DFAS Selective Re-enlistment Bonus Recoupment (SRB)

[Anonymous]

I was discharged from the US Navy after serving for almost 12 years with a "condition not a disability". Yet I am rated 60% from the VA. I have tried going to DFAS citing multiple references for SRB recoupment and medical is not supposed to be recouped. I have contacted the Naval Board of Corrections, congressmen and even the President. I didn't even receive a Medical Board. Also tried submitting for a hardship request to have the debt waived and was declined. I was discharged in 2011 and is also on my credit report which I don't recall ever receiving a document that stated it would be reported to the credit bureaus. This has put a significant financial burden on me and my family. I have tried contacting lawyers to see if they could help me get my discharge changed and this SRB recoupment reversed. It seems I can't find a lawyer that is willing to help a disabled veteran with this. They have taken about $40,000 from me and say I still owe about $17,000. This has also caused me to lose my security clearance and is causing me difficulty to get a clearance again so I can work in jobs that require a security clearance.

Is there anyone who knows what I can do to get these issues resolved which is not only affecting my finances, credit and affecting me and my families way of life?

[Anonymous]

There are it sounds like two issues at play here:

(1)  Something that may be appearing on your credit reports.

(2)  A legal issue between you and the military (which involves financial obligation from you to them, at least from their perspective).

#2 sounds complex and is likely outside the expertise of anyone here, though you may get someone who knows something and can chime in.  Unless someone else from here has some other advice, finding an attorney with appropriate experience in these issues sounds like your only option.

#1 is happily something the folks here may be able to help with.  To that end...

(a)  Have you pulled your full reports at annualCreditReport.com?  These are the "gold standard" and would be the things you would want to start with.  You would want to pull all three reports (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian).  And you would want fairly recent reports.  If you have not yet used ACR this year, I would use it now.

(b) If you have recent reports from ACR... what exactly do they say?  Give us as much detail about the derogatory item (related to this) as you can, including the exact wording and the date associated with the derog, plus any ways that the three reports differ how they represent the item (the reports might all say exactly the same thing).

The date of the derog (as it appears on the report) is especially important.  If it occurred way in the past (according to the report) then it may well be slated to fall of your reports soon -- which would solve problem #1.  You mention 2011 as a possible date, which is very encouraging as far as the hope that it may fall off soon.