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Show 2 Hilltop Times Jan. 19. 1995 Or n S ' Y n U - L Proud moment Commodities Directorate employees receive a plaque of recognition for their customer service efforts. Servicemembers in debt face involuntary pay allotments by Army Sgt. 1 st Class Stephen Barrett American Forces Information Service Servicemembers with delinquent bills may find another entry on their an involuntary allotpay voucher ment to pay private creditors. Military personnel who owe debts, whether to private individuals or businesses, may be subject to involuntary debt collection. This comes after Congress mandated change in DOD regu- Kirkpatrick, DOD's legal policy director, said Congress ordered these changes along with Hatch Act amendments passed last fall. Before the changes, effective Jan. 1, only those seeking child or spouse support could get involuntary allotments. To collect debts, Kirkpatrick said, creditors must gain a court judgment against the servicemember before requesting the allotment. If the court rules against the servicemember, crelations. ditors can file with the Defense "We're not talking about every al- Finance and Accounting Service to relegation of debt," said Navy Capt. quest payment. Gerald Kirkpatrick. "We're talking However, before the deduction about indebtedness adjudicated in starts, the application must go civilian court when the court deter- through the servicemember's commines the servicemember owes mander to the member for response. If it's found that the request is legiti money." Road construction to begin A will mate, involuntary payments from the servicemember begin. "However, it (the allotment) is not an automatic process, "said Kirkpatrick. "The servicemember has a pay-Imeaningful opportunity to respond to announcing the change Kirkit (the application for an involuntary patrick said DOD is not trying to send allotment) and to raise objections." a message to its forces, but rather imsaid Kirkpatrick ensuring plementing a law Congress passed. He said most servicemembers have a very procedural safeguards for servicemembers is important to DOD. He said the good record of paying their bills on new regulations include provisions for time and in full. extensions of response time. This is However, he said, there were percepcritical when servicemembers deploy, tions that federal civil service workers receive overseas assignments or have and servicemembers receive shielding a classified duty where they can't from mandated debt collections. "That respond to the application for involunhas not been the case for many worktary allotment. ers outside the federal sector," said The regulations also protect serv"and the law corrected icemembers from having too much Kirkpatrick, imbalance." that taken from their "take home" pay. To help prevent indebtedness and inOnly 25 percent of servicemembers' adpay, not including quarters and sub- voluntary allotments, Kirkpatrick servicemembers accurate vises keep sistence allowance, is subject to infinancial records and seek help from voluntary allotment. "It's a matter of balance," said Kirk- their unit financial counselors or legal patrick. "On the one hand the idea is assistance offices. to repay the debt in a reasonable "Otherwise, if we as servicemembers amount of time. But on the other (it's) don't pay our just debts voluntarily, to make sure the servicemembers have under this new law we may find the enough money left in their pay to meet money comes out of our pay without the necessities of life." our consent," he said. Deadline nears for updating 20 1 road construction project The deadline for updating employee 201 files is begin Feb. 1 near Eagle Range exit at the Low interchange on Inter- tomorrow. Current transcripts, typing or shorthand will be temto state 80. The eastbound proficiency scores, evidence of veteran's preference, closed to due construction porarily activity. Vehicle accuracy of service computation dates, and military traffic on westbound headed to Eagle Range or nonfederal experience should be included in emtest area will be able to exit the interstate; but ployee records. For a copy of current experience return traffic from Eagle Range to Salt Lake City briefs contact a staffing specialist, Bldg. 1244. will be detoured to the Aragonite interchange apCannon to speak at museum proximately 5.7 miles west of the Eagle Range exit. Retired Air Force Col. Jerald D. Cannon will disD Nominations being accepted cuss the 0 aircraft Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Hill Museum. Cannon commanded the 433rd The deadline for nominations and applications for Aerospace the Hill Administrators Association's 1995 Image Tactical Fighter Squadron during the Vietnam conand MACH awards and scholarships is March 17. flict and flew three tours in Southeast Asia. He was The Image award is given to the person who por- an instructor at the Air Force Academy from 1969 retired as chief of Management Entrays the best image of Hill AFB through their job to 1973 and the Tactical Air Command, Langley with MACH award is gineering and community activities. The Va. AFB, to a to manager recognize outstanding perforgiven mance and achievement. One scholarship is awarded to a dependent of a Hill employee for an essay P Hospital upgrades system Base hospital patients must register for the new and one for merit. For applications or more information contact Jeff Styers, Ext. hospital appointment system, Composite Health on-ram- p 1-- F-10- Kirkpatrick added there may be more than one judgment creditor paid at a time, provided the total payments do not exceed 25 percent of take home n Care System. Patients can obtain forms from the hospital, base exchange or commissary and completed forms should be placed in drop boxes located at these locations. Anyone calling the appointment desk during this period will hear a recording giving instructions on how to contact a specific clinic for an appointment. An appointment clerk will be available at the clinic to assist in booking an appointment. The appointment system will return to normal operation in February. McGruff houses In housing area There are eight active McGruff houses in the housing area. McGruff houses are used as temporary havens for children and adults who find themselves in emergency or frightening situations. The community can recognize a safe haven when a house displays McGruff, the Crime Dog symboL The McGruff House Program demonstrates that the whole community accepts a shared responsibility to watch out for and help all citizens. If you are interested in volunteering for this program or have questions contact SrA. Brian Porter, Security Police Crime Prevention manager, Ext. |