On Friday, Military.com reported that the military has failed to compensate roughly 9,000 National Guardsmen "the bonuses they were promised for signing up" to serve, with some payments having "been missing for years." According to the report, the Guard is also "tracking an additional 3,900 soldiers who completed their service and left the military without getting any bonus payment, though some may have lost eligibility."
As noted by the outlet, these bonuses, which can total as high as $20,000, are divvied up over the course of soldiers’ enlistment contracts, with the first half to be distributed after an enlistee completes initial service training. Meanwhile, the second half is "disbursed halfway through soldiers’ first contracts."
Guard officials claim the usual waiting period to receive the first bonus is six months, although enlistees and their families have indicated "it can take years" to receive the payments.
