Whisper_44
07-22-2004, 04:21 PM
Iraq vet returns to Mesa salary snafu
By Jason Emerson, Tribune
East Valley Tribune
Source (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5489506/)
July 22 - Soon after Army Reservist Gus Montez returned from combat in Iraq in May, his employer, Mesa, handed him a bill for $10,751.
The city told Montez, an accident investigator for the Mesa Police Department, he had been overpaid while on active duty.
As many as 13 other Mesa employees returning from Iraq could be in the same boat, the city said.
Montez said he got into this mess because of a rush of paperwork he signed before deploying to the Middle East. He said the paperwork was confusing and his mind was on other things - like his welfare and that of his family - and he wasn't aware he signed up for a salary reimbursement program.
Every two weeks, the city sent some or all of Montez's salary to his wife - the paperwork doesn't specify payment. Mesa also paid Montez's child support, retirement, family medical insurance, life insurance and other bills.
City officials said they only intended to cover the gap between his military pay and city paychecks, but wound up overpaying Montez, by a lot. The city continued to make payments even after it found out Montez was being overpaid.
Now, Montez has taken on a second job at a carwash and is selling his home so he can repay the city. He said Mesa's actions are un-American and the city does not support soldiers.
"I'm not angry," Montez said. "I'm hurt at how they are treating veterans."
Montez, 41, a specialist in the Reserves, was called up for duty last year with the 751st Quartermaster Company. He spent nearly a year in Baghdad, where his unit came under fire and took casualties.
Bryan Raines, Mesa's financial services manager, said Montez knew what he was getting into and is responsible for repaying taxpayer dollars.
City officials said he was overpaid by about $13,000. They want $10,751 back. The city has offered to absorb the additional money, which was for Montez's state retirement. The city is allowing him to repay the debt over time without interest, Raines said.
The dispute stems from a well-meaning pilot program in Mesa and other East Valley municipalities in which they continue to pay a part of employees' salary, minus military pay, and for benefits while they are on active duty.
The program was created under the assumption people make less in the military than with city paychecks. The form does not specify repayment obligations.
Cities have no legal obligation to pay veterans while they are on active duty. Mesa did it to keep employees "whole," Raines said.
Mesa eventually discovered that Montez and others made more in the military. Montez earned $59,912 during 16 months on active duty, while he would have made $35,790 at his city pay rate during the same period, records show.
Raines said about 13 people could be in arrears; the city is auditing the program.
City officials said it's a wonderful program that helps people. Initially, the city didn't know how much the employees were making in the military, leading to the overpayments, he said.
Today, the city tries to find out employees' military salaries sooner. If the city learns someone is being paid more in the military, Raines said, it moves them out of the system.
Raines said he has a fiduciary responsibility to Mesa residents.
Montez said his only concern in Iraq was staying alive. At first, his unit tested some locations for weapons of mass destruction, he said. Later, he manned a .50-caliber machine gun on convoy escorts between Baghdad and Mosul.
Montez said the city never notified his wife, Angelica, that his debt to the city was piling up.
City officials said they tried to contact her two months after the benefits began, but the phones were turned off.
The Montezes said most of the money from the city was sent directly to bills. The money paid directly to the family had decreased so significantly that Angelica Montez believed the city was paying the correct amount.
Gilbert, Scottsdale and Chandler also offer the program. Officials said they weren't aware of cases of overpayment.
By Jason Emerson, Tribune
East Valley Tribune
Source (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5489506/)
July 22 - Soon after Army Reservist Gus Montez returned from combat in Iraq in May, his employer, Mesa, handed him a bill for $10,751.
The city told Montez, an accident investigator for the Mesa Police Department, he had been overpaid while on active duty.
As many as 13 other Mesa employees returning from Iraq could be in the same boat, the city said.
Montez said he got into this mess because of a rush of paperwork he signed before deploying to the Middle East. He said the paperwork was confusing and his mind was on other things - like his welfare and that of his family - and he wasn't aware he signed up for a salary reimbursement program.
Every two weeks, the city sent some or all of Montez's salary to his wife - the paperwork doesn't specify payment. Mesa also paid Montez's child support, retirement, family medical insurance, life insurance and other bills.
City officials said they only intended to cover the gap between his military pay and city paychecks, but wound up overpaying Montez, by a lot. The city continued to make payments even after it found out Montez was being overpaid.
Now, Montez has taken on a second job at a carwash and is selling his home so he can repay the city. He said Mesa's actions are un-American and the city does not support soldiers.
"I'm not angry," Montez said. "I'm hurt at how they are treating veterans."
Montez, 41, a specialist in the Reserves, was called up for duty last year with the 751st Quartermaster Company. He spent nearly a year in Baghdad, where his unit came under fire and took casualties.
Bryan Raines, Mesa's financial services manager, said Montez knew what he was getting into and is responsible for repaying taxpayer dollars.
City officials said he was overpaid by about $13,000. They want $10,751 back. The city has offered to absorb the additional money, which was for Montez's state retirement. The city is allowing him to repay the debt over time without interest, Raines said.
The dispute stems from a well-meaning pilot program in Mesa and other East Valley municipalities in which they continue to pay a part of employees' salary, minus military pay, and for benefits while they are on active duty.
The program was created under the assumption people make less in the military than with city paychecks. The form does not specify repayment obligations.
Cities have no legal obligation to pay veterans while they are on active duty. Mesa did it to keep employees "whole," Raines said.
Mesa eventually discovered that Montez and others made more in the military. Montez earned $59,912 during 16 months on active duty, while he would have made $35,790 at his city pay rate during the same period, records show.
Raines said about 13 people could be in arrears; the city is auditing the program.
City officials said it's a wonderful program that helps people. Initially, the city didn't know how much the employees were making in the military, leading to the overpayments, he said.
Today, the city tries to find out employees' military salaries sooner. If the city learns someone is being paid more in the military, Raines said, it moves them out of the system.
Raines said he has a fiduciary responsibility to Mesa residents.
Montez said his only concern in Iraq was staying alive. At first, his unit tested some locations for weapons of mass destruction, he said. Later, he manned a .50-caliber machine gun on convoy escorts between Baghdad and Mosul.
Montez said the city never notified his wife, Angelica, that his debt to the city was piling up.
City officials said they tried to contact her two months after the benefits began, but the phones were turned off.
The Montezes said most of the money from the city was sent directly to bills. The money paid directly to the family had decreased so significantly that Angelica Montez believed the city was paying the correct amount.
Gilbert, Scottsdale and Chandler also offer the program. Officials said they weren't aware of cases of overpayment.