Military Tax
Donation protected
Hey, friends! I guess we should jump right into the basic story.
My husband, Jermaine, officially left the Army one year ago. That first summer, he went to coding school in Seattle. We managed to hold down two households [we are DC residents] after I took a job during my second year of grad school for social work, aiding people with severe mental illnesses. Notably, he was receiving a housing stipend from the Army, thanks to the GI Bill.
When he got back home, I prepared for my last year of grad school, and he secured a job almost immediately. Career transition win!
However.
That September, we received a letter from the Army stating that he held a $3K negative balance, and it was to be paid immediately. We were caught way off guard. After a series of fact-finding calls to the finance office, it was confirmed that the Army had made a clerical error miscalculating his leave days, and as a result he had been penalized for taking four days of unauthorized leave. This would have been a minor inconvenience except that he had received a housing stipend during this four day window, which was now rendered invalid. Most importantly, the finance office was either unwilling or unable to remedy the situation, and they recommended we write our congressman.
Some time passed, and we struggle-bused it through the holidays, exchanging emails with government officials and taking it one day at a time like you do.
We felt wronged, but it wasn't dire. We went about our lives, trying to get by on his contractor salary and the remnants of student loan money. We were hopeful the situation would eventually work itself out. After all, we had done nothing wrong, right?
Well.
As February rolled around, we still hadn't heard back from our congressman. We were depending on our tax returns to carry us through the summer, as I transitioned out of grad school and into a new job as a child and family therapist. Plus all of Jermaine's student loans were coming due post-military deferment. But if you are thinking we would not be seeing those tax returns, you would be right.
Despite two formal protests, despite the best efforts of two offices in Congress, and despite all of the support from Jermaine's military unit, Defense Finance and Accounting Services garnished our taxes for the full amount, and there was nothing we could do. When we contacted the IRS, they sent us to DFAS. When we contacted DFAS, they sent us to our congressman. Everyone was sorry, no one could help.
And so here we are.
We are sharing our story and asking for your help because, well, it's an option. Because we preach the importance of asking for help when you need it. Because if our friends were in a similar position and we were able to help, we'd want the opportunity to do so.
We chose $4K because, while it's a bit more than we lost, it feels like enough to get us through the rough patch. We have a baby on the way [woot, I'm due in September], we are moving to a cheaper part of town this month, and we know that as our careers begin to blossom, someday soon we will be okay. And when that day comes, we can pay forward whatever we have received through this campaign.
We live generously, and we know many of you do the same. So, we thought, why not ask and see what happens? If you've read this far, we appreciate you. Thank you for being amazing.
My husband, Jermaine, officially left the Army one year ago. That first summer, he went to coding school in Seattle. We managed to hold down two households [we are DC residents] after I took a job during my second year of grad school for social work, aiding people with severe mental illnesses. Notably, he was receiving a housing stipend from the Army, thanks to the GI Bill.
When he got back home, I prepared for my last year of grad school, and he secured a job almost immediately. Career transition win!
However.
That September, we received a letter from the Army stating that he held a $3K negative balance, and it was to be paid immediately. We were caught way off guard. After a series of fact-finding calls to the finance office, it was confirmed that the Army had made a clerical error miscalculating his leave days, and as a result he had been penalized for taking four days of unauthorized leave. This would have been a minor inconvenience except that he had received a housing stipend during this four day window, which was now rendered invalid. Most importantly, the finance office was either unwilling or unable to remedy the situation, and they recommended we write our congressman.
Some time passed, and we struggle-bused it through the holidays, exchanging emails with government officials and taking it one day at a time like you do.
We felt wronged, but it wasn't dire. We went about our lives, trying to get by on his contractor salary and the remnants of student loan money. We were hopeful the situation would eventually work itself out. After all, we had done nothing wrong, right?
Well.
As February rolled around, we still hadn't heard back from our congressman. We were depending on our tax returns to carry us through the summer, as I transitioned out of grad school and into a new job as a child and family therapist. Plus all of Jermaine's student loans were coming due post-military deferment. But if you are thinking we would not be seeing those tax returns, you would be right.
Despite two formal protests, despite the best efforts of two offices in Congress, and despite all of the support from Jermaine's military unit, Defense Finance and Accounting Services garnished our taxes for the full amount, and there was nothing we could do. When we contacted the IRS, they sent us to DFAS. When we contacted DFAS, they sent us to our congressman. Everyone was sorry, no one could help.
And so here we are.
We are sharing our story and asking for your help because, well, it's an option. Because we preach the importance of asking for help when you need it. Because if our friends were in a similar position and we were able to help, we'd want the opportunity to do so.
We chose $4K because, while it's a bit more than we lost, it feels like enough to get us through the rough patch. We have a baby on the way [woot, I'm due in September], we are moving to a cheaper part of town this month, and we know that as our careers begin to blossom, someday soon we will be okay. And when that day comes, we can pay forward whatever we have received through this campaign.
We live generously, and we know many of you do the same. So, we thought, why not ask and see what happens? If you've read this far, we appreciate you. Thank you for being amazing.
Organizer
Brandy Patterson Walker
Organizer
Washington D.C., DC
