Combat pay issue

[IGoToDU]

A relatively new friend of mine, a former fighter jet pilot, posted something on FaceBook today from "conservative action alert" which naturally makes me go "hmm" from the get go. Here's a cut and paste from the article he posted.

According to Military.com, and the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (H.R. 1540-7 Sec 616) as of February 1, 2012, this new measure went into effect, and soldiers who are to receive the additional $225/mo. combat pay ‘must’ be in immediate risk of harm. The measure is very specific in its criteria for receiving the additonal pay.

The rules for Hostile Fire and Imminent Danger Pay have changed. Service members will now receive imminent danger pay only for days they actually spend in hazardous areas. This change went in effect on February 1, 2012.

A member of a uniformed service may be entitled to Hostile Fire and Imminent Danger pay at the rate of $225 for any month in which he/she was entitled to basic pay and in which he/she was:

Subject to hostile fire or explosion of hostile mines;
On duty in an area in which he was in imminent danger of being exposed to hostile fire or explosion of hostile mines and in which, during the period he was on duty in that area, other members of the uniformed services were subject to hostile fire or explosion of hostile mines;
Killed, injured, or wounded by hostile fire, explosion of a hostile mine, or any other hostile action; or
On duty in a foreign area in which he was subject to the threat of physical harm or imminent danger on the basis of civil insurrection, civil war, terrorism, or wartime conditions.

Now, here's "conservative action alert's" quote from a soldier (supposedly) (which was above the passage I cut and pasted):

A Marine who lives in Florida(also currently serving in Afghanistan) has just posted a note on Facebook which stated that he received a letter from his MyPay account that he would only be receiving his Hazard pay (Imminent Danger Pay) if he is actually in a hostile area and at risk of being shot at.

So I just got a letter from MyPay (the way we get paid in the military), saying that I will only reason Combat Pay while deployed for the days that I take fire or am in a hostile area. Now, as an Infantry Marine, I’m constantly in a combat zone…it may not always be popping off, but for them to take that away from us is bullshit. Now, the aviation tech who sits on Camp Leatherneck, sure, I can see him not getting Combat Pay, but to take it away from the grunts, the ground pounders, the front line of defense…come on, Uncle Sam. You let the Liberals win a big one here… Marine from Florida (We are not posting his name for obvious reasons)

I want to ask if anyone here can further educate me on this. I would like to be able to understand this better so I can educate my friend further--thanks. Liberally Yours.

[IGoToDU]

1. Link to the article

http://www.ConservativeActionAlerts.com/2012/02/obama-pulls-combat-pay-for-u-s-troops/


I also want to add that I am not a conservative....or a Repuke...but a young Dem who wants some education from DU on this topic.

[pinboy3niner]

2. The Congress adjusted pay after DoD reported its recommendations last Spring

The President signed the NDAA, so RW hacks are saying "Obama is cutting combat pay."

It's BS, but what else is new?

[Wait Wut]

15. Do you know if there is a link...

...that shows all of the what Pres. Obama has done for our military? My son (a Marine) is freaking out about this combat pay thing and has now joined some of his buddies in saying "Obama does nothing but shaft the military". I know there was a site that organized Pres. Obama's accomplishments by category, but I can't find it.

He gets out in 1 week. Deprogramming starts February 29th.

Edit to add: And, thanks for the info in this thread!

[IGoToDU]

3. Thank you for the heart...

...I genuinely appreciate it!...and, please, someone also educate me on the whole combat pay issue

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. Here you go...

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/combatpay.asp

It was relatively simple to look up on Google. When your "friend" sends another of these, check it out with snopes first.

It was basically switched from a flat rate to per diem. If he's there for 30 days, he'll be payed. If he's not, he'll be paid for the days that he is there, instead of a flat rate hazard pay.

[IGoToDU]

5. Thank you very much, pinboy and screamingmeemie...

People who post something without checking snopes first do so at their own peril (and I guess I must include myself in that). Not how I wanted to start off here (My first original post here). Sorta embarrassed

[Roselma]

10. snopes is our friend

[denbot]

6. Bullshit conservative meme.

The act originates from congress, the house is Republican. The whole thing is bullshit. The act says that you will get combat pay if you are in an area subject to hostile fire PERIOD.

It's another bullshit attempt to paint this president has hostile to the military. Laws are written by congress, so blaming a law on the president is pretty stupid, add to that twisting the meaning 180 degrees and you have the usual conservative disconnect from reality. Bread and butter to the stupid.

In the future post question like this in the veterans group, we are a little more up on stuff like this.

[IGoToDU]

7. Thanks, Denbot.

I will. And thank you for your service to our Nation.

[pinboy3niner]

9. Good suggestion

Vet Group subscribers are much more likely to be up on military/vet issues when a question arises.

OT: Hope school is going well for you, denbot.

[denbot]

13. They sent me home the first day.

I had a script for Ambien which disqualifed me for a CDL.

[pinboy3niner]

14. I'm sorry, denbot

I hope you find something that will work out for you.

[MADem]

12. +1,000 nt

[Roselma]

8. I read and understand it differently. In a month in which you spend only one day in

an imminent danger zone, you only get paid imminent danger pay as opposed to 30 days of imminent danger pay. So, the month you enter the zone and the month you leave the zone, you must keep track of the number of days that you were in that zone. I know that when my son deployed (three times), there was a rush to get into the zone before the end of the month so as to get the entire month credited for the imminent danger pay. Additionally on one occasion, my son stayed back until early in the day of the first of the month, though he was originally scheduled to leave on the 30th. Those choices were made to give that extra full month of imminent danger pay without having to actually be in the zone at that time.

Anyway, here is another write-up:

http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=65132

Speculation as to why Congress wrote the bill this way is up to you.

[pinboy3niner]

11. The Pentagon was tasked with studying and making recommendations on this

It issued its report and recs last Spring. I haven't compared those recs with these pay provisions, but I'd expect that the congressional bill closely followed what DoD recommended.