When the Numbers Don’t Add Up
How to deal with pay problems.
by Rachel Howard-Collins
If a pay issue arises, there are some things a spouse can do and some things that only a service member can do.
“No matter which spouse notices a potential pay irregularity, it should be brought to the attention of your local finance office or, if necessary, to the DFAS customer service center,” said Steve Burghardt, from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Corporate Communications office.
Burghardt explained if a service member is at home or able to be contacted if deployed, they should take action to resolve the pay issue.
However, if the military member is unavailable, then the spouse has a few options, but only with a power of attorney (POA)
“Without a power of attorney, our customer service representatives will not discuss or disclose any pay information with anyone except the military member or an authorized military finance office,” Burghardt said.
Powers of Attorney are Mandatory
Powers of attorney can be obtained from the Judge Advocate General (JAG) office. However, the POA should specifically state that the person holding it is allowed to conduct military pay business.
“If that military member has given a power of attorney that specifically details authority to conduct military pay business, their spouse may raise potential pay issues with DFAS but will likely not receive detailed information on any military pay account or resolutions to their issue,” Burghardt said.
Burghardt advised spouses to start with the local finance office when looking for help.
What the Finance Office Can and Cannot Do
“The local finance office is the best place to begin any discussion of questions regarding military pay and entitlements,” Burghardt said. “Not only can it make the process more efficient, but a lot less frustrating to the military spouse.”
If a spouse calls the customer service center, they must understand that their identity must be verified before any information is discussed.
“Under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, DFAS must protect the personal information of its customers,” Burghardt explained. “Our customer service representatives go to great lengths to ensure that callers are who they say they are. While powers of attorney can greatly assist military families conducting household business, they are of limited use in attempting to resolve pay issues with DFAS. This is primarily due to the inability of our customer service representatives to fully identify the caller.”
If the spouse is calling the customer service call center, they will be required to call from a Red Cross office, military relief agency, or a military installation office like the personnel or finance office, Burghardt said. DFAS will then call the office and have the office staff verify the identity of the spouse and the validity of the POA. However, many financial details may not be shared because DFAS cannot be entirely certain that the caller is authorized by the POA.
Handle things in person
Because of the intricacies involved in calling the customer service call center, Burghardt recommended trying to resolve pay issues locally.
“DFAS highly recommends that the spouse take their original power of attorney to the base finance office to discuss pay questions,” Burghardt said. “This has several advantages. First, it saves the spouse from an involved process to speak with a DFAS call center. Second, the finance officer can confirm identity in a face-to-face meeting and has access to most DFAS information to initiate a review of pay or entitlement issues, or begin corrective actions.”
Duty status changes like TDY status and PCS moves can alter the normal pay. Learning what pay is entitled and what changes may occur can help avoid surprises, Burghardt said. DFAS encourages military members and spouses to learn as much as they can about military pay.
“While our primary concern is on the military member, we do understand how pay can affect their spouse and family,” Burghardt said. “We encourage military members to know as much as possible about military pay and entitlements so they can be an informed partner with DFAS in conducting financial business. This same advice to learn about the various pays and entitlements may also help the military spouse in planning for those times when the member is deployed.”