US Army Soldiers Can’t Retire Or Get Discharged Due To Tech Outage
An outage concerning the US Army’s human resources platform is preventing thousands of soldiers from getting their retirement forms processed or discharge forms and separation orders released, according to a report by Army Times.
The problem, according to Lt. Col. Joseph Payton, a spokesperson for the service’s personnel directorate, is due to “data processing issues” affecting the Transition Processing System of the Integrated Personnel and Pay System-Army (IPPS-A) platform.
IPPS-A integrates the army’s personnel, pay, and talent management functions in a web-based application. The Transition Processing System is the function that “produces the discharge forms and separation orders required for troops to access post-service benefits like Veterans Affairs disability pay, retirement pensions, the G.I. Bill, and more,” according to Army Times.
Rolling out IPPS-A has been rough for the army. The platform was originally slated to be rolled out in October 2021 but was delayed a few times due to some concerns over data issues. It was finally launched in December 2022, only to be welcomed by a separate issue last week when around 17,000 soldiers and 8,000 family members had their TRICARE health benefits terminated “due to an unexpected error.” That error, unlike the Transition Processing System, has mostly been corrected, according to reports.
“We anticipate (the Transition Processing System) to be fully functional within a week,” the spokesperson said. “Once it’s up and running, we will prioritize processing [discharge forms] for our transitioning Soldiers who have been impacted.”
Until the function is restored, soldiers will have no choice but to wait. This will be especially problematic for those who have already scheduled their participation in employment transition programs. Army Times reports that the issue impacts as many as 4,000 soldiers.
Information for this story was found via Army Times, and the sources mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.