• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Failing to Properly Check-in Aboard GTMO Could be a Costly Mistake

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS101113-14
11/13/2010

By Mr. Terence R. Peck, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Public Affairs

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (NNS) -- Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba announced Nov. 9 that active duty and reserve Sailors who fail to properly check-in onboard may have their pay and leave days adversely affected.

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay's Personnel Service Detachment (PSD-GTMO) is experiencing an increase in the number of Sailors who arrive onboard the installation and fail to check-in within the required 2-day period.

"The check-in process is a necessity and cannot be overlooked," said Lt. Cmdr. Will Parks, the officer-in-charge of PSD-GTMO. "We at PSD have a Navy requirement to post a member's check-in within four days of their arrival date. A Sailor should obtain a check-in sheet from his or her parent command and then report to PSD."

When Sailors fail to report to PSD within the required time period, they may experience issues that could affect their quality of life.

"Two issues can arise when a person fails to properly check-in with PSD," said Parks. "First, there is a 'fail to report' message that goes out, which will stop all pay and allowances. Secondly, the member can be placed into an overpaid status due to unauthorized entitlements; and we all know that the government will require a member to payback an overpayment."

A recent example of what can happen to personnel when they fail to check-in, involved a Sailor who was overpaid approximately $3,500.

"The Sailor checked in with Housing to pick up the keys to his housing unit but never checked in with PSD," said Parks. "He continued to collect housing allowance for his last duty assignment, which was not an authorized entitlement. My staff ultimately tracked him down six weeks after his arrival date."

Sailors failing to report on time also affect the support of others requiring administrative services from PSD and that of their commands.

"On average, a late check-in can cause over payments and other required administrative reaction transactions," said Parks. "An unnecessary late check-in will cost numerous man-hours here at PSD and Defense Finance and Accounting Service, to correct over payments, not to mention the multiple required trips a member will be required to make to PSD to correct his or her problem."

Parks has directed his PSD staff to place members who do not check in properly into a leave status, until the Sailor checks in. If the member cannot be located or the assigned command does not know the Sailor's location, a "failed to report" status will be entered and all pay and allowances will be stopped.

"If for some reason a person cannot make it over to PSD within the two workday requirements, they can simply call us and we will work with them to set up a time that will work for the member," said Parks.