A military pay glitch cost Ohio Veteran nearly $18K. Now he’s getting a refund

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - More than 200 veterans will receive refunds after the Defense Finance and Accounting Service waived debts tied to an Army retirement pay error.

One of those veterans is Zoltan Krompecher of West Lake, a retired Army colonel who served more than three decades. In May 2025, he received a letter saying he had been overpaid $17,694 in retirement benefits.

Army system used wrong dates

The issue began when a computer system pulled incorrect service start dates for some soldiers. That affected how their retirement pay was calculated.

In July 2025, then-Army Secretary Dan Driscoll wrote to DFAS, saying 235 retirees were affected “through no fault of their own.” He urged the agency to waive the debts, that didn’t happen. DFAS said it received a signed waiver from the Army on Sept. 10, 2026, the same day 19 News contacted the Army about the issue and 14 months after Driscoll’s request.

Krompecher said he sent DFAS a check after receiving the repayment notice.

Veterans service commission helped

John Riess with the Cuyahoga County Veterans Service Commission helped Krompecher with the issue.

“Right away, when you have a general recognizing the error and saying, hey listen, it’s in the best interest of the Army to pay these individuals back.”

Krompecher said he did not hear back from DFAS for nearly a year and a half.

“Almost a year and a half, I still haven’t received a phone call, not an email. Nothing.”

DFAS told 19 News that the Department of War waived debts for more than 200 affected veterans. The agency expects to complete the waiver processing by Friday, Oct. 23, 2026.

Veterans who made payments toward waived debts will have the money refunded or applied to other existing debts, if applicable.

DFAS would not explain what it called a “system issue” and referred questions about that issue to the Army. The Army has not responded to 19 News’ request for comment.