SACRAMENTO >> The California National Guard says it welcomes attention to the predicament of nearly 10,000 soldiers ordered to repay enlistment bonuses a decade after signing up to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan.
As demand for troops surged during the two missions, the California National Guard resorted to offers of $15,000, sometimes more, as incentive for those willing to reenlist. On Saturday the Pentagon issued a request for repayment of the money because of a 2010 federal investigation that revealed errant bonuses had been sent to some 9,700 current and retired guard soldiers.
Soldiers have returned over $22 million. But California Guard spokesman Capt. William Martin said Monday the Guard has been trying to inform those people that an appeals process is available.
It could relieve soldiers of having to return bonuses .
Martin says “bad actors” working for the Guard misled soldiers with outsized bonuses. Meanwhile, elected officials are weighing in.
Congressman John Garamendi, who represents parts of Lake County, said as a member of the House Armed Services Committee he has announced a series of efforts to protect nearly the soldiers from attempts by the Department of Defense to reclaim the enlistment bonuses.
“These brave men and women signed up to serve our country, and believed that the country would have their back in return,” said Garamendi. “It is beyond my comprehension that our veterans are being forced to repay the bonuses that they have relied on. I will do everything in my power to require the Department of Defense and the California National Guard to allow our veterans to keep the money they were promised. If the Pentagon says this requires a change to the law, then let’s change the law.”
The Department of Defense claims that they are required by law to seek to reclaim bonuses that were paid in error or through misrepresentation.
“At the end of the day, the soldiers ended up paying the largest price,” Maj. Gen. Matthew Beevers, deputy commander of the California Guard told the Los Angeles Times, which initially reported the story. “We’d be more than happy to absolve these people of their debts. We just can’t do it. We’d be breaking the law.”
According to reports from the Pentagon, overpayments were discovered in every state during the investigation. However, the problem was multiplied in California thanks to the large number of troops in its Guard contingent.
“Bottom line: our veterans should not pay the price for mistakes that were made by recruiters,” Garamendi stated. “I am authoring legislation to prevent the Department of Defense from seeking to force our veterans to pay back these bonuses, and I am publicly urging the National Guard Bureau, the Department of Defense, and Office of Management and Budget to get a head start by granting waivers on any erroneously paid enlistment bonuses that fall within their authority.”
Garamendi’s first legislative fix involves amending the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 . He plans to introduce wording that would prevent the government from recouping incentives given to guard members between Jan. 1, 2006 and Dec. 31, 2008.
