Handful of citizen-soldiers in Nevada snagged by enlistment bonus fiasco

A citizen-soldier enlistment bonus scandal primarily affecting California National Guard troops has spilled over into Nevada.

State military officials said Tuesday that they have so far found a handful of Army Reserve military police serving in Nevada who are being asked to repay bonuses they received for enlisting or re-enlisting.

Among them is Aubrei Lucas, who said she never dreamed when she received a signing bonus eight years ago that the federal government would try to force her to repay it — and damage her credit score to boot.

A sergeant with the Las Vegas-based 313th Military Police Detachment, Lucas said she received $7,500 of a promised $20,000 bonus when she graduated from basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, then never saw another dime.

Now she and four others in the unit are being told to pay the money back with interest. Her bill, counting fees, comes to $10,000.

“This should have been fixed a long time ago,” Lucas, 26, said Tuesday of the current scandal over enlistment bonuses handed out at the height of the wars of last decade, when skilled soldiers were in high demand. So far, the problem largely appears to have been limited to the California National Guard.

Lucas said she found out in July about her problem. Her enlistment is up in December.

“It would be nice if they help me fix this because they put this on my credit rating, and it’s now 240 points lower than it was,” said Lucas, who served in administrative roles and on custom details to clear soldiers returning from overseas.

The Los Angeles Times, which broke the story over the weekend, said the problem in California alone affected 10,000 citizen-soldiers who were wrongly given bonuses of $15,000 or more for enlisting or re-enlisting. But the Pentagon said Tuesday that at most 6,500 California Guard soldiers received bonuses they weren’t due.

The Nevada Army National Guard released a statement Tuesday, saying, “Soldiers who transferred from California Army National Guard and are currently in the Nevada Army Guard or served with Nevada Army Guard as their last duty station should contact the Nevada Army Guard Education Services and Incentives Office for assistance in requesting an exception to policy.”

So far, the Nevada Guard has not found any soldiers “owing a debt due to fraud or mismanagement of bonuses,” the statement reads, adding that more information is available by phone at 775-887-7326.

The total amount wrongly paid in bonuses is not clear, but $22 million has been recovered so far.

Outrage spread quickly in Congress, with members calling on Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and congressional leaders to quickly find a solution.

Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, signed two letters with colleagues Tuesday saying the Pentagon should abandon efforts to recoup bonuses.

“It is unacceptable that the Department of Defense is trying to claw back bonuses that were paid to the brave men and women who re-enlisted in the armed services,” she said.

She added that she’ll be working “in the coming weeks to find a permanent fix that does not punish our service members through undue interest charges, tax liens and wage garnishments.”

Rep. Joe Heck, R-Nev., a member of the House Armed Services Committee and an Army Reserve brigadier general, said he finds it “beyond absurd” that the Pentagon is going after enlistment bonuses given a decade ago or more.

“Those bonuses went to down payments on homes and cars, to support families and to repay student loans. Our Guardsmen and Reservists simply don’t have tens of thousands of dollars laying around to repay the Pentagon,” Heck said.

A letter signed by Heck and others in Congress urges Carter to correct the problem.

“If you do not believe you possess this authority, please let us know so Congress can take appropriate action,” the letter states.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308. Find him on Twitter: @KeithRogers2