Finance addresses potential pay foul-ups Published Dec. 8, 2010 Fairchild Flyer Staff Report FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- With the Air Force's high deployment rates and multiple temporary duty assignments, pay and entitlements can change monthly. A recent DoD study determined nearly 35,100 Airmen may have been paid incorrectly, while an Air Force audit found only 18,850 possible deployment pay errors. "These are staggering numbers and a mistake in a member's pay can be a painful experience; however mistakes are a reality in any career field," said 1st Lt. Noah Garguile. "Errors have occurred, but the Air Force financial management community has taken enormous strides to improve financial services." According to Lieutenant Garguile, the mandate of electronic systems such as eFinance and the permanent change of station in-processing systems have improved travel document accuracy 11 percent since Nov. 2009. "Here at Fairchild, our accuracy rate for processing travel vouchers is 97 percent over the last six months," the lieutenant said. "A new deployment pay audit procedure will now bump a list of deployed Airmen with open or closed deployment entitlements and send a report to the base-level financial service offices to work." In addition, Fairchild's military pay transaction accuracy is an astonishing 96 percent, Lieutenant Garguile added. While the financial management career field bears a large majority of responsibility, the comptroller squadron depends on customers to take ownership in their own financial affairs, Lieutenant Garguile said. "If you have recently been deployed, promoted, received a bonus, or changed your personnel status, it's a good time to verify that your entitlements and leave are accurate," Lieutenant Garguile said. "With our ever-changing financial services environment we want to better serve the world's greatest fighting force, so it's imperative we pay you accurately and, more importantly, on time." For more information, email 92cpts.finance@us.af.mil or call (509) 247-3748.