With as much money as the federal and state governments waste, especially the liberal mecca of California, I find this move to force soldiers to pay back bonuses that California says were overpaid a decade ago absolutely disgusting:
NBC BAY AREA – California National Guard soldiers who received bonuses of $15,000 or more for their willingness to re-enlist and go to war now must pay back that money with interest, according to letters they received from the California Guard over the past decade.
Nearly 10,000 soldiers, many of whom served multiple combat tours, have been ordered to repay the large re-enlistment bonuses — and slapped with interest charges, wage garnishments and tax liens if they refuse — after audits revealed widespread overpayments by the California Guard at the height of the wars last decade, according to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the story.
In 2012, Christopher Van Meter, an Iraq War veteran guardsman with 21 years of service and a purple heart, was stunned when he received the letter that said he had to repay $25,000 in re-enlistment bonuses and $21,000 in student loans.
“It was awful; it was gut-wrenching,” said Van Meter, a Manteca resident. “I was frustrated and in denial and not sure what’s going on.”
Van Meter was not alone. The California National Guard sent similar letters to nearly 10,000 soldiers. The bonuses were supposed to be paid to soldiers in high-demand assignments such as intelligence or to noncommissioned officers badly needed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2010, a federal investigation found thousands of bonuses and student loan payments were given to California guardsmen who did not qualify.
Van Meter and his wife fought the repayment for two years but ultimately began payments of $1,300 a month until that became too stressful on their household.
“In the end, we decided to refinance our house so the debt would go away in 2014,” Van Meter said.
The Guard said the bonuses were paid with taxpayer money and legally they it must get the money back. A class-action lawsuit has been filed in federal district court in Sacramento on behalf of the soldiers who received bonuses.
Here’s another soldier who is going broke over the forced repayment:
Thousands of soldiers forced to repay enlistment bonuses a decade later https://t.co/62glOVkaqK pic.twitter.com/SQ9qXKUPmr
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 24, 2016
So all of a sudden California cares about taxpayer money? We’re supposed to believe that with a straight face? C’mon. This is just another excuse to target the men and women who’ve fought for this country in wars that liberals hated.