6/6/2012 - JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
There are many Department of Defense civilians working on Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph being summoned for jury duty who don't know what they should do once they receive checks from the courthouse, Sandra Thurchak, 902nd Comptroller Squadron civilian pay technician, said.
"Employees are not aware that they're required to bring the check they receive from the courthouse to finance (at Pitsenbarger Hall)," she said.
If civilians use the Court Leave code of "LC" on their timecards during their jury duty summons, they are paid their regular salary for leave and must return any courthouse compensation to the Civilian Pay Office, Bldg. 399, located in room 234.
If civilians use the code of "LA" and their certification form contains the statement "For Daily Allowances of Expenses," they are allowed to keep the compensation they receive while serving time at the courthouse.
Civilians who do not return their checks from jury duty without the proper certification form are required to pay all monies they receive to the Civilian Pay Office.
This becomes troublesome when those summoned have spent money they were not supposed to spend, Thurchak said.
"I'd rather collect the check they get from the jury rather than them writing a personal check to us later on," she said. "Some of them don't bring us the checks because they are not aware what to do and by the time we contact them, they've already spent or donated the money."
Civilians have the option to donate funds they receive while on jury duty leave to a children's welfare program - a noble gesture - albeit the money must be returned to the Civilian Pay Office if they use code "LC," Thurchak said.
"The best way to avoid any hassle is to come see us after jury duty," she said, which can save civilians time, money and maybe a headache or two - something that goes both ways.
"We try to be tactful when informing base members they were not supposed to use their courthouse money when they actually did, but sometimes it can be a battle to get information through to them," Krystal Bennett, 902nd CPTS financial services technician, said.
Bennett said contacting base members has become increasingly troublesome since she sees many of them coming from the same organizations - something the Civilian Pay Office is working to better communicate with supervisors across Randolph.
"I've been called 'snippy,'" Thurchak quipped, but said she understands the balance between potential frustration that can arise from civilians' perspective and her approach to her job.
Civilians must ultimately make sure their statements from the courthouse state what they are to do with their funds, Thurchak said.
"County courthouses are getting better with specifying information on the verification form, but the city courthouses are inconsistent," Bennett said.
Converse and Universal City courtrooms are traditionally problematic regarding verification forms, she said, so members should always check in with the Civilian Pay Office as a preventive measure from potentially paying back jury duty money they receive.
A phone call or email to them is also more than welcomed, Thurchak said.
To contact the Civilian Pay Office, call 652-6480 or email them at finance.civpay@us.af.mil. Refer to DoD Financial Management Regulation, Volume 8, Chapter 5, paragraph section 0517 for more information.