garnishment

I'm actually surprised that your retirement pay was garnished by a consumer debt. This can happen, though. As far as being able to figure out when the first garn took place, all you really CAN do is pester either the retirement people to search or the creditor to give you the info. What do you plan to do if you do get that info?

Are you talking about AAFES? Army and Air Force Exchange Service..aka the PX/BX? ( AF brat here)...If you owe them, I dont think its your standard consumer debt with AAFES being a government entity.

OH!!!! I thought it was some kind of a charge card! This is a fed debt, then..I would think it would still be considered a consumer debt in terms of caps, though.

Why are they garnishing you? What kind of debt do you owe them?

An AFEES card is like a credit card you used on base to buy items that you need. From my husbands experience we had to have our paid in full before he got discharged.

REALLY??? That's nuts! So you use it to buy items on base?

When we lived overseas (even here in the states) that was our "store"....like a big Target...no sales tax.

Sounds like volleyballmom would be right. It's not typical unsecured consumer debt.

I just wonder if this is an AAFES credit card or a DPP...deferred payment plan which is basically in-store credit and you just go in on payday and make payments.

Its been a few years...the BX was our "lifeline" to US goods when lived in europe and central america. It was not uncommon for some us us at school to be wearing the same outfit on the same day! :lol:

volls I totally agree but how is...

"My military retirement pay was garnished "

happening as we speak in America????

how is this type of debt actually being garnished?

I think we should be paying all of them for time for service to our country ...instead of garnishing anyone involved with military
Just my own opinion...but.....
are we including this in the National debt figure?

Socks...I agree. They deserve every penny for retirement...my dad is retired AF and I would be PO'ed if someone garnished his retirement. However, with AAFES, I believe they (not everyone) can garnish military retirement, etc due to the affiliation with the military. Its a unique situation.

thanks volls .....

nothing should ever be garnished from these people.. ever!!!!!

..it should never happen.!!!!

( am pasting this thread and am forwarding to my state's attorney general and hope all here who read will do the same thing.)..I feel we should all do everything we can to keep our U.S. veterans from being victimized!!!!!! Volls I luv ya!!!!!!

Actually, A LOT of people can garnish military retirement now. Yes, it takes more to obtain a judgement, but bennies CAN be garnished for simple consumer debts.

Retirement checks are different from SSI/Disability checks.

AFEES doesn't work like a normal credit card, not just anyone can get one. It's a government thing and the government likes to get their money back when it isn't paid back in a timely fashion.

Quote:

Come on guy's you can't just let people borrow money with no recourse even if they are vets. Thats like saying everyone in the military can charge whatever they want and pay it back only if they want. I think the gov. should pay them better but they still need to be responcible like everyone else.

Guest...you come on...that is not what anyone is saying. We are speaking specifically of garnishing miltary retirement.

just an ethical question..
do members here think it is okay to garnish military retirement checks?
Even if it can be done does that make it right or ethical? in other members here opinion's?
just wondering if volls and I are the only ones so far to say it's wrong and needs to be changed ...maybe I am dreaming but why is this happening to our veteran's? why? in the world is this allowed in this great country of ours? I don't understand.at all and am outraged!

p.s...they don't owe me anything..ever!....I should be paying them...for protecting my freedom
what the hell happened in this country that now we garnish their retirement checks and it is OKAY?!!!!

wow I probably just made another stupid uninformed assumption here...but I am truly amazed that this is actually happening in our country ..and will e-mail every possible person I know for months to follow with copies from other posts here to alert and try to rally people in this country to protest! :shock: :shock: :shock:

Just a comment...I receive an annuity from my deceased husband years with working for the government. It is probably the most protected kind of retirement you can receive..most lawyers will not touch a government retirement...it must be extremely difficult to enforce a garnishment.

I would love to say that his debt if forgiven, but to do so would institute chaos. Everyone has to be responcible. If this garnishment was invalid I would fight with you.

Laura it sounds like you are receiving widows benefits, it's almost like a life insurance policy except the fact that it doesn't go to the estate.

If it is a legit debt and being garnished was the only way to recover it then I don't feel retirement checks should be excluded since SSI and disability checks are.

As far as being a service member, you are given very clear and specific rules when you join the armed services and paying back government debt is one of those things that you are told to be responsible about.

While we respect our service members new and old it doesn't give them a clear pass on debt forgiveness.

FYI..You are right I am receiving those benefits. The point I was trying to make was that it would have to be a very legit debt for the government to take such actions as garnishment. As a receiver of an annuity I can be assured if I owe a debt it will be throughly investigated before garnishment is taken. I'm like you I think if you owe a debt it needs to be repaid eventually.

I also agree that all debts owed should indeed be paid

I have quickly googled a few sights and read statements that military retirement can not be garnished but it appears from posts here that it does happen

my concern is that if this is their only source of income they probably would have already paid or been paying on the debt if they could

if a portion of this money is taken away then surely another social service welfare etc would have to step in and pick up the pieces to make ends meet

I hear of so many nightmares our veterans have to go through regarding red tape..getting into VA hospitals receiving their medical care etc....I just think it is a shame that here is something else that can happen to them..

granted they might owe someone money..but there should be an organization out there they can go to to help them out before they get in this situation.

Only buying things when you have the money is the best way to stay out of trouble no matter who you are. If a person has no money and needs food, there are places to get the food and so on. Spending future earnings is a risk that should be avoided. Living on a budget and having an emergency fund should come before anything that is not a basic need.

Guest....you stated....

"Only buying things when you have the money is the best way to stay out of trouble no matter who you are"

yes... in a perfect world this would be the case but unless you are living in a cave somewhere..
you must know that credit and credit and debt problems result because people continue to buy things when they don't have the money..I think this has been happening for decade's here in the U.S.

Just another thought....I wonder what will happen when we do get our troops home from Iraq..and how this will effect U.S. unemployment rate in an already strapped economy... and our newest youngest veterans' debts when they are looking for jobs if they are lucky enough to get back home?....

I an currently Active duty Marine Corps, and AAFES is being garnished from my pay, even though i do not owe anything. I paid my card off and they are still saying i owe them money. There is no finance charge on a zero balance, but for some reason, $50 a month is taken from my pay. I have fought this for about six months, and am getting nowhere. Does anybody have any ideas on how i can fix this?

jeff....

I really hope someone here can offer you advice but no one has yet... a couple of days after your post and I am very surprised!

your story is the exact thing I referred to..veterans having to fight for their right AFTER they got home and already FOUGHT for our freedom!!!! and now have to fight for their rights they earned! Why is this happening to Jeff who is here asking for help to fix this?...
If no one here can help you...I would think you should have some sort of veteran's free lawyer consultation service available to you ...
Jeff...to help you resolve this problem..

good luck! and GOD BLESS you AND THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Thank you Jeff S!!!!!!!