should we be scared or is it fixed?
That depends what you consider 'fixed' to mean. I am on a UK main base, and normally have no trouble accessing the service, submitting claims etc. However, I can well believe that anyone away from the backbone RLI is struggling. There will undoubtedly be units even within the UK where access is slow to impossible - we have never taken the requirement for bandwidth seriously, or employed contractors who have the necessary skills to develop software strategies that work with narrow pipes.. As for those who are out of area (at permanent or temporary deployed sites), I can well believe that the system is impossible to use.
I was at MoD the other day for a meeting, and the mil guys I was dealing with were still using paper - perhaps it's because they are 'Joint', but I don't think so.
The software itself is not fully developed or tested - today I put in a claim for
UK Daily Subsistence that was initially rejected because I had put
UK instead of
United Kingdom in the box which wanted to know where I had been when I had expended the cash... why was it even asking?? It also frequently refers users to the rules applicable to a particular claim, but there are no links and it often says things like See JSP XXX Leaflet YYY Para ZZZ, but no-one has gone back and filled-in the missing numbers!
I know I am in danger of repeating myself, but as bad as all this is, the real bolleaux about the introduction of JPA is the actual changes to entitlements that have been sneaked-in with it. We have been right-royally shafted!!!!! What gripped me today was a reminder message to users at my unit that the rates are maxima, and that just because you can claim up to £21(?) for daily subsistence doesn't mean that you are entitled to it. They have apparently been getting claims for the full amount, which the adminers reckon is indicative of people 'over-claiming'. Of course, it is unlikely that individuals will have receipts for the full amount unless they buy one or 2 large meals, but my understanding is that any purchase costing less than £5 does not need a receipt. Assuming the £21 is correct, you could legitimately buy 16 McD burgers (separately), a couple of drinks, a newspaper and make a brief call home, adding up to the full amount, which is entirely legitimate, but requires no actual receipts. When I questioned how any investigation into a supposed fraud of the systen might possibly be made to stick, I was met with a shrug. It just seems to me that this stupid system is trying to make people feel guilty about claiming things to which they are entitled.
It is disgusting.
You will hate it.
STH