authorized to receive the allowance for moving your dependents on your orders; however, talk to the personnel office about an amendment to orders, that might handle it...Also, I will soon be at CENTCOM, and my wife might start working at the MacDill Finance Office.

[olevetonahill]

This is my weapon,
this is my gun,
this is for shooting,
this is for fun...
You got punished to Huh ?

[SoonerStormchaser]

We went on a Wing run here a few days ago...us AF types don't know any joty's like we don't know our asses from holes in the ground.

[Sooner in Tampa]

Also, I will soon be at CENTCOM, and my wife might start working at the MacDill Finance Office.IHS, you will have to let me know when you get into town...I work at CENTCOM (for DIA) and would be glad to provide any info/assistance to help you and your wife/family!

[afs]

IHS, you will have to let me know when you get into town...I work at CENTCOM (for DIA) and would be glad to provide any info/assistance to help you and your wife/family!

DIA? did you do any AD time? I'll have to keep your name handy when I get my next assignment here in a few months in case the AF 14N career managers don't treat me so well.

[Sooner in Tampa]

DIA? did you do any AD time? I'll have to keep your name handy when I get my next assignment here in a few months in case the AF 14N career managers don't treat me so well.I was AD for 20 yrs. I only work for DIA because they own the software developers who work @ CENTCOM.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Dean, are you retired Airborne...or did you do your basic enlistment?

[Boffingham]

afs - how's your assignment?

[Okla-homey]

Dean, are you retired Airborne...or did you do your basic enlistment?

I think Dean was asked to leave. He was showing everybody up at PT and by the sheer unbridled manliness he exudes from every pore.

That, and that episode involving the three strippers on Hay St. ;)

[SoonerStormchaser]

Now THAT would be funny if it were true...