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Grabbers
27th Nov 2006, 20:18
Anyone heard anything about when the Operational/Tax-Free/Conscience-Salving/"Quick lets announce something before David Cameron beats us to it" allowance is going to be paid? As usual no sense from JPAC and HR staffs are also being kept in the dark.

DaveyBoy
28th Nov 2006, 06:30
I guess one delay is waiting for the legislation to be put in place. An amendment was made to the Social Security Regulations on the 9th Nov to make the Operational Allowance free of NI contributions ( http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/20062924.htm ), but we're still waiting on similar amendments to make it free of income tax and tax credits.

TMJ
28th Nov 2006, 07:34
Anyone heard anything about when the Operational/Tax-Free/Conscience-Salving/"Quick lets announce something before David Cameron beats us to it" allowance is going to be paid? As usual no sense from JPAC and HR staffs are also being kept in the dark.


HR Staffs ought to read the stuff on the page before the JPA login then. According to JPA BULLETIN NO: 0611-014 dated 9 Nov 06:

"Payment to RAF regular and FTRS personnel is expected to reach bank accounts early December. AFPAA, through JPA, will continue to supply nominal rolls for units to validate prior to payment, until an automated JPA payment process is implemented.
2. Additional instructions will be issued by AFPAA to support additional pay runs post Nov 06 until a common procedure can be adopted utilising JPA from JPA Release 3 (Apr 07)."

As soon as I read that I made sure all my lads who's been somewhere sandy this year contacted PSF to check their name was on the list.

TMJ
29th Nov 2006, 07:52
Further to my last...

Issue Summary Effective DateOperational Allowance -RN/RM and RAF
28/11/06

1. DESCRIPTION:
Operational Allowance (OA) payments have now been generated to over 5,500 RN/RM and RAF personnel on JPA. These payments cover those qualifying for the allowance by completing a tour in a qualifying area in the period from inception in Apr 06 to Oct 06 and should be received by the end of this week.

SaddamsLoveChild
29th Nov 2006, 08:26
For those who are eligible from April to October the payment will be in payrun 2 for this month or by 5 Dec I am told. :D

Runaway Gun
29th Nov 2006, 08:51
Great. I'm going out on a huge spending spree in anticipation :)

I'm sure it will all come good.

sarsteph
29th Nov 2006, 15:58
Got notification on JPA that my Op Allowance will be paid on 30 Nov! For once the timing is great - it'll pay for some of Christmas:D

Nat O'Thee
29th Nov 2006, 20:49
Yep looking forward to getting hands on mine tomorrow as well, great timing.

ORAC
30th Nov 2006, 05:56
Marines furious at front-line 'pay cut' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/30/nmarines30.xml)

The morale of Royal Marines serving on the front line in Afghanistan has plummeted after a £3,000 allowance was deducted from their wages following a "dreadful blunder" by Royal Navy administrators.

The revelation will come as an acute embarrassment for Tony Blair, who only last week was photographed among Royal Marines as he promoted Britain's strategy in the Taliban-ravaged country.

Politicians and Navy chiefs were so concerned over the impact of the wage cut that they sent extra human resources staff to Afghanistan to inform more than 1,000 commandos affected by the error.

The Marines had been told they could receive up to £17 extra a day as a special allowance for being on overseas operations during the six-month operation. But they were misled and the Ministry of Defence has now refused to pay the extra £3,000 the men had been promised.....

The money is separate from the £2,240 tax free bonus being given to troops on operations announced by the Defence Secretary last month.

PompeySailor
30th Nov 2006, 08:48
Marines furious at front-line 'pay cut' (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/11/30/nmarines30.xml)

The morale of Royal Marines serving on the front line in Afghanistan has plummeted after a £3,000 allowance was deducted from their wages following a "dreadful blunder" by Royal Navy administrators.

The revelation will come as an acute embarrassment for Tony Blair, who only last week was photographed among Royal Marines as he promoted Britain's strategy in the Taliban-ravaged country.

Politicians and Navy chiefs were so concerned over the impact of the wage cut that they sent extra human resources staff to Afghanistan to inform more than 1,000 commandos affected by the error.

The Marines had been told they could receive up to £17 extra a day as a special allowance for being on overseas operations during the six-month operation. But they were misled and the Ministry of Defence has now refused to pay the extra £3,000 the men had been promised.....

The money is separate from the £2,240 tax free bonus being given to troops on operations announced by the Defence Secretary last month.

This is LSA, and the blunder has occurred because no-one bothered to explain properly how to calculate how the previous time-accrued would transfer to the new system. Leaving the guys to guesstimate it themselves led to obvious estimates way over entitlement, but just shows that the MOD don't give a stuff anymore. They could quite simply have generated a print for every single person showing how much they could expect to pick up, it really is not difficult. Now, they have another public/HR own goal to deal with, and a bunch of hacked of Royals. Lucky Tony went to see them before this came out, wasn't it?

"The allowances were previously based on the number of days served in two areas called Qualifying Service and Paid Service. The troops were told these would both continue to be used to calculate the new Longer Separation Allowance.This was incorrect as Qualifying Service days had never been counted under the new scheme. It was not until a few weeks ago that the Navy's Resources and Planning department noticed its mistake, but not before some marines had estimated their LSA bonuses at as much as 11 times beyond the level to which they were entitled.
The money is separate from the £2,240 tax free bonus being given to troops on operations announced by the Defence Secretary last month."

proper_brevet
30th Nov 2006, 09:38
I totally sympathise with the Marines, but this is JPA for you. We've had it for months now and I still haven't been paid any expense claims despite many phonecalls and letters. Wait until the Army come on line, things can only get worse with more people to accomodate.:ugh:

Not_a_boffin
30th Nov 2006, 10:06
Love the way our Lordships / MoD sent extra HR staff out to the Stan "to inform more than 1000 commandos..". Bit like the way the DfID sent a bunch of wimmins rights advisers out there immediately after the Taleban did one back in 03. Probably went down (don't even go there....) just as well.......

R 21
30th Nov 2006, 10:34
Mines been paid, I'm in shock !!! :ooh:

StopStart
30th Nov 2006, 10:37
Well, it might have been paid - received an extra payment into the bank of£726 or thereabouts (checked online just now). I'm assuming this is the Op Allowance thing? Not sure what the rate is though.

Thought it was about £12 a day? If I've done 81 days away since mid July then I think I'm a few quid short? Dunno :)

PompeySailor
30th Nov 2006, 10:37
Mines been paid, I'm in shock !!! :ooh:

Don't spend it then. You know that in about three months time they are going to send you a letter asking for it all back to help pay for all this new research into cystic fibrosis that will be given priority now.

Yes, it sounds cynical, but look at his record with child-related benefits that only reared their heads once he had procreated.....

StopStart
30th Nov 2006, 10:39
Well, at least that's a worthy cause :)

PompeySailor
30th Nov 2006, 10:44
Well, at least that's a worthy cause :)

If you could trust this government to actually spend it on that. Remember them putting extra money on a packet of cigarettes to go "direct to the NHS" - and the NHS has never been so skint. They employ a lot more administrators, but their actual financial health is appalling.

Lara crofts pants
30th Nov 2006, 13:54
I left the RAF this September (boo hoo), but not before having spent mucho time in said sandy places during the appropriate periods. Will I qualify do you think?

StopStart
30th Nov 2006, 14:02
LCP

No, apparently your entitlement is forwarded on to all those that stayed on. So that'll be me then...... :{

Job good? Been chopped yet? Only a matter of time ;)

toddbabe
30th Nov 2006, 18:07
Thought it was about £12 a day? If I've done 81 days away since mid July then I think I'm a few quid short? Dunno :)
It depends where you are based, so far the hR staff have only been instructed to pay out for time spent in Iraq, Afghanistan or Balkans, if you have been anywhere else ie a FOB and you have done regular trips over any of the above then you too will also get the cash, just not yet! they are paying out for all the above mentioned first before they move onto the rest.

Faithless
30th Nov 2006, 18:35
Im happy to say that my unit has just received it. Thank you very much;) , that will do nicely just before xmas. A big hand of respect to our FSA Clerk:D . It is £12.31 a day.

StopStart
30th Nov 2006, 20:54
toddbabe, thanks - that makes sense. Last det was spent in Al U - home of the Long Screwdriver and Meddling Senior Officer, so I guess thats why I haven't received it yet :)

Widger
1st Dec 2006, 07:48
Whilst the operational allowance is great for the individual, it is not extra money from the treasury but comes out of the existing Defence Budget, meaning less money to spend elsewhere and more cuts!

Mmmmnice
1st Dec 2006, 15:06
it's just arrived in last months pay - i didn't expect it 'til end dec so i guess that's one up to the firm!

StopStart
1st Dec 2006, 16:12
Widger. So what? In these mercenary times that's just a fact of life.

Those of us that seem to spend our lives deployed have to come to live with the penny-pinching, short cuts, crap kit and the lies from on high. A few more isn't going to make much of a difference. What does make a difference is that I am now being recompensed, to a certain extent, for having to put up with the balls ache of all of the above. They'll be pushed to cut much more from the front line so let's see some of the rubbish trimmed from the Defence Budget back here in the UK if needs be.

:hmm:

SirPeterHardingsLovechild
1st Dec 2006, 23:44
I need to get home before the wife sees the bank statement!