Have you ever used the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act?

MAJ Joseph Parker — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 18:03:00 -0500

Many service members are unaware of the SSCRA until they get into financial problems, and even then don't use this valuable protection. However, it can also by used preemptively, too. The SM can write creditors prior to deployment to inform them that payments may be delayed and that actions against their credit rating while are illegal under SSCRA. The same applies to military families deployed in remote regions. Often it helps just to inform creditors when stateside that your file is subject to SSCRA so they can tag it for special handling in the event of computerized "robo" actions on their part in the event of interest raises, legal action, or foreclosures which are forbidden by SSCRA and just an unnecessary pain for ALCON.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 19 at 2013 9:52 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 21:52:12 -0500

Yes I have and they were very nice and helpful.

Response by SPC Jorge Pedraza made Nov 20 at 2013 2:54 PM

SPC Jorge Pedraza — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 14:54:12 -0500

Is there any help for soldiers after they return and are no longer in service? It seems that many are getting into trouble immediatly after returning home and are transitioning into civilian life, is there any releif or organization that is helping these soldier?

Response by SFC Michael Boulanger made Nov 20 at 2013 4:17 PM

SFC Michael Boulanger — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 16:17:18 -0500

I have it helped lower my interest rates while I was deployed. This gave us the ability to make larger payments and knock out some pills a lot faster.

Response by Col Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2013 8:13 PM

Col Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 20:13:20 -0500

Very true, it seems most credit companies have a dedicated section or SCRA representative to answer question. I had used the old Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act (SSCRA) several years ago with success. The new program is called Service-members Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and is apparently more robust now, I'm currently going through the process again and having a full review to include retroactive review on closed accounts. This is truly a great program that I highly recommend checking into. I'll provide more details when I have additional information in several weeks. Thanks for posting on this subject, I'm certain that this information will help a lot of people!

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 20 at 2013 9:09 PM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 21:09:28 -0500

I have used SCRA, I was aware of it because of my banking background, and nowadays, many banks are trying to give better interest rates to Servicemembers, as both of my credit cards are with bigger banks and are both at 4%

Response by CPO Jon Campbell made Nov 21 at 2013 7:09 PM

CPO Jon Campbell — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 19:09:53 -0500

I used the SSCRA to keep from having a loan from my 401k sent to default status. I had loaned myself money from my 401k and was activated. During my activation, there was no easy way to pay the loan back because it was set up through a payroll deduction. A simple letter to the company managing the 401k kept the loan from default and prevented me from getting stuck with a tax penalty.

One thing I learned though, is that few companies are familiar with the law.

Response by SSG Peter Marshall made Nov 23 at 2013 12:45 PM

SSG Peter Marshall — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 12:45:40 -0500

Sir, I returned to my employer after one year of a state-side duty after 9/11. They treated me very well when I was mobilized even extending my benefits beyond the norm. When I returned to work,I even got my same job at my same desk. However, my manager was not aware of the USERRA/SSCRA rules, so my annual review had some issues. I informed my new manager of the rules and he worked with our HR folks to get it right. I nominated Hewitt Associates via the ESGR program because I didn't expect them to know everything, but once I made them aware, they responded exceptionally.

Response by SGT William B. made Nov 23 at 2013 1:22 PM

SGT William B. — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 13:22:31 -0500

Sir, it's a good deal. Our battalion was good enough to give us a small briefing on it, as well as sample letters to cell phone companies, credit card companies, etc. Overall, I think it'll save me a little over $1500 during the time I anticipate being deployed; a nice extra chunk of change.

Also useful (especially for us USAR/ARNG types) is USERRA. I've had to threaten using USERRA a couple of times prior to deployment, since one of my employers was making interesting statements regarding how often I had to have time off to leave for MOS-specific schools, battalion training, etc. Thankfully, I haven't had to use it yet, but the knowledge of it is a great thing for any servicemember to keep in their back pocket.

Response by SGT William B. made Nov 23 at 2013 2:23 PM

SGT William B. — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 14:23:54 -0500

1SG, do those companies backdate those credits? Would that also happen to count for reservists leaving for IET, as well as TDY orders (schools, AT, etc.)? That's awesome if so; I don't remember getting anything back, but I'm sure as heck going to double check now. Thanks for the info!

Response by MSG Tim Waychoff made Nov 24 at 2013 3:16 PM

MSG Tim Waychoff — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 15:16:48 -0500

Sir, I have successfully used the SSCRA as well, to lower my cell phone bill, and if I remember correctly, utilities perhaps also. It has been awhile, but as many others have stated, the major lending companies are usually very prompt about applying the adjustments, and very professional and helpful when the subject is brought to their attention.

I have shared this information with many other Soldiers and NCOs in the past, and all have benefitted from using it as well.

Great topic!