Well, we did receive four months worth of pay on February 18 and it was nice to pay the bills. What I would really like to complain about today is the fact that even though we get to pay our bills, we are paying late fees and interest and it's a really depressing way to go through life. Like today, I noticed that after I paid our vehicle insurance through USAA, they wanted us to pay the amount in full on our next bill! That's over $600 a month! So I had to sign us up for an automatic payment with them in order to get it down to a more reasonable monthly installment. Now my problem with that is, I don't know if there is going to be money in the account because the Army can't get anything right. Alas, I will just have to call ahead by 3 or more days to cancel the payment should this occur.
Now I am working on getting our taxes filed so that we can get a copy to Bridgette O'Connell by the 15th of March. I'm not sure why she wants a copy of our taxes to file his next INCAP extension, but it doesn't matter, if they want it, they will get it with no complaints from me! We still have to contact someone with the VA in order to get that stupid release signed and get his medical records released to Bridgette as well. I'll have Michael try to contact them tomorrow, as I have tried emailing and calling them to no avail. Once they get all the relevant paperwork, they will file another extension and hopefully we will get paid on a regular basis.
Also, our old unit POC is no longer our POC at the unit level. They have shifted the job over to someone new who has never done it and was not told anything by our old POC as to how to do the INCAP paperwork. *sigh* same ol' same ol.'
By the way, in my last post, I should have mentioned that the MWR loan only paid "necessary" bills like electricity, gas, etc. We still have numerous things that didn't fall into the category of "necessary," though the entity collecting for each bill doesn't seem to understand that. They want their money.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
More on today's update
So after I emailed CSM Collins again (email can be seen two posts down), she forwarded that email to MSG Daniel Salman, who is Bridgette O'Connell's boss as DCSPER-Med. MSG Salman called us at my store sometime last week. He wanted to tell us that he had tried to get in touch with someone at G-1 and had left numerous messages for someone to call him back. He finally contacted them and the person he spoke with said that they did not have a packet on Michael.
Now, with the computer system they use, Bridgette was able to track the status of the packet and for two weeks it has said that the packet was at G-1. MSG Salman told the person at G-1 our circumstances and told him to get his peon to print Michael's packet out and get it to him since this person told MSG Salman that he didn't use the computer system. The next day (today) we have an approved packet. However, we won't receive pay until the 18th of February.
Bridgette told Michael this morning that since the packet has been approved, we can apply for another MWR loan. But the loan doesn't allow for food and other expenses, just bills. So I think we'll just wait another week and a half and pay all our bills when the paycheck comes in rather than pay back more to MWR since we already owe for one loan.
So with the extension packet approved through March 31, January, February and March pay should come through with no problems if everyone does their job correctly. Now we need to start on a new extension packet, but we have to get the VA paperwork again and that is a pain in my butt! But of course I'll do it ASAP.
-Brie'Anne
Now, with the computer system they use, Bridgette was able to track the status of the packet and for two weeks it has said that the packet was at G-1. MSG Salman told the person at G-1 our circumstances and told him to get his peon to print Michael's packet out and get it to him since this person told MSG Salman that he didn't use the computer system. The next day (today) we have an approved packet. However, we won't receive pay until the 18th of February.
Bridgette told Michael this morning that since the packet has been approved, we can apply for another MWR loan. But the loan doesn't allow for food and other expenses, just bills. So I think we'll just wait another week and a half and pay all our bills when the paycheck comes in rather than pay back more to MWR since we already owe for one loan.
So with the extension packet approved through March 31, January, February and March pay should come through with no problems if everyone does their job correctly. Now we need to start on a new extension packet, but we have to get the VA paperwork again and that is a pain in my butt! But of course I'll do it ASAP.
-Brie'Anne
Update: Thursday, February 5
Email this morning from Bridgette O'Connell:
Date: Thu, Feb 5, 2009 at 9:45 AM
Subj: FW: Griffin Incap approval (UNCLASSIFIED)
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
SSG Michael Griffin's extension has been approved through 31 Mar 09. Time to
start a new one.
Bridgette O'Connell
DCSPER-Med
LOD Case Manager/Incap Manager
xxx-xxx-4045
DSN xxx-4045
Fax xxx-5449
attached was the following:
Date: Thu, Feb 5, 2009 at 9:45 AM
Subj: FW: Griffin Incap approval (UNCLASSIFIED)
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
SSG Michael Griffin's extension has been approved through 31 Mar 09. Time to
start a new one.
Bridgette O'Connell
DCSPER-Med
LOD Case Manager/Incap Manager
xxx-xxx-4045
DSN xxx-4045
Fax xxx-5449
attached was the following:
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Update: Wednesday, January 28
Here is my last email to CSM Collins:
Dear CSM Collins,
Michael called you last Wednesday in regards to his INCAP extension and his medical documentation from Ft. Sill. Since we haven't heard back from you, I thought I would email you to check in and see if you found out anything.
Also, do you think that if I contacted Congressman Mike Ross he could help get the ball rolling on all this? My store is in Prescott and his office is about three blocks away, so it wouldn't be a problem at all. Just an idea, I really don't know what else to do. Maybe Michael should also contact the people he saw while at Ft. Sill to see if there is a problem with his paperwork or something. I know you said it's the norm for them to be so slow with the paperwork, it just seems like three months is long enough.
Michael spoke with Mrs. O'Connell also, to see if we needed to go ahead and start work on another extension since the one we are waiting on only covers through March 31 and at the rate we are going, all of this will probably not be finalized by then. She said we should, but that she would need the paperwork from the VA again.
Just so you know exactly where we are on pay, Michael was paid December 15, 2008 for September. So we are waiting on the extension to be approved in order to be paid for October, November and December (and January soon enough). Some of our January bills are now past due, as I paid what was past due then (that the MWR loan didn't cover) with the check in December.
Thank you for your time,
Brie'Anne Griffin
Dear CSM Collins,
Michael called you last Wednesday in regards to his INCAP extension and his medical documentation from Ft. Sill. Since we haven't heard back from you, I thought I would email you to check in and see if you found out anything.
Also, do you think that if I contacted Congressman Mike Ross he could help get the ball rolling on all this? My store is in Prescott and his office is about three blocks away, so it wouldn't be a problem at all. Just an idea, I really don't know what else to do. Maybe Michael should also contact the people he saw while at Ft. Sill to see if there is a problem with his paperwork or something. I know you said it's the norm for them to be so slow with the paperwork, it just seems like three months is long enough.
Michael spoke with Mrs. O'Connell also, to see if we needed to go ahead and start work on another extension since the one we are waiting on only covers through March 31 and at the rate we are going, all of this will probably not be finalized by then. She said we should, but that she would need the paperwork from the VA again.
Just so you know exactly where we are on pay, Michael was paid December 15, 2008 for September. So we are waiting on the extension to be approved in order to be paid for October, November and December (and January soon enough). Some of our January bills are now past due, as I paid what was past due then (that the MWR loan didn't cover) with the check in December.
Thank you for your time,
Brie'Anne Griffin
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Update: Tuesday, January 27
Well, we haven't gotten a paycheck since December 15, 2008 and that was actually pay for September. We are still waiting on the NGB to approve Michael's INCAP extension for October 2008 through March 31, 2009. Which is pretty stupid because it's now closer to March than October and we'll need to be doing another extension soon. More about that after the latest email from Mrs. Bridgette O'Connell:
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Caveats: NONE Your request for Incap Extension has been sent to Army G1, which is the final step for approval. I am forwarding this memo to you, trusting that you will NOT call Mr. Scott, the POC at NGB listed on the memo. Not only will it not speed up the process for you to call him, but he would just tell you to call your state POC, which is me. Then he would call me and chew me out over it. I check the Incap module twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. If there is any action taken on this case, I will know about it and will let you know. Bridgette O'Connell LOD Case Manager/Incap Manager
Attached was a copy of a Memorandum for DCS G1 (whatever that means) Compensation and Entitlements Division, with an address at the Pentagon. The memo was a recommendation to approve the INCAP extension for October-March. This was dated January 16, 2009.
I continue expecting to hear from Mrs. O'Connell, Michael spoke to her yesterday though and the situation has not changed. I will be emailing CSM Collins today and I will post that here along with her response should I receive one.
Brie'Anne
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED Caveats: NONE Your request for Incap Extension has been sent to Army G1, which is the final step for approval. I am forwarding this memo to you, trusting that you will NOT call Mr. Scott, the POC at NGB listed on the memo. Not only will it not speed up the process for you to call him, but he would just tell you to call your state POC, which is me. Then he would call me and chew me out over it. I check the Incap module twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. If there is any action taken on this case, I will know about it and will let you know. Bridgette O'Connell LOD Case Manager/Incap Manager
Attached was a copy of a Memorandum for DCS G1 (whatever that means) Compensation and Entitlements Division, with an address at the Pentagon. The memo was a recommendation to approve the INCAP extension for October-March. This was dated January 16, 2009.
I continue expecting to hear from Mrs. O'Connell, Michael spoke to her yesterday though and the situation has not changed. I will be emailing CSM Collins today and I will post that here along with her response should I receive one.
Brie'Anne
Update: December 30, 2008
From: Michael and Brie'Anne Griffin
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 3:08 PM
To: O'Connell, Bridgette C CIV LOD/INCAP Coordinator
Subject: SSG Michael Griffin Incap Extension
Bridgette,
Just checking in to see that all the medical and mental health paperwork got
to you. If not, I have digital copies of everything. Let me know where we
stand on filing the Incap extension. This one should be good through March
2009, correct?
Brie'Anne Griffin
SSG Michael Griffin
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Response from Bridgette O'Connell:
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Yes, I received all the medical and mental health paperwork and sent the
Extension Request to NGB. It was returned needing corrections on Saturday
Dec 20th. I was out the week of Christmas, so I did not see that it had been
returned until yesterday. It needed a minor correction, which was made. It
is back at NGB awaiting approval. It's only taking about a week, maybe a
little longer to get Extension Requests approved right now. I should know
something next week.
Bridgette O'Connell
LOD Case Manager/Incap Manager
Sent: Tuesday, December 30, 2008 3:08 PM
To: O'Connell, Bridgette C CIV LOD/INCAP Coordinator
Subject: SSG Michael Griffin Incap Extension
Bridgette,
Just checking in to see that all the medical and mental health paperwork got
to you. If not, I have digital copies of everything. Let me know where we
stand on filing the Incap extension. This one should be good through March
2009, correct?
Brie'Anne Griffin
SSG Michael Griffin
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Response from Bridgette O'Connell:
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE
Yes, I received all the medical and mental health paperwork and sent the
Extension Request to NGB. It was returned needing corrections on Saturday
Dec 20th. I was out the week of Christmas, so I did not see that it had been
returned until yesterday. It needed a minor correction, which was made. It
is back at NGB awaiting approval. It's only taking about a week, maybe a
little longer to get Extension Requests approved right now. I should know
something next week.
Bridgette O'Connell
LOD Case Manager/Incap Manager
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Update: Saturday
Today we received checks from the ARC-ERF loan we requested. They did give us grant money for our electric bill, so that part we don't have to pay back. The rest of it is an interest free loan. Last time we received this, we paid it back in full as soon as Michael got paid. This time, however, I think we'll pay it back in installments, though perhaps we'll send bigger payments than those required, because the sooner we pay it back, the sooner they can help out someone else.
So that will pay for the basics (electric, mortgage, child support, insurance, car payment) plus the home phone bill. We are still way behind on our cell phones, which will probably be shut off before we get Michael's check for September (which is supposed to be the 15th or the 22nd of December, hopefully). And as soon as we can get some paperwork from the VA on his PTSD, they will be able to submit the extension packet for his INCAP pay, which should be good for 180 days starting October 1st. That would be through March of 2009. Hopefully by then he will have had his second appointment at Fort Sill and be scheduled for his board examination/evaluation at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX. I also hope to have all of his medical records gathered and put together by then!! That is probably going to be a grueling task, considering how apt the Army is at "losing" such things.
I, as usual, feel a little less stressed now that half of our bills will be paid. But I never get my hopes up too high. The saddest part of this is that Michael and I normally give people credit; we trust people, but now we've become quite jaded in that respect. Neither of us takes anyone working on this case at their word anymore. Basically, we have to see it to believe it. I just hope that doesn't overflow into other aspects of our lives.
Brie'Anne
So that will pay for the basics (electric, mortgage, child support, insurance, car payment) plus the home phone bill. We are still way behind on our cell phones, which will probably be shut off before we get Michael's check for September (which is supposed to be the 15th or the 22nd of December, hopefully). And as soon as we can get some paperwork from the VA on his PTSD, they will be able to submit the extension packet for his INCAP pay, which should be good for 180 days starting October 1st. That would be through March of 2009. Hopefully by then he will have had his second appointment at Fort Sill and be scheduled for his board examination/evaluation at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX. I also hope to have all of his medical records gathered and put together by then!! That is probably going to be a grueling task, considering how apt the Army is at "losing" such things.
I, as usual, feel a little less stressed now that half of our bills will be paid. But I never get my hopes up too high. The saddest part of this is that Michael and I normally give people credit; we trust people, but now we've become quite jaded in that respect. Neither of us takes anyone working on this case at their word anymore. Basically, we have to see it to believe it. I just hope that doesn't overflow into other aspects of our lives.
Brie'Anne
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