Recovery of Disturbance Allowance

[turgas]

All,

I have been told that I am to repay my Disturbance Allowance that I received in July this year. I should not have claimed it as I am part of 'service marriage' were I was moving from the block into a family home in AMQ's which was already set up, I dont challenge this in anyway nor am I being accused of making a fraudulent claim, it was just ignorance on my part and the person who approved the allowance.

I am having to repay £1024. My problem is that they want it back in a one lump sum. We simply cant afford this and to be honest everybody I have spoken to seems to think I should be paying this back at a rate of 4 days pay per month on a Gross Public Debt, this being the prefered option should I actually get a choice.

Is there a clerk out there or someone who knows what the proper procedure should be here??

 

[True Blue Jack]

Disturbance allowance is a non-pay based allowance (unlike LSA, LOA, etc., despite the fact it is now paid alongside your salary) therefore it is normal for recovery of an overpayment to be effected in one lump sum.

HOWEVER. You received the money in good faith and spent it accordingly. While this can no longer be used as an argument to stop the recovery, it would be an exceptionally harsh Chf Clk who would not agree to some arrangement to help you out. I would recommend paying you an EPIC (advance of pay) equivalent to half the DA in the month it is recovered; the EPIC being recovered the following month.

Go to see him next week to see what he says.

 

[gemarriott]

Disturbance allowance is a non-pay based allowance (unlike LSA, LOA, etc., despite the fact it is now paid alongside your salary) therefore it is normal for recovery of an overpayment to be effected in one lump sum.

HOWEVER. You received the money in good faith and spent it accordingly. While this can no longer be used as an argument to stop the recovery, it would be an exceptionally harsh Chf Clk who would not agree to some arrangement to help you out. I would recommend paying you an EPIC (advance of pay) equivalent to half the DA in the month it is recovered; the EPIC being recovered the following month.

Go to see him next week to see what he says.

that still works out at over 500 quid a month, a bit steep to my way of thinking!

 

[True Blue Jack]

that still works out at over 500 quid a month, a bit steep to my way of thinking!

It is steep, but one way or another turgas has to pay back £1024. Stretching the recovery unofficially over 2 months by (mis)using the EPIC system is not too big an ask to my way of thinking. Trying to stretch it over 3 or 4 months means taking the risk of it all going very wrong.

 

[turgas]

Gents,

Many thanks for your posts on the matter. £500ish per month to pay back is going to be a bit of a rough deal particularly at this time of the year, christmas approaching and all that. The wife is in the Army, she has a contact who is a clerk, she also gives the '4 days pay per month' solution and even goes as far as quoting chapter line and verse of a JSP and a DIN detailing how I would have to sign to say I accept having to pay at a rate over SMRR (4 days pay). There is also an appeal process I believe.

As suggested I will pay a visit to the Chf Clk on monday to see if we can thrash this out.

 

[gemarriott]

Gents,

Many thanks for your posts on the matter. £500ish per month to pay back is going to be a bit of a rough deal particularly at this time of the year, christmas approaching and all that. The wife is in the Army, she has a contact who is a clerk, she also gives the '4 days pay per month' solution and even goes as far as quoting chapter line and verse of a JSP and a DIN detailing how I would have to sign to say I accept having to pay at a rate over SMRR (4 days pay). There is also an appeal process I believe.

As suggested I will pay a visit to the Chf Clk on monday to see if we can thrash this out.

good luck mate, let us know how you get on.

 

[Humble Scribe]

TBJ has it spot on in his first post but I agree that it would be very harsh to recover over 2 months especially at this time of year. If you're going to 'misuse' the EPIC system then why not do it properly & recover over 4 or even 6 months? Why should the MOD worry when they'll get the money back eventually anyway?

 

[True Blue Jack]

Gents,

Many thanks for your posts on the matter. £500ish per month to pay back is going to be a bit of a rough deal particularly at this time of the year, christmas approaching and all that. The wife is in the Army, she has a contact who is a clerk, she also gives the '4 days pay per month' solution and even goes as far as quoting chapter line and verse of a JSP and a DIN detailing how I would have to sign to say I accept having to pay at a rate over SMRR (4 days pay). There is also an appeal process I believe.

As suggested I will pay a visit to the Chf Clk on monday to see if we can thrash this out.

Good luck, and if your Chf Clk agrees to stretch the repayment over 4 months or more then that is all to the good. Just be advised of the potential for it not to go according to plan (e.g., being hit with a double whammy one month, or having it all cocked up by a separate pay issue). Be honest, decide with your wife how much you can realistically afford to repay each month and do so in the fewest instalments you can.